June 2005 : Brussels
The capital city of Belgium and - many would say -
of Europe, Brussels is perhaps not the most obvious city for a
weekend break; yet it is an attractive and interesting destination.
This was my second visit, the first having been in 1996. Shame the
weather was so disappointing for June.
The Grand' Place
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP1_small.jpg)
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP2_small.jpg)
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP3_small.jpg)
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP4_small.jpg)
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP5_small.jpg)
![](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_GP6_small.jpg)
Other Sights
![Manneken Pis](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others1_small.jpg) |
The Manneken Pis - the city's ... er ... Number One
attraction? Surely not, but the little boy with the
inexhaustible bladder continues to draw the tourists.
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![Belgian Parliament](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others2_small.jpg) |
The Belgian Parliament building sits at the opposite end of
Brussels Park from the Royal Palace.
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![Cathedral](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others3_small.jpg) |
The cathedral is magnificent, but they really need to do
something about the immediate foreground, currently an ugly
gap site.
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![Botanic Gardens](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others4_small.jpg) |
An attractive spot in the Botanic Gardens, near my hotel,
although there were one or two weirdos hanging around.
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![European Commission HQ](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others5_small.jpg) |
The Berlaymont complex is striking from some angles, but
hideous from an overall perspective.
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![European Parliament](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others6_small.jpg) |
The
European Parliament - one of its two homes! |
![Royal Palace](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others7_small.jpg) |
The Royal Palace - impressive,
but the gardens needed something to break up all that
greenery. A flower or two, maybe?
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![St Mary's Church](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others8_small.jpg) |
Looked good from a distance, so I decided I had to go for a
closer look!
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![Atomium](Photos/Destinations/Jun2005_Brussels/Jun2005_BRU_Others9_small.jpg) |
One of the world's most distinctive structures, the Atomium
is currently closed for major refurbishment. The
re-panelling operation was proving to be a tourist
attraction in its own right.
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