I enjoyed this journey because Brussels is a town full of life: so many interesting places to visit (Grande-Place, neighborhood of the Marolles with its flea market, the Atomium, the green spaces, the birding area of the Domaine des Silex, the cemetery or the Galeries Royales de St-Hubert for example).
About the green spaces we meet Nicolas Legros in the Tenbosch Park, he takes care for the Arboretum, about 200 spécies of trees and plants from all the world. Then we see the "Domaine des Silex", a birding area where ornithologists are capturing birds to identify them and to put bird rings on them.
There is also the roof garden of the National Library where this place is used to produce spices and medicinal herbs.
Brussels is a place full of history: the Grande-Place receives each year 2 millions of visitors: a square with the Town Hall, the Royal House and other merchant houses: we meet Youssef Ziaeian, a painter who sells his paintings to the tourists: besides in the Town Hall many Belgian people and also foreigners used to celebrate their weddings.
The people of Brussels are very proud of their town: each year Brussels celebrates the "Ommegang", the reconstitution of the arrival of Charles Quint in Brussels (1549) , about 1.400 persons are participating in this event: for example the guild of butchers and the guild of crossbowmen.
About arts Brussels is also a very living town, on the walls we can see huge paintings of the Belgian comic books (Hergé or Frank Pé for example): the underground train stations of Brussels show about 80 paintings of Modern Belgian painters. In the neighborhood of the the Marolles there is the puppet theater of Toone.
I enjoyed also the encounter with Alain Tillière, the "bourgmestre" de l'Ilôt-Sacré (a honorary title) who explains that the people of Brussels enjoys the celebrations, the brass band music, the drinking and eating (maybe a heritage of of Burgundian people).
Brussels is also the place of new and original entrepreneurs: Nicolas Kervyn and his train-hotel, Pouria Shoeibi with his T-shirts with the image of Eddy Mercx and the enamels producers: all are proud to make products Made in Belgium.
Brussels is a cosmopolite town (about 1/3 of the inhabitants are foreigners), we meet Catherine Minala, a French professor and photographer who enjoys her new life in Brussels or Klaus, a German civil servant of the European Union who has stayed in Brussels and enjoys the Belgian food (waterzooi and Flemish stew) in a restaurant where Jacques Brel used to go.
I enjoyed very much the encounters of Jérôme with Olivier Senny, Henri Simons, Albert the "Mustache", the members of the "Club de la Moustache", Véronique Tofaert, Laurent Gerbaud, Nicolas Geal and the puppeteers of the Toone theater, Nicolas Edelman,Nic and Flup and Marjorie Elich; very pleasant moments with very kind Belgian men and women.
About the green spaces we meet Nicolas Legros in the Tenbosch Park, he takes care for the Arboretum, about 200 spécies of trees and plants from all the world. Then we see the "Domaine des Silex", a birding area where ornithologists are capturing birds to identify them and to put bird rings on them.
There is also the roof garden of the National Library where this place is used to produce spices and medicinal herbs.
Brussels is a place full of history: the Grande-Place receives each year 2 millions of visitors: a square with the Town Hall, the Royal House and other merchant houses: we meet Youssef Ziaeian, a painter who sells his paintings to the tourists: besides in the Town Hall many Belgian people and also foreigners used to celebrate their weddings.
The people of Brussels are very proud of their town: each year Brussels celebrates the "Ommegang", the reconstitution of the arrival of Charles Quint in Brussels (1549) , about 1.400 persons are participating in this event: for example the guild of butchers and the guild of crossbowmen.
About arts Brussels is also a very living town, on the walls we can see huge paintings of the Belgian comic books (Hergé or Frank Pé for example): the underground train stations of Brussels show about 80 paintings of Modern Belgian painters. In the neighborhood of the the Marolles there is the puppet theater of Toone.
I enjoyed also the encounter with Alain Tillière, the "bourgmestre" de l'Ilôt-Sacré (a honorary title) who explains that the people of Brussels enjoys the celebrations, the brass band music, the drinking and eating (maybe a heritage of of Burgundian people).
Brussels is also the place of new and original entrepreneurs: Nicolas Kervyn and his train-hotel, Pouria Shoeibi with his T-shirts with the image of Eddy Mercx and the enamels producers: all are proud to make products Made in Belgium.
Brussels is a cosmopolite town (about 1/3 of the inhabitants are foreigners), we meet Catherine Minala, a French professor and photographer who enjoys her new life in Brussels or Klaus, a German civil servant of the European Union who has stayed in Brussels and enjoys the Belgian food (waterzooi and Flemish stew) in a restaurant where Jacques Brel used to go.
I enjoyed very much the encounters of Jérôme with Olivier Senny, Henri Simons, Albert the "Mustache", the members of the "Club de la Moustache", Véronique Tofaert, Laurent Gerbaud, Nicolas Geal and the puppeteers of the Toone theater, Nicolas Edelman,Nic and Flup and Marjorie Elich; very pleasant moments with very kind Belgian men and women.