Make a Wish

No it's not a falling star. But I can hope :).

Mostly I hope for a very blue sky this weekend. And sun. Even though I am not taking part in this event.

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Alien?

Or simply a bug statue?

Les Hiboux

A fragment of the entrance to a house called 'Les Hiboux' (the owls). Somehow I will have to try and take a photo of the whole hose, as the windows imitates the owls eyes. A very interesting Art Nouveau house built by Edouard Pelseneer.

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Man Overboard

Funny!

Peking to Paris

Peking to Paris. Ok, I know very little to do with Brussels but I simply had to share this wonderful photo (adventure) with you. Such amazing race, such brave races.

We came across the Peking to Paris racers in Tallinn, more by chance than anything else. It was such a thrill to see the cars arriving one by one ... on their way to Paris. Perhaps we could have some photos of the finish in a couple of days 'live' from Paris?

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Matonge en Couleurs

After a week of non-stop daylight, we got back to Brussels just in time for the Matonge en Couleurs. The colours of Matonge.

I posted on Matonge, the African neighbourhood before. This weekend, Matonge hosted a series of events, concerts, all accompanied by African food - a joy to discover. An event that takes place every year in June, and worth a try.

Concerning yesterday's post (again, thank you Denton for stepping in!), indeed they are chocolate molds. Other than that it seems that while we were gone up north, I missed the EU bulldozer.

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Any guess?

Also at the Sablon Antiques Market - however I am curious if anyone guesses what these are. I know I was puzzled at first.

I'll answer tomorrow, when I am back in Brussels. Thank you Denton!

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Old Books

Saturday - so perhaps a little stroll through the Sablon Antiques Market? Do you like flee markets and antique markets? I absolutely love them!

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Entrance

A beautiful entrance to one of my favorite Belgian restaurants at the moment.

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Detail

Just a detail that jumped to my eyes.

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Thyl Ulenspiegel

I sometimes think what do tourists think of when they hear Brussels? When you look for a city trip do you think 'I really have to go to Brussels'? I wonder.

Here a part of old Brussels, something I find defines Brussels. Parks, lakes, and statues. A quiet city which hides a lot of surprises. This particular statue is celebrating Charles de Coster the author of Thyl Ulenspiegel. The statue was built in 1894 by Charels Samuel on the Place Saint Croix and it portrays a tired looking Thyl and his friend Nele, ready for more adventures.

At the bottom of the statue, under the feet of Thyl and Nele, is the city of Damme, where Thyl Ulenspiegl comes from. Above them a small portrait of Charles de Coster. At the top of the statue an arrangement of animals/ objects reflect the name of Thyl Ulenspiegel - the owl (uil) looking in a (spiegel), a play on words uil en spiegel.

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The Atomium

I know I just recently posted another photo of the Atomium. I am sure there will be others to follow as well. I am trying to get a photo from different angles to see which one has the most impact. What do you think of this one?

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Sweet Beginnings

Why not start the week with a nice ... apple tart? A sweet week everyone.

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Back at the Airport

Back at the airport. For one week Denton will be guest starrring on Brussels DP and upload some more Brussels photos. See you in a week. A peek to where I will be.

Here a photo from the Brussels Airport, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the airport.

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Hicks!

Not the usual cartoon posts from Brussels, but a cartoon wall nevertheless. This drunken character is drawn just above a night shop down town Brussel. Would this define a Belgian to you? :)

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Any guess?

What was your first thought when you saw this?

Bet not what it actually is. Inspired by the Tudor style, this building was built between 1878 and 1884. It is the Prison of Saint Gilles. The prison has 600 cells. An underground tunnel links it to another Brussels prison, in Forest.

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Green

EuroFeria 3

How right anonymous - of course all that was missing from the EuroFeria photo diary was the food and the wine. Food from all parts of Spain, and then some more from South America was served - and some mean mojitos!

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EuroFeria 2

Part 2 of the EuroFeria, the horse show. There was the flamenco dance, now the horses, anyone guesses what tomorrow's post will be about?

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EuroFeria 1

Besides local elections, Brussels also hosted the EuroFeria Andaluza this past weekend. Started in 1992 by the Andalusian community in Brussels, EuroFeria was initially a fair of Andalusian and Spanish traditions, dance, and food.

In the meantime the fair extended to other countries and regions of the world. However flamenco singing and dancing, and horse shows stayed again at the center of this years EuroFeria. The location where it all took place? The Atomium.

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Local Elections

Election time in Belgium. Unlike other countries, voting is compulsory in Belgium. So every Belgian citizen over 18 has been today to vote. The result is still out for debate however a glimpse of the future coalition govermenmt is already known.

The main Belgian parties in the run are the CD&V N-VA (Christian Democrats /Flemish), the MR (Mouvement Réformateur/ Liberals) and the PS (Socialist).

Saint Denis

Brussels is very good at organizing little street and neighbourhood fairs. This time we went to a little gourmet fair on Saint Denis, a small square in Forest (another commune of Brussels). Not more than 10 stands but good food, good beer and impromptu music.

The Atomium

A landmark in Brussels, the Atomium. Built for the World Fair in 1958, the Atomium stands grand at the Heyzel (an area situated a little outside Brussels). Half sculpture, half architecture the Atomium has always impressed. Standing 102m high the Atomium was never intended to survive the Expo 58 yet here it is still today in all its glory. Definitely worth a visit.

(I will most likely post another photo of a better quality as I am not entirely happy with this one!)

Sunny Times

It is wonderfully sunny in Brussels. However also very humid, which a lot of the tourists don't know and then have trouble with. A small advice: during the day drink a lot of water, and stay clear of the beer. Belgian beer tends to be heavier than other European counter partners and thus will hit you hard! On the other hand enjoy the weather - as long as it lasts.
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Advice

There is no beer in the sky, so let's drink it on earth. A quite funny saying above the bar at the Brussels Airport. Back to normal Brussels photos tomorrow.
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... and back

And back to Brussels after a couple of days in Berlin.

Berlin!

Destination: Europe

It's all about Europe this year, and the current presidency. Which is my destination as well. Any guesses?

Going to ...

There will be a lot of this in the coming days: Brussels Airport (again!). Destination: unknown :)

A view from my bedroom

A little late, but here it is.