 LysDor's Brussels Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 740 Last Visit to Brussels: - | 3.1.2002 Kati hits Belgian ground for the first ti by LysDor - last update: Oct 17, 2003 |
Grand-Place & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=3>What an exiting moment for my best friend Kati to stand for the first time on the Grand-Place in Brussels! We have known each other since university, that is roughly 20 years. A long time indeed. Our last trip together dated back to 1987 when we were on our fun trip in <a href="http://www.virtualtourist. com/m/.88942/1132/?s=R"></font><font color=dodgerblue face=comic sans MS size=3> Hersonissos!</a> <font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=3> Oh dear, those were the happy days...
Anyhow here we are both ready to attack all sights, taste every belgian delicacy, laugh a lot, yes that is why Kati is best known for - constantly smiling <img src="/p/.88942/a-82-12-6865.gif">, laughing <img src="/p/.88942/a-82-11-6797.gif"> always in a good mood no matter what, well ready to have a blast!</b></font></center>
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<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>L'hôtel de ville (Town Hall) at night</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>La flêche</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>From this star, located in the inner court of the Hotel de ville are counted all kilometers in Belgium. When you stand in the center you are zero KM!</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Maison des Ducs de Brabant</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>La Maison du Roi - The King's House The wardrobe of Manneken-Pis is to be found here. Interesting to note that no Kings ever lived here! Wondering what is this "animal" doing there? So do I, lol!</b> It's part of the Christmas sound & lights set up every year on the Granp-Place but this year 2001 sounds were most of all "beeeehs'" and "mouuuuu's".</font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>L'Arbre d'Or, Le Cygne & L'étoile (from left to right: the Golden Tree, the Swan & the Star) The Golden Tree is also known as <i>La Maison des Brasseurs</i> (the Brewers House) and its cellars have been converted into a brewery museum. The Swan once housed also the butcher's guild but the most renown comes from Karl Marx & Friedrich Engel who wrote in 1847 the <i>Communist Manifesto</> here!</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Victor Hugo lived in this house called Le Pigeon (which is the also the painter's guild) for one month in 1852. He wrote here <i>Napoléon le petit</i> and some poems from the collection <i>Les Châtiments</i> The house on the right is Le Cerf Volant, Joseph, Anne et L'Ange (the Kite, Joseph, Anne and the Angel). The one on the left is Le Marchand d'Or (Gold Merchant)</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>La Chaloupe d'Or is a nice belgian café right on the Grand Place and where we stopped for a coffee and a "brésilienne" cake!</b></font></center><img src="/p/.88942/v@4_a-18-2-7281.j pg" width=226 height=120 align=right> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>The first evening we had our dinner at "Chez Léon" and ate of course gratinated mussels</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This restaurant "Aux Armes de Bruxelles" is also an institution and located just opposite the other institution Chez Léon. Here we had fish as main course...</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>...and a typical belgian desert: crème caramel and profitéroles au chocolat... </b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>...instead of <i>The desert</i> everyone was fancying that evening: crèpes flambées à la liqueur de mandarine Napoléon (belgian of course!!). I just had to take a picture as everyone else in the restaurant, lol! What I like the most in these restaurants is the really good but relax service. All waiters are male and quite good looking too (according to Kati, lol) and always willing to play a little flirt but still not overdoing it! A charming way to take care of ladies eating by themselves.</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Interviewing Manneken-Pis...</b></font></center> |
Fish Market & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Boulevard Anspach. Our hotel Royal Embassy is located on this boulevard (see the sign a little further)</b></font></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>La Bourse (Stock Exchange) On the right side is the famous Art-Déco style Falstaff restaurant</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>La Tour Noire (Black Tower) It's part of the first wall that once surrounded Brussels in the 13th century. Notice the brand new hotel constructed around it!</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Fish market Here you can find many restaurants that serve mainly fish and lobster. This was once the old port of Brussels.</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Restaurant In T'Spinnekopke A typical and charming belgian restaurant serving dishes made with belgian beer</b></font></center> |
Rue Neuve & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Sitting outside on the terrace of hotel Métropole...in January :-) You don't believe it before you actually do it... ...This is a MUST DO!</b></font></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Passage du Nord behind the hotel Métropole towards Rue neuve (shopping street)</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Place des martyrs (next to Rue Neuve)</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie I choose to take Kati for lunch to the café next to the theatre because of its male waiters...lol!</b></font></center> |
Atomium & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>The Atomium is easy to access from the city center. Just jump onto a tram or metro and you'll be there in 15min! This is the symbol of Belgium and was constructed in 1958 for the World Exposition of the same year.</font></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This is from the upper "balldeck" which is at 97m. When you take the elevator, lights are lit and you watch the ride up through the window-ceiling panel.</font></b></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Le Centenaire</b></font></center> |
Mont des Arts & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This is the famous and so annoying "carillon" my father used to listen to every 15min when we lived in Brussels in the late '70s. He had his office just next to it and even on the phone you could hear the bells. It starts with a few notes at quarter past and adding a little bit more every 15min to end playing the whole tune every hour. That is also when the little guys are performing their dances. It seemed very quiet now, maybe they were under restauration as some little dancers were missing.</font></b></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>An artistic view (not bad from an amateur photographer!) from the upper part of the city towards the Grand-Place</font></b></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Cathedral Saint Michel & Gudule For Victor Hugo this church represent the <i>purest flowering of the Gothic style</i></b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This gorgious gothic cathedral has been so many years under restauration work and denied access to the public as parts were literally falling down due heavy pollution. You never guess that even having lived many years in Belgium I set foot inside for the first time this year 2002!</font></b></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This house was on our way to the instrument museum and represant a typical belgian architecture with purple tainted windows</font></b></center> |
Instrument Museum (MIM) <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>This museum is very unique and the biggest of its kind in the World (1.500 instruments). It has recently moved to this wonderful Art Deco building named "Old England". You receive a cordless headset where you hear music from the instrument shown while strolling in the rooms</b></font></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
<center><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>To learn more about the history of MIM and the restauration of the "Old England" building <a href="http://www.mim.fgov.be/hom e_uk.htm"><font color=blue><b>CLICK Here</font></b></a> to access the official site</font></center> |
Place Royale & Royal Palace |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Hey, the royal couple is in town as the flag shows it!</b></font></center> |
Sablon & surroundings <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Museum of Ancient & Modern Arts Well this is the only picture I got as my batteries went flat just when I was taking a photo of a gorgeous Rubens paintings... We only saw the major and most famous belgian painters: Rubens, Bruegel, Delvaux and Magritte. A nice surprise: a Dali painting!</b></font> Click here for the <a href="http://www.fine-arts-museu m.be/site/EN/frames/F_museeanc.html"><b><font color=marroon>Official Site</b></font></a></center>
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<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Notre-Dame du Sablon It's one of the most beautiful church in Brussels. </b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Don't miss the superb glass-work inside</b></font></center> |
<center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>L'entrée des artistes restaurant is a nice lunch restaurant at the Sablon. There is an antique market every Saturday morning and a lot of antique shops too but way too expensive to shop</b></font></center> |
Bruxelles national airport <center><b><font color=darkslategray face=comic sans MS size=2>Five days have passed, a lot of walk and visiting sights as well as tasting typical belgian food and bying some presents, beers and delicacies for home. This is our "mickey-mouse" plane that flew us home from Brussels exhausted but so, so happy and a lot of memories to share! Let's see when will Kati be back but when she does I'll be honoured to act as her private guide as this time!<b></font></center> <STYLE>BODY {SCROLLBAR-FACE-COLOR: #6600ff; SCROLLBAR-HIGHLIGHT-COLOR: #ff00cc; SCROLLBAR-SHADOW-COLOR: #000000; SCROLLBAR-3DLIGHT-COLOR: #ffcccc; SCROLLBAR-ARROW-COLOR: #00ff00; SCROLLBAR-TRACK-COLOR: #cccccc; SCROLLBAR-DARKSHADOW-COLOR: #000000}</STYLE> |
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 Comments for LysDor about Brussels | | | | |
melosh Wed Jan 28, 2009 14:14 UTC
Stumbled onto your great Brussels pages. Have you been back recently? | GrantBoone Wed Jun 2, 2004 09:44 UTC
Another high quality page Tiina. I remember the La B'casse bar from your photo! | nomada Thu Apr 22, 2004 16:05 UTC
Tiina, was wondering if you managed to make all that HTML disappear... hard work ;-) but what a wonderful page still... BTW, too much good restaurants to try in Brussels. Regards. | benidormone Tue Mar 23, 2004 19:20 UTC
I really enjoyed your Brussels pages! |
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