Brussels | Antiques City

As the capital of the Europena Union, and comparing it to other European cities, I must say that Brussels is a let down. The atmosphere is rather Frenchly snobbish, and unless you are talking to an immigrant, they are not very nice. There's lots of (expensive) boxed gourmets, but not much gutsy good food. There's plenty of stylish art-nouveau decoration pieces (lamps, door knobs, window panes, etc.), but they seem to have not succeeded in putting them together to create great architecture, save great urban design. Plus, the amount of tax they are levying on its citizens, the maintenance of its infrastructure is patchy, the metro smells like beer (and seems to never have gotten any renovation since the 70s!). Eww.

Anyhow here's the prettiest gleans:


The Maneken Pis (the pissing mannequin) is a tourist icon of Brussels. As you can see, there's always a constant crowd hovering around it. Legend has it that the boy in the statue stopped the bombing of a certain quarters in Brussels by pissing on the explosives. (Really?)


Ok, the shops there are authentic and darn cute. Don't you think this could easily have been in London?


And what else could these cute shops be selling! Chocolates, flowers, potted plants! Life is sweet.


French Garden = Robotically neat hedges.


Professor's lamp.
Putting this on your desk will make you look smart.
Second hand (other wise it wouldn't look so eclectic, wouldn't it! )
Sells for 80 euro apiece.


I love the antiquated look of its hinges. Makes you think that things used to be made with thought.


Innovative inside-outside bench... with trashy beer cans inside.


HQ of Cote d'Or Chocolate? Free tasting of the day (left) is their concoction of chocolate with white pepper and pecan. Exotic!


This is their main square, La Grand Place. It doesn't look striking during the day, these buildings glisten prettily at night. Come to think of it, these Belgians, they have time to trim their hedges to perfection, but none to clean their smogged-out gray city square?


A dirt's view of the glam. Surprisingly, them speaking French doesn't mean that they're uptight. People can casually sit on its pavement and drink beer here at night.


Lego at the airport is a really good idea. I wish they think to make that elsewhere (hint hint... american airports where they often run late!)

Having said that though, I must say that its a rather unfairly mean comment. I'm complaining because I don't have money to spend, and Brussels don't have public good freebies. Brussels may not compare favorably to its European friends, but it is still way prettier than Houston where I am now.