Brussels is the European capital and home to the European Commission and to the Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU), and NATO, possibly due to its geographical position, sandwiched between Holland, France and Germany.
The heart of Brussels is the Grand Place. This historic market square, with its splendid guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of the Town Hall, is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. Visitors wander around the beautiful buildings, or rest and sip Belgian beer in one of cafes in the square.
Events that take place around the Grand Place are the annual Ommegang, a historical procession at the beginning of July, and the biennial Flower Carpet, taking place this year (2006) from 12-16 August, where some 800,000 begonias transform it into a sea of flowers. Music festivals and other cultural events also take place here from time to time.
One important out-of-town attraction is the Battle of Waterloo site, 18km (11 miles) to the south of the city, commemorating the battle that shaped the future of both Belgium and modern Europe.
For a break from the cultural sights of Brussels, why not try a fun day at Oceade, a water them park in Bruparck, close to Atomium and Mini-Europe. Oceade offers fun rides, turbo waters, geysers, jet streams and wave pools for all ages. Especially for those in search of real adventure, The Hurricane is the fastest slide in Belgium, where from a height of 18 metres, it only takes 7 seconds to travel 80 meters.
- Atomium ~ Space age construction, left over from the 1958 World Fair, so-called as it was the visual representation of the concept of an "atom", by its creator, Andre Waterkeyn.
- Mannekin-Pis ~ The famous Statue of the "Pissing Boy".
- Grand Place ~ Imposing market square in the centre of the city within which many of the tourist sites are located.
- The King's House ~ Opposite the Town Hall stands the beautiful neo-gothic building, is the "Maison du Roi" in French or "Broodhuis" in Dutch. It now harbours the historical City Museum.
- City Museum ~ On exhibition are original statues of the town hall, paintings, wall tapestries and different artifacts relate to the history of the city.
- Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée ~ Tintin fans must not miss the venue for the country's greatest collection of comic-strip art.
- Battle of Waterloo site ~ The battleground where Napoleon was defeated in 1815 and European history changed course.
- Heysel Park ~ Next to the football stadium is Kinepolis, a major movie complex with 28 cinema rooms and a giant IMAX screen. Other main attractions are the beautiful Mini Europe Park, which contains miniature models (scale 1:25) of major monuments from the member states of the European Union, and Oceade (see above).
- Sablon Church ~ The Our-Lady-of-the-Sablon church dominates the Sablon Square in the center of Brussels. The beautiful stained-glass windows are a particular feature of this Gothic church. The Sablon area is nowadays the exclusive antiques shop area of Brussels with its many shops, art galleries, busy cafés and restaurants.
Belgian food is excellent, with very innovative chefs. Who else would have devised the modern phenomena, moules et frites?
