Science is Cool!

When I said I was headed to Belgium, people would often ask what I planned to do there. My first answer was always "go to the Atomium". To get to the Atomium, I took two trams north of the city center. I was absolutely surprised by this part of Brussels. I saw a huge cathedral that reminded me in some ways of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, a 6 story temple in the Chinese style and a large Japanese temple. Along the way I changed trams at the De Wand station and was treated to amazing street art  / graffiti. This graffiti showed dragons, people, space ships and so much more. I would recommend visiting this station just to see the art.

Finally I reached the Atomium. The walk from the station to the larger than life atom was treacherous. It was still completely iced over and quite slick. Part way through I asked someone to take my photo. Jay and his Mom were visiting from the Philippines. They tried to take several photos of me but the settings on my camera kept darkening my face. They took one on their camera and we exchanged email addresses. Hopefully they will send it.

The Atomium was originally built for the 1958 World Fair and was intended as a temporary structure, however its popularity and success made it a key landmark and it was never torn down. A few statistics about the structure:

height: 102m

surface of the spheres: 1082 square meters / 240 square meters

diameter of the spheres: 18m

diameter of the base pavilion: 26m

diameter of the tubes: 3m 30

length of the cube edge tubes: 29m

length of the diagonal tubes: 26m

constructed  in 1958

renovated in 2003 / 2006

mass: 2,400 tons (1958)  

          2,500 tons (2006)

To ascend the structure one can take an elevator directly to the center sphere. This elevator travels at a speed of 5m/s, which made it the world's fastest when it was built in 1958.

To ascend and descend through the side spheres, one utllizes

3 escalators and 80 steps to go up

1 escalator and 167 steps to go down

Each sphere of the Atomium serves a different purpose. The middle sphere allows for panoramic views and also houses a very expensive restaurant. Needless to say, I only saw the views and did not sample the food of the restaurant. It was a beautiful morning. As I looked out, the sky was clear and I could see quite a distance, yet there was a low hanging fog that made the city in the distance look hazy. It was also possible to see other spheres from the windows of the panorama. 

The other spheres contained exhibits including one on plastic and 55 years of the Atomium history. Plus some spheres contained viewing platforms as well.

Traveling between spheres, the escalators themselves were an experience. The escalators were steep and narrow. Eerie music played in the tubes. One of them had windows that allowed me to see out and see bits of the Atomium as I traveled. I almost lost my balance several times trying to look out the porthole windows above me. The other was in a completely solid tube and had red and blue lights. It reminded me of a retro take on the future of space. 

The other method of transversing the Atomium was via stairs. I noticed the railings echoed the design of the Atomium with tubes and spheres.

Several hours later, exiting the Atomium, the sun was higher in the sky and the structure appeared to sparkle. I went to the otherside of the structure to take some more photos, including the stereotypical one in which it looks  like I am balancing the spheres on my fingers. I also took my photo in a Atom like structure at the base. It's mirror feature reminded me of the Bean in Chicago. (Don't know what the Bean is? Check out my post from Dec 24, 2014). Finally returning to the side that would lead me to the tram, I took some photos with the "be. welcome" sign as well. I had an amazing time visiting the Atomium. This will definitely be remembered as a highlight of my trip. Although my tour guide on my first day in Brussels recommended against visiting the Atomium, I would highly recommend it if you have the time. 

Brussels in the snow!

Today, while I was in the Comic Strip Centre, it began to snow. I was not the only one enchanted by the snow. Many people were looking out the windows and kids were crying out in joy that it was snowing. The snow continued all day. Looking out the window, it is still snowing, although it seems to be weakening. Not much is sticking, although some roofs and green areas did get a nice coating. 

I spent the day walking all over town, enjoying the snow, and eventually growing quite cold in it. Rather than write about all I saw, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée

The Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée, otherwise known as the Belgian Centre of Comic Strips was a most amazing museum. To be honest, when I first heard of it, I was not sure if I would go or not, but the inclement weather (rainy) this morning drove me and nearly every other tourist (or so it seemed) indoors. I was so pleasantly surprised by the museum. I would highly recommend it to everyone who visits Belgium, even if you are not a comic fan. 

The museum itself is housed in a historical building. The building is the last Vitor Horta building remaining in Brussels. Over 100 years old, it spent it's first 70 years as a cloth and fabric saleshall. After sitting empty, and  being destroyed by vandals and vagabonds, the building was bought by the state in 1984 and restored. During it's restoration they found a stone with the year 1664 etched in it. This dates back to the original building that stood on this site, an Abbey. On the third of October, 1989, the restoration was complete and the museum opened. The building is beautiful. An absolutely lovely mixture of metal, glass and light. 

As much as I admired the building, I also admired the exhibits found within. The museum showcases Belgian comic strips and artists, but is not limited to just the  Belgian side of things. The museum did a great job explaining the history of comics, how they have evolved and how they are created. 

Comics were first observed in the Middle Ages as Christian Monks used images to illustrate bible stories. They established the basic principals of modern day comic strips:

- story panels

- movement

- foreground

- dialog in balloons

The 19th century saw the first examples of recurrant comic heros. The German characters Max and Moritz are a great example of these first recurrant figures. 

In 1905, Winsor McCay, creator of Little Nemo [the boy in his bed who has adventures in the sky kingdom] saw his character Gertie the Dinosaur put to film. He was the forerunner to Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse.

The museum introduced me to Boerke, who may have just become my new favorite comic. The stories are often one page and they speak to a social issue or just a problem. As much as they may reflect the news, they are also humorous. I really enjoyed them and took pictures of a few of my favorites.

Three major Belgian comics are well known outside of Belgium , although not all are known as well outside of Europe: Tin Tin, Asterix and The Smurfs.

Of the three, only the Smurfs have really made it to the US in a large way. I remember watching the Smurfs on TV as a child and loving their little blue mushroom world. I did not know that the cartoon I so enjoyed began as a comic until much later. 

The Smurfs were created by Peyo. Peyo dropped out of school at age 15 and began creating comics. One of his most famous pre-Smurf comics was Johan and Peewit. Infact, the Smurfs first appeared as characters in Johan and Peewit. The smurfs were then described as "3 apples high, blue and smurf-speaking". Shortly thereafter the Smurfs took on a life of their own and soon outranked Johan and Peewit in popularity.

As the Smurfs evolved, they changed from a group of 99 to 100. They included special smurfs such as Papa Smurf and Smurfette. The Smurfs also had their enemies. I really only recalled 2 of them, Gargamel and Azriel, but the museum showcased 7 of them. Reading about BZZZ the Fly, an enemy who transmits "Purple Smurf Disease" to the Smurfs, I was amused to see that the French and Dutch versions called the malady "Black Smurf Disease". [It may be worth noting that this museum offered all information and signs in 3 languages: French, Dutch and English.]

The Smurfs section was easily my favorite part of the museum and I of course had my picture taken with a Smurf.

The museum had a special exhibit on Brussels in comic. It showed examples of places in the city appearing in comics. It was organized by location and I was excited to see how many of the places I could recognize after being in the city only 2 days. I found it a great tribute to a city and also a wonderful example of how the city supports comics and in turn the comics support the city. 

If you visit Belgium, the Comic Strip Centre is not to be missed!

In Brussels

After over 12 hours of sleep, I woke up ready to discover Brussels properly. As I have mentioned in previous posts, my favorite way to explore a new city is to go on a free city tour. It's the best way to get to know a city and also meet other travelers. 

The free city tour of Brussels began at 11am in Grote Markt. I was surprised that so many people showed up the day after Christmas, but we were a large enough group to be divided into two small groups of approximately 25 or so. My tour guide was Paul-Emille. He is a native to Brussels and any inaccurate information I blame on him! Actually he was an amazing tour guide.

Historically, Brussels is a crossroads city. Situated alongside the river, it was where trade from England, France, Germany and The Netherlands converged. As a result, this city has amazing food, beer and culture. The center of this trade was the Grote Markt. 

One end of the Grote Markt has the city hall, across from it is the King's house and surrounding those are the former guild houses. It was and still is the economic and political center of Brussels and in turn of Belgium. Realizing the importance of this square, King Louis XIV of France tried to have it destroyed. His soldiers focused on toppling the tower of the city hall (pictured above). They managed to destroy almost every part of it EXCEPT the tower. The people of Brussels rallied and the square was rebuilt in just 5 years. The city hall is very uniquely built. The building was built by three architects in three separate styles. As a result the left half is larger than the right, the tower is not centered and the windows from left to right sides are different styles and not at the same height on the first floor. Atop the tower is St. Michael slaying the dragon. He is one of the patron saints of Brussels. 

The guild houses are all denoted by a single marker that is often above the door. There is for example the 'rose' house, the 'swan' house and the 'star' house. The wall of the star house is known for the fact that Karl Marx lived there, and while in residence he wrote his communist manifesto. It is also where Everard 't Serclaes, a medieval hero, is said to have died. A statue of him is under the arcade of the house. It is said that if you rub this statue, you will not only return to Brussels, but also have a wish granted. Needless to say I made sure to touch the statue and make my wish.

Our tour guide frequently told us that although Belgium has contributed much to the world, it's often not known. He said that it is a bad joke that people say that Belgium is a city in France. It's not. In fact, Belgium is well known for many things including a good soccer team, beer, chocolate and comics. Tintin, Asterix and the Smurfs are all Belgian creations.

But the most popular thing in the city of Brussels is not any of those three, but rather a small statue, the Manneken Pis. That's right, the statue of a little peeing boy. Apparently it is the third most famous statue in the world (On a side note, I have seen the first two on the list as well -- The Statue of Liberty and The David). This statue is incredibly small. Much smaller than I might have ever expected. Not only is it small, but I was surprised to learn that there is a person who has the responsibility (job) to dress him up. In the past he has been dressed as Santa Claus, as a soccer player, wearing a condom for World Aids Day and more. Like the Mona Lisa, he was not only smaller than expected, but surrounded by throngs of tourists. Additionally, the idea of the peeing boy has been used in marketing around the city. 

Belgium is known for food and in particular for four varieties:

chocolate

beer

waffles

fries

Last night I tried some chocolate and today I had recommendations for more. Last night I tried a waffle, but today I was told by my tour guide that the absolute best waffles are to be found in the yellow trucks. I didn't have a chance to try one today, but it's certainly on my list.

On the tour I had a chance to try a Kriek beer. This is a cherry beer. The tour guide told us that it's known around town as a drink for girls but that he (and many other men) like it as well. I found it to taste a lot like a Berliner Weiße. It was a delicious introduction to Belgian beer. Later in the day, after the tour I would have a dark beer at the brewing museum. It was also good. 

After the tour, Maria (another American on the tour) and I decided to head outside of the downtown area to a region known as Flagey where it was said the freshest and best Frites (fries) could be had). We ordered our Frites and had to wait while they were freshly prepared. I'm not a huge fan of fries, but these were certainly worth the wait. I had mine with Americaine sauce which was a bit like a spicy Arbiatta sauce. Delicious! 

The rest of the evening passed quickly. Maria and I explored the city a bit, toured the brewers guild, visited another part of the Christmas market and enjoyed the lights of the city. Brussels is an amazing place and so full of life at this time of the year.