Hello everyone,

I wish you all a happy new year 2010. I hope you all enjoyed new year's eve as much as I did. I was in Belgium for a couple of days and I stayed at my friend Stati's place in Bruxelles. It was my first time in Bruxelles, the Capital of Europe, and I had the opportunity to visit the main attractions of the city

•  the Atomium
•  the Manneken pis
•  the Janneken pis
•  the "Grand place"

I had my share of chocolate and waffles. We also had some fun with fireworks and spent some time downtown in the bars. It was much too cold to stay outside, and Belgium is THE LAND OF BEER just like France is the land of Wine or Cheese. So why not stay in a warm and cozy place, enjoy the girls, enjoy the beer! I really love Duvel! Bruxelles itself is not a big capital and there are not many striking features for the average tourist.

I was quite disappointed with The Manneken pis.I wonder why it has collected such fame over time... This was designed 1619 by François Duquesnoy but the statue we're seeing is actually not the original which disappeared in the sixties. Disappeared yes, I've no idea what happened. Wandering around the streets you may find the Jeanneke pis. As you may have guessed, she's the female version of the Manneken pis.

The Atomium is much more interesting and is a pleasant visit in itself. From up there (about 100 meters high), you get rewarded with nice views of Bruxelles and the surrounding area. And when at dawn, the spheres get illuminated with tiny spots, the Atomium looks its best. The monument is the representation of an iron crystal. It was built in 1958 for the universal expo and inside the spheres, you can visit a permanent exposition dedicated to the late fifties/early sixties: confidence in a bright future, colonial past from long lost congo.

So, Bruxelles is a nice city and it feels more like a big provincial town than a capital. New year's eve was a special time though, because of the snow and the animations in the center of the town. The Grand place was decorated with light effects sponsored by the local energy provider, Electrabel, and you could buy regional specialties from numerous small cabins or take a ride on beautiful traditional merry-go-rounds.

Fabrice