My brushes with Brussels!!!

Hey Chums!!!!
The last weekend saw me to head to another fascinating destination.... Belgium. Although, intimidated by its more popular neighbours (France and The Netherlands), this country has its own culture and traits... some common and some unique.

My journey started off from the Brussels International train station, a classi-gothic underground station (a tad smaller and less grander than the Amsterdam Centraal). From the station, a two minute walk took me to the Grande Place, the most visited tourist spot of this city. One stark difference between Amsterdam and Brussels that I found was that the streets in Brussels were more narrower, uneven, cobble-stoned compared to a more modernistic smooth pavements of Amsterdam. The Grande Place is the Town center surrounded by guild houses. Guild art is a unique form having its presence across different countries across the globe. The enclosure of the Grande Place in the lit evenings is a sight to marvel....

From here, I headed to the next famous place in Brussels, along the narrow streets dotted with coffee shops and beer cafes to the fountain of Manneken Pis. This statue is supposed to be a metaphor of Belges' irreverence to rules. A statue of a small boy peeing into the statue!!!! I found it very strange that something that is visible in every nook and corner of our cities... live.... deserves such a fan following. But, being a stereotype tourist, I also dutifully clicked the image of the act and here it is!!!

This statue has kind of become a symbol for Brussels... all the shops dotted along the main city square have miniatures of this statue with a bottle opener on the head of the kid and a cork screw on the dick.... speak of utility value uh!!!!

Now that the mandatory salutations to the must-visit places of visit were covered, I decided to check out some places of my interest!!!!

Coming to Belgium and not to try out its beers would be a sin!!! Belgium prides itself in producing some of the best beers in the world. The entire city is dotted with many small and big cafes. Some offer a mind boggling 400 varieties of beers, one unique trait of this trade in this city is that each variety of beer is served in a particular type of glass.. and no two glasses are same!!!

I tasted the fruit beers with the flavours ranging from strawberry, peach, apple, pine apple etc.

Belgium beers come in smaller quantities in bottled form and a little larger quantities on tap.

From here, I headed to unearth the most important but the most ignored fact of gastronomic knowledge. The place where it all started. The origin of the most popular junk food on Earth- the french fries!!!! Frites!!!! whatever you want to call them.

The biggest truth of it all is the french fries originated in Belgium. Then the French connection??? The answer lies in the spelling and font- it is not French fries ... IT IS french fries. In the old colloquial English, to french meant to cut. Potatoes were frenched !!!! The point is driven home... I guess. Over the course of time, the dish took a completely different origin connotation. All these years, the French have held pride on something which was never theirs!!!! So French of them!!!!! Belgium frites are sold across the city of Brussels... in shops, street corners, bars, cafes ... everywhere... with dollops of tomato ketchup, mayo sauce, mustard sauce etc!!!
So please salute the place where it all started...centuries ago!!!!!

One of the most fascinating facts of this city is that some of the most eternal characters that we grew up on find origins here.Achilles de Flandres... or the more memorable and loved TINTIN!!!! They were all Belge!!!!

So, the next stop was to reminisce my childhood hero and offer salutations to the man who created,unarguably the most memorable reporter of all times!!! Herge.

A truly memorable experience, walking through my childhood pastime of reading Tintin and his numerous adventures!!!

Now, coming to the most sinful experience of visiting Belgium.... indulging in the ethereal pleasure of consuming chocolates!!!! Belgium chocolates are world renowned and could not escape the radar of a calorie conscious person like me!!!!

It is recommended to have some of the home made chocolates rather than the fancy packed ones!!! My recommendation- champagne chocolate balls!!!! Yummy... you have to ensure that not a single drop of the guilded liquid hits the ground while savouring its tastes.

As I retracted steps away from this wonderful city... it sort of took away a part of me... hope that I have taken away a part of it!!!!

drink all the beer and belge,

when in the city of Belge,

drink all that you can ever guzzle,

when in the city of Brussels,

sriky