Brussels Day One

Or the capital of Europe.

After a decidedly average breakfast in the hotel we decided to walk around the city. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but needless to say it is a lovely city.

Belgium itself is divided into Wallonia (French speaking) and Flanders (Dutch speaking) with Brussels lying in the Flemish area but being French speaking. It is very strange to see how the city has coped with this. Every single sign is in both French and Dutch and most people working in the shops seemed to be able to speak both (along with English as well). Similarly, being the capital of Europe there are heaps of government workers and associated lobbyists in the city all the time.

All of this combines to make the city a unique place. Also because of this, and the relative size of Europe, there are a heap of tourists constantly in the city. Just walking around for the day allowed me to appreciate this as well as seeing what the city had to offer. It is definitely an amazing place to visit and I can highly recommend it!

Some highlights of the day were eating lunch in the central square (Grote Markt in the proper language ;-)) which is surrounded by fantastic buildings hundreds of years old, the view over the city from the Palais de Justice and the wedding ceremony (I think it was a Turkish one judging by the singing and dancing) being held under the Arcade du Cinquantenaire!



The Porte de Hal - an old gatehouse.



The War Memorial near the Palais de Justice



The Palais de Justice



The lovely Jardin d'Egmont



More of the Garden



The Royal Palace



Somewhere in the city!



The Berlaymont in the EU Area



The Arcade du Cinquantenaire



The view form the top of the Arch



More Arch!



Parc Leopold in the EU Area.



A building in the Grote Markt