Brussels, Belgium

Yet another part of my whirl-wind adventure with my grandmother and aunt was a trip to the grand city of Brussels.  And can I just say.... WOW!

HISTORY

Independence


A revolution which preceded the achievement of independence, started on 24 August 1830. By July 1831, Leopold I was declared king. Subsequently, Brussels began to expand and new city districts were added in the 19th and 20th century which resulted in the demolition of the old city walls. Brussels gathered momentum as a place of libertarian thinking and as such provided a haven for people like Baudelaire, Marx and Hugo. Although production and facilities expanded, the overflow of population created a situation of inadequate housing. The second king, Leopold II, faced both these domestic issues as well as Belgium' s colonial decisions in Congo.



The 20th century

The beginning of the century saw a flourishing of Art Nouveau style in Brussels under the aegis of king Albert I, but this period came to an abrupt end as Belgium was occupied by the Germans in the First World War despite its neutrality. Flanders saw the worst of the warfare and today provides a resting place for the thousands of soldiers who died there. With the Peace treaty of 1919, Belgium gained the German-speaking area in the southeast.

The country barely had time to breathe as it was again occupied by the Germans in 1940, after which king Leopold III surrendered to them. After the war ended, the king, who had resided in Germany towards the end of the Second World War, was suspected of Nazi collaboration and abdicated in 1951. The throne was taken by his son Baudouin, later to be succeeded by Albert II.

The economic boom of the 1960-s and recession of the 1970-s and 1980-s gave way to Brussels' stature as the heart of Europe, as in 1958 it became the headquarters of the then European Economic Community (now the European Union), as well as NATO in 1967. Nowadays Brussels not only functions as the political and business centre of the region but also as the headquarters of many world famous corporations.

http://www.brussels.org/history/


Okay well there you have the historical significance of Brussels.... most of which I just learned on google.

When my family (My Aunt Colleen and Grandmother Sandy) decided to come and visit, I took on the responsibiltiy of finding places for everyone to enjoy.  Of course, the majority of our time would be spent in Spain (Madrid, Toledo and Granada) but I also wanted to check out someplace new for me.

We'd travelled to England and France in previous years.  My grandmother was planning a trip to Greece the following year.  I was heading to Germany for Spring Break.  And there was no way to do Italy or anything in Asia for the time span we had.  So I was open to suggestions when a few colleagues suggested Belgium. I wanted something very lavish without the lavish prices and language barriers.  I had never thought about traveling to Belgium but after so many people raved about the over-the-top city centers and lush country side and abundant food and beer supplies, I knew I had found our destination.

The three of us arrived in Brussels not really knowing what to expect except for a few map printouts and google city searches.  Boy or boy, were we surprised.  The way this city manages to mix the old world with the new is breathtaking.  The Baroque facades found in the main square mixed with the gleaming metal of the EU headquarters is jaw-dropping.  The elusive little peeing-boy that we spent 3 days hunting down added that comical touch we desperately needed.  The people... amazing! The food.... savory! The dessert... pants-expandingly delicious! The beer.... YUUUM!  I can't say enough about this city.

Since all three of us were tourists instead of my usual role as guide, we took the typical tour bus throughout the city.  We relaxed and enjoyed our snazzy hotel.  All three of us dined in the square and met an exuberant bunch of Norweigen men whom were awe struck by my grandmother (though we didn't dear tell them how we were related) We each split and went our seperate ways for an afternoon as I wanted to do more historical tours and the other wanted to relax and shop around.  Unfortunately, my last morning there I came down with a weird bug that lasted the last 2 days of their trip to visit but even that couldn't take away from the magnificance of Brussels. 

I completely recommend this city.  I definitely wish I had more time to learn their history better.  Enjoy the photos :-)