brussels is a very international city. we arrived by train from the small and quiet rural luxembourg, so the clash was crazy. we arrived at the very ugly central station but were soothed by good cycling infrastructure and the vivid city.
we stayed in a hostel near molenbeek, an arabique district. even the traffic and the shops are arabique in contrast to the belgian buildings. we had a proper moroccan dinner with tea.
we visited the design museum, the atomium and the expo area around the atomium built in 1958. it is unbelievable what they built, just for an exhibition which lasts only a few months. the view from the top of the atomium is amazing, we could see the whole city. so we had an impression of how big it is.
the UNESCO-zone of bruxelles is restricted to the market place (grand place) and the horta museum. the square is quite similar to the one in nancy, big white and gold buildings with a lot of decoration. only the enjoyable cafés are missing.
the city is so large that you could miss its heritage if you don’t know about it. but we didn’t find the grand place very inviting. it’s just a meeting square for tourists, there is not a single spot to sit and just enjoy. we had the feeling we were supposed to look, take a picture, and head on. for the horta museum, we sadly didn’t get tickets. but we visited the art nouveau buildings from the outside.
the infrastructure is partly great, but since the city is large it’s hard to connect everything. but there still are some good cycling highways. what is a bit scary is the roads shared with cars and tramways.
