It is hard to believe that our vacation is at the midway point!
It is going by so quickly, but we are enjoying every moment.
I love the crow-stepped gable rooftops in Bruges, and the shadows they make.
As promised, we are back at Juliette's for breakfast.
We walked to the Bruges train station, on our way to Brussels, just an hour away.
Brussels is the capital of Belgium.
They used to speak primarily Dutch but they switched to French in the 1800s. Although the city officially recognizes both languages, 90% of the population speaks French.
The city's history goes back to 695, but it wasn't officially recognized as a city until 979. It reflects both the middle ages and the renaissance in its architecture.
As far as present day, Brussels is packed with tourists, not only sitting on every stair and step available, but sitting and laying on the ground in the square. I haven't seen anything quite like it.
The famous, wee Mannekin Pis.
I don't know how something so small got so popular, but then again, the Mona Lisa is smaller.
That is it for the city of Brussels for us, tomorrow we visit Antwerp.
We too were surprised at how small the little Wiz Kid was. When we were there he had a Caesar costume on (August). You need to google this fact. Here's more info about it all.
ReplyDeleteAt the corner of Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat in the heart of Brussels, is a famous landmark – the Manneken Pis. It is a small bronze statue of a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Although there are many similar and sculptures all around the world, thousands of tourists flock each day to take a photo of this particular one.
Part of the reason why people visit this little figure so frequently is its enormous wardrobe of costumes. The statue is dressed in tiny costume several times each week, according to a published schedule which is posted on the railings around the fountain. His wardrobe consists of several hundred different costumes, many of which may be viewed in a permanent exhibition inside the City Museum. A non-profit association called The Friends of Manneken-Pis manages and selects costumes from among hundreds of designs submitted each year.
Love Brussels! Fun for you.