Brussels

With Bruges and Ghent done now it was time for us to live the capital city of Brussels for the day. After visiting two relatively rare places from a tourist point of view it was now time to visit a few attractions for which we have seen umpteen photos.
The first stop would be the Atomium followed by the Mini Europe. These were the more manufactured attractions but what I had heard and seen photos of Mini Europe it was surely a fascinating watch. We had to take the metro to Heysel which was a good forty five minute train ride. As a football fan I knew about Heysel for a tragedy that happened in the 1985 European Club final where a number of fans lost their lives.
As we approached Heysel we could see the giant Atomium from the train. The football stadium too was opposite the station. We had to walk a few hundred metres to reach the foot of the atomium and then the gate to Mini Europe.  Atomium was a giant man-made metal structure which other than its size there was nothing to really rave about. The structure reminded me of many of the IT company offices back in India (read Infosys).

Mini Europe was the real deal and worth every penny. To briefly describe it, it  showcased a miniature version of all prominent landmarks of Europe starting from the Westminster to the Eiffel tower to the leaning tower of Pisa.
As we purchased our tickets and entered we were embarked on a journey through the glorious history of Europe. Europe is known for its history and architecture resulting in some of the most beautiful buildings in the form of cathedrals, churches, towers and bridges. It seemed that the tourist brochures of every single nation was combined and presented to us in the backdrop of the gigantic Atomium. While we enjoyed viewing those landmarks which we were yet to visit we were more fascinated seeing those that we had already seen as we could relate to it and recognize the same. Our own Westminster with the houses of parliament and Big Ben stood out and so did Nyvahn Copenhagen, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Paris and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was fascinating to view the gorgeous palaces of East Europe and urged us to pay a visit there.


We spent a good couple of hours visiting the various landmarks of Europe and rounded off with a snack and coffee at the cafe. The weather was at its fickle best with sun playing hide and seek and even drops of rain which lasted for a few minutes before it became sunny again.
There was one more reason apart from the chocolates that Belgium held a special place in our hearts. And that was because it was the home of our childhood hero Tintin. Hugely popular in the region we grew up, Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock was  part of our growing up years.  Our next stop would be somewhat of a pilgrimage. It was a visit to the Comic strip museum. Due to logistical issues and time constraints it was not possible for us to visit the Herge museum, as it was away from the city,  which would have been the ultimate pilgrimage but this would somewhat compensate for it.  We disembarked in the Gare Centrale Metro station and with the help of navigator walked to the museum.  As we entered the museum we were greeted by the iconic three-legged red checked moon rocket which famously took Tintin and his friends to the moon and back. While the museum was a generic comic strip museum I was mostly interested in Tintin as that is what I had mostly read. My wife though was a fan of Asterix as well. Without wasting much time I headed to the Tintin section. The steps to the first floor was designed like the one in Marlinspike Hall with a broken piece which often tripped poor Nestor. It was a nostalgic trip down the memory lane which many childhood memories flashing of the Thompson and Thomson twins, Professor Calculus, Nestor and the Marlinspike Hall. Moving on, we viewed some of the other iconic characters like Micky Mouse and Asterix which was followed by a visit to the souvenir shop. We found out that there was a better souvenir shop at Grand Place so we decided on making our purchase from there. Our next stop would be a walk towards the Grand Place.  On the way to the Grand Place we saw a couple of cathedral type buildings which are so typical of any European city. Grand Place was buzzing with people as usual. Tourists with their selfie sticks were busy clicking themselves. We made our way to the Tintin shop and purchased a souvenir bag with a picture of Tintin and Snowy. That would be our grocery bag we thought.

More than the points of interest mentioned in most brochures of  European cities which would most often be similar looking dome shaped cathedral buildings, we always loved just taking a walk and soaking in the atmosphere, not really caring as to what the buildings contained or where next we had to run to. After all, what purpose would it serve unless I really know the deep rooted history of the structure or interested in knowing it. The Grand Place  was gorgeous, majestic and beautiful. Walking through it was the best thing one could do. However, this forces the tourism department to manufacture so called points of interest and make it into a brand which would appeal to the selfie sticks of mostly South East Asian tourists (Even Indians are not too obsessed with the selfie stick). One such ‘point of interest’ was the Manneken pis. I was asked by a couple of Japanese tourists on the way as to where the Manneken Pis was. They were referring to their sightseeing pamphlet while making an attempt to plan their next selfie. I had heard about it and we even walked past it. It was the most insignificant statue of a toddler urinating (hence the ‘pis’ in the name) into what is meant to be a fountain with the pis actually being the water.  More ridiculous was the fact there were countless Japanese and Chinese tourists clicking selfies in front it. Talk about branding, this was it.

Dusk was settling in and the drizzle was on an off. We took shelter in one of the shopping arcades and were treated to a  vast array of chocolates. This was what Belgium is famous for. Chocolates is to Belgium as Pizza is to Italy. My wife loves the waffle so she happily had her quota of it on each day of our stay. We explored the various lanes as the evening set in and the lights came on. I spotted a few good restaurants serving steak meals. Was tempted but planned to settle for the same Indian restaurant. A bit more walk, souvenir shopping, dinner followed by waffle and it was time for us to wind up. We collected our luggage from our hotel reception and set off Brussels Midi station for our bus at 11:30 PM.