New Lift

My building has finally got a new lift (elevator). When I moved in to my flat in August 2009, the landlady said that there would be a new lift within six months. Then in December she said there would be a new lift in six months. Still no new lift. And not that I'm complaining. I really didn't want a new lift. My flat is on the 5th floor (a U.S. 6th floor). The lift only went to the 4th floor so then it was just up one flight of stairs. No big deal at all. Well they started ripping out the old lift at the end of August and I was told it would take six weeks. What a pain in the ass this was. I thought I was going to die carrying groceries up 5 flights of stairs. They had to break through the wall right outside my door to make room for the new lift. All of the dust kept going underneath my door and right in to my flat. Yuck!! There was so much noise that I wasn't able to work from my home office. It took 8 weeks to finish but that's because the workers were there all day, Saturdays and Sundays too, for the final 3 weeks. But at least they finished. The new lift is pretty jazzy. When you step in to it, the floor no longer sinks 2 inches. The door is no longer held closed with a magnet. You can now request multiple floors at the same time. Like many lifts in Europe, you could only select one floor, at a time. When you got to the first floor selected you could then select the next floor. This one has a button to open the doors but not one to close them. Kind of odd but no worries. There is an alarm button but no phone to call for help. But the old one didn't have a phone either. This one even has a mirror in it. Pretty snazzy.

Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis is one of Brussels’ most famous landmarks. The bronze statue was created in the 17^th century. Belgians have created hundreds of outfits and the statue goes through several costume changes per week. He was sporting a surfboard when I saw it.

There are many stories of the statue’s significance. Here are some of the most popular…

A witch turned a little boy into stone for peeing on her property.

The father of a missing boy declared that he would build a statue of him, doing whatever it was he was doing, when found.

In the 14^th century a little boy urinated on the burning fuse of a bomb and saved the city.

Mannekin Pis has been stolen a few times. In 1745 he was taken by the English and by the French in 1747. In 1817 he was stolen by a French convict and was found broken in pieces. The pieces were then used to make the current fountain.

Somewhere near this fountain are statues of a little girl peeing, as well as, a canine version.

Brussels, Belgium

Brussels, along with Flanders and Wallonia, is one of the three federal regions in Belgium.

It is the country's capital and home to the European Union and NATO. It's the largest city in the country with 1.8 million inhabitants and it is over 1,000 years old. It's a sister city of both Prague and Atlanta. I'm from Atlanta and never knew that one.


The medieval Grand Place is the city's central square and one of the most beautiful in Europe.



 In the center is the Gothic town hall and it is surrounded by 300-year old guildhalls. The Grand Place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.



















Not far from here is Manneken Pis which is one of the city's main landmarks. It's a bronze statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. I always thought it would be bigger but I was surprised to see just how small it is. When I went, it was in beachwear and sporting a surfboard.

The Royal Palace is the official palace of the King of the Belgians but it is not used as a royal residence.



The Atomium was built for the 1958 World's Fair. At 103 meters (338 feet) tall, its nine steel spheres forms the unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.


The 30 hectare (~74 acre) Parc du Cinquantenaire was commissioned by King Leopold II to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence.




The triumphal arch was built in 1905 at the 75th anniversary of independence.





The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart was inspired by the Sacré Cœur in Paris. Construction was interrupted by both world wars and wasn't completed until 1969. It is the 5th largest church in the world and the largest Art Deco edifice ever built.

In the European Quarter is where most of the buildings belonging to the EU are located. There is a tour available during the week, but I was there on Saturday and everything was closed. Maybe next time. With so many international organizations in Brussels one would expect a large foreign population. But I was surprised that there is such a huge Arab community. At least 20-30% of the city is Muslim.

I really enjoyed my time in Belgium. Lots of great buildings, parks, monuments and museums.





 


Of course, it's hard not to enjoy a country known for waffles, fries, mussels, beer and chocolate.

The story goes that when the American soldiers arrived in Belgium they came across Belgian fries but assumed the soldiers eating them were French.
Today, they are normally served in a paper cone with mayonnaise or with one of another ten different sauces.

Bruges, Belgium

Bruges (pronounced Bruzh) was founded in the 9^th century and is the capital of Belgium’s West Flanders province. With most of its medieval architecture intact the city looks like something out of a fairy tale. Since 2000, the historic city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Among the city’s claims to fame is that the first book in English ever printed was published in Bruges.

The Minnewater is a canalized lake with a small park with plenty of swans. The story goes that in 1488 the people of Bruges executed one of the town administrators. The administrator’s last name was Lanchals which means ‘long neck’ and his family coat of arms featured a white swan. Maximilian of Austria punished the town for the execution by ordering the town to care for swans for eternity.

The Béguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245. In 1937 it became a monastery for the nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict.

The town is often called “The Venice of the North” because of its canals. A 30-minute canal ride is only €8 and it’s a great way to see Bruges from a different perspective.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (The Church of Our Lady) is the world’s second highest brick tower. The steeple is 122.3 meters (401.25 feet) tall. It took 200 years to complete the church, from the 13^th – 15^th century.

Inside is the marble sculpture Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504. It is the only one of his statues to leave Italy during his lifetime. It had been purchased by two wealthy brothers and donated to the church in 1514. It has been taken twice by foreign invaders. In 1794, the statue was ordered to Paris but was returned after Napoleon’s defeat. In 1944, German soldiers smuggled it to Germany, hidden in mattresses in a Red Cross ambulance. Two years later is was found and returned to Bruges.

Bruges is a city with two town squares. The largest one is Grote Markt and this was the commercial center of medieval Bruges. The main monument is the 13^th century belfry tower. It is 83 meters (~272 feet) tall and is supposed to have a great view of the city. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to make it to the top of the belfry. Around the square are guild houses.

 
Burg is the second square and is the administrative section of town. There are some great looking buildings from various architectural styles. In the corner of the square is the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek (The Basilica of the Holy Blood).

It was built from 1134 to 1157 as the chapel for the Count of Flanders. It was became a minor basilica in 1923. The relic of the Holy Blood (Christ’s blood) was brought to Bruges from the Holy Land in 1150 after the Second Crusade. Every year there is a mile-long religious procession and many people dress as medieval knights.

Seeing Ghent and Bruges made for a long day trip from Brussels. Both cities are well worth a visit. But after a while it all becomes information overload. It’s probably best to spend a full day in each city as opposed to trying to see both in one day. I originally thought about trying to squeeze in a half-day visit to Antwerp but I’m glad I didn’t. This way I have an excuse to visit Belgium again. Maybe next year if I manage to make it to the Netherlands.