Bruxelles

So I began my brief European tour from Brussels, Belgium. The following are a selection of pretty pictures I took!

It is really hard to get all of Grand Place (that's gron plass) in the one photo. This is one-quarter of it

This is a tower - my new Brazilian friend Cintia and I spent way too much time trying to get all of it in the one shot

Eventually I had the bright idea of sorta crossing the street and going round the corner a bit, and it was a lot easier!

We found the Tintin shop! I bought a new badge to include in the collection

The Mannekin Pis... it's kinda small.

I found a record store! With Bob Dylan stenciled on!

And then me and John Lennon hung out for a bit. We're so tight.

In true fashion, I wandered down a back alleyway.. and found a Secret Garden

This is King Albert on a horse. He lives in the centre of a large roundabout which makes it really easy for pedestrians to get run over, and in front of a hotel which used to be a church. Not terribly ostentatious, really.

[Edit: Wait! this is a total lie. I can't remember which King-on-a-Horse this is. And he lives near SQUARE]

Perspective!

A cute little statue in SQUARE... whatever that is.

This is the Park of Brussels, across from the Palais Royale. If you look closely, they've worked it so the branches of the trees are all intertwined.. I think it would be pretty impressive in full bloom

And the Palais Royale itself.

Then I wandered down another alleyway... Only to find a rainbow!

The inside of your garden variety shopping centre. Fairly impressive.

Camilla Parker-Bowles - THE MUSICAL!

My goodness, you must remind me to come back to see THAT :S

The Atomium - a feat of 1950s engineering, the most recognisable feature of Brussels.

The question it inspires is - WHY?

Personally I think it's utterly self-indulgent

..But it is rather symmetrical, which I like. Cintia and I got some Irish tourists to take a pic!

Then we wandered over to the Belgian Comic Book Musuem, where I made friends with some cartoon characters.

Tintin is my favourite, though

Apparently French-speakers have Charlie! What I want to know is, Where's Wally?!

Marsupilami: a cartoon I had forgotten about!

And I had no idea he was Belgian

I wish I had taken a Smurf home with me...

And, after all this sightseeing was done, there was much drinking to be had. I met a Frenchman, and so Cintia, Thomas and I wandered down to the city to find some food. We ended up finding the Jeanneke Pis, which is, basically, Mannekin Pis' sister... I didn't take any photos, so you'll have to use your imagination. We wandered into Delirium Bar, which has.. oooo I don't know, 2000 or so Belgian beers in house.. Only 25 of them are on tap, but! Pretty impressive. We met some a Mexican two Americans, and some crazy Spaniards.

To finish my somewhat disconnected story, I will give you some advice.

Getting back to hostels at 5am, full of wonderful Belgian beer is ONLY a good idea if you are not checking out the next day...

And I also must add that I had so much fun in Amsterdam that I took precisely ZERO PHOTOS.. More fool me I guess.

So the next lot will be from lovely Cambridge, whence I am composing this.

Seriously, I invaded Isaac Newton's old college dorm.
BRILLIANT.

With love,

TCT

xx