Belgium: Brussels (Mini-Europe)

We spent our final day in Belgium exploring the rest of Brussels



Triumph Arch
Even though it has the same name(Arc de Triomphe) as the one in Paris, I feel that it strongly resembles the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and bears little resemblance to the one in Paris



EU Building



Atomium
A giant molecule of an iron molecule. It was a space-age leftover from the 1958 World Fair. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations.



Mini-Europe, next to the Atomium
It was rather expensive to enter but it was defintely worth it. Exact replicas of all the famous buildings in Europe are on display. All of them are scaled down to 1/25 and you can have a good feel of how big each building is in comparison to the other. Needless to say, the Eiffel tower was towering above everything else.



Compare the original Brussels' Town Hall...
[By the way, this Grand Place is the most beautiful part of Belgium with the Town Hall(+Belfry) and the House of the King which contains the famous wardrobe(600 costumes) of the Manneken Pis]



... to its replica. No wonder this replica costs 372,000 Euro.
Besides showcasing the many replicas of famous buildings all around Europe, there is a very good book given upon entrance educating the readers about the significance of each building and the significance of the EU. I definitely think that Mini-Europe has succeeded in attracting both tourists and educating the public about EU, its significance and its need to band together to face the world today.

Perhaps Singapore should also set up a Mini-Asean/Mini-SEAsia. Haha. No, serious. Singapore will then able to showcase the famous buildings in SE Asia and its diversity. What better country than Singapore, which is centrally located, to showcase this? Afterall, many tourists use Singapore to sling/hop to surrounding countries. Singaporeans, including schoolchildren, will also have good understanding of the counries around us. Not to mention the tourists flocking to Singapore just to see Mini-Asean. $$$$



Galeries Royales St-Hubert: the world's 1st shopping mall
where Han bought the high-quality, expensive Neuhaus Chocolate
The Neuhaus shop owner was evidently very happy to see a group of jap tourists, after us. She even has a jap assistant to increase sales. Why r the japs so rich & so welcomed in every part of the world?



How can u resist these waffles?



Manneken Pis-the symbol of Brussels/Belgium
It supposedly represents the "irreverent spirit" of Brussels but I dun really understand what irreverant spirt of the Belgian it is referring to.


Belgium Conclusion:
We went to 5 different cities in Belgium and covered all the essential icons in 5 nights, 4 days. Not forgetting the fact that we attended the Oasis concert in those 4 days. It was almost like an amazing race in Belgium!

Overall, I'm quite impressed that almost all of the cities in Belgium are well-developed. Each city is rich in history and has impressive architecture. The only city I would have gone if given more time is Spa, which is the famed site of healing hot springs and where the word Spa comes from. But then again, 4 days of churches & other urban architecture is a bit monotonous for me. I will prefer a variety of activties. Luckily in the upcoming Czech/Poland trip, I will be popping by Poland's Auschwitz concentration camp in the heart of winter. Haha.

Anyway, after exploring Belgium, it's easy to understand why so many international organizations are located in Belgium. It is indeed the melting point of Europe!