10 reasons to love Brussels

 

It was love at first sight: Brussels and I. You will surely feel the same as me once you get there, so that’s why I will enumerate 10 reasons to love Brussels.

1. Architecture. It was hard to decide what should be the on 1st place, but I guess this aspect amazed me the most since the Town Hall  was completed in 1420 . The architecture in Brussels varies from the clashing combination of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV styles on the Grand Place to the postmodern buildings of the EU Institutions. The must-sees are: Mont des Arts, Musical Instruments Museum, Grand Place, The Atomium, Place Poelaert near Palace of Justice. Arcades du Cinquantenaire,which was built between 1904 and 1905 by the architect Charles Girault. The triple arcade commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence).

 

2. Gaufres. Notable specialities include gaufres/waffles, therefore we ordered 2 different ones, Brussels and Liege with some delicious toppings over.

3. Chocolate. Shame on me! I didn’t try it but I know it well from the ice creams with Belgian chocolate. Did you know that Belgium and Switzerland are the most important producers of chocolate in Europe?

4. Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. Every spring, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken are open to the public for 3
weeks. Mom and I were very keen to see the gorgeous flowers and architecture  of Alphonse Balat, but the 4 hours queue told us to come back other time.

5. Flea markets or  brocante,  is the place where people sell their old stuff and you can bargain.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to go there. Vieux Marche flea market has been in operation since 1640, and it’s been open daily since 1919. Grab a cup of coffee and a waffle, and start hunting special things or unique souvenirs for your friends.6. Beer. Not a fan of beer, but the Belgian one went straight to my heart and…stomach. There are plenty of choices as mostly all the bars offer over 300 types of beers.7. Frites because junk food matches perfectly with beer.

8. Shopping streets.  We stayed near to Avenue Louise, which is a fancy street preferred by wealthy people, but you can easily window shop, as I did.Considering the variety of shops and all the fuss, Avenue Louise can easily compete with Oxford street. Moreover, The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert or Galerie de la Reine are a pleasure for Brussels inhabitants and tourists. and it’s located in the heart of the capital, just a stone’s throw from the famous Grand Place .

 

9. International institutions and by that I mean the huge opportunities to get a job there.

10. Cars. Belgians like to invest in brand new cars and as a matter of fact you can scroll down to see the proofs.

Probably there are many other reasons, but these were my first impressions about Brussels. Hopefully, I will get another chance to see it, not only through tourist eyes. Brussels is such a beautiful place to live in or at least to visit!