Brussels

It seemed that I had just gone gone to sleep when I felt my mother shaking me. "Wake up! It's 8'o'clock!". We had returned at around three in the morning back from our trip to Luxembourg and we had a trip planned to Belgium that day. Our trusty Peugeot 308 was ready and waiting, we were packed and ready in less than an hour and out of Eindhoven by 9'o'clock. We were to stop at Antwerpen, Belgium renowned for its diamonds and glamorous jewellery, the Diamond capital of the world. It had a 'Diamant' museum which was highly popular and recommended to all tourists. 

We parked in a colossal underground parking lot under the Antwerpen-Centraal station, the museum was just opposite. It had a high tech lobby with maximum security(Had to be!) and we were given multimedia guides to help us out through the museum. The museum was very informative and of course, had a lot of real and replica diamonds. The replicas were so real that we came to know of that out only when the docent told us about it! Surprisingly, even me and my dad had a pretty good time, learning about the structures of diamonds and their composition, through microscope mounted samples and interactive displays. There were also black and white videos of the diamond mining which used to be done in Africa. 

Antwerpen-Centraal station

Just opposite us was the palace like Antwerpen-Centraal station. It was expansive, a busy station with 3 underground levels and various train tracks and it is judged that it is one of the world's greatest train stations. The facade of the buiding was almost too much to take in, it looked so complex but was perfectly symmetrical and beautiful. Even to my untrained senses, this building couldn't be put down as of any particular architectural style, I would soon find out how right I was! This building is an amazing blend of many styles and is a must see for any tourist in Belgium. We then spent some time at the countless diamond stores lining the streets, containing an impressive and wide ranging collection of diamonds, cut, uncut, coloured and uncoloured. 

Colourful Chocolates!

We parked near the Grand place and took a walk along the beautiful streets of Brussels, sweet smells wafted through the air, making my mouth water. Chocolate! Brussels was famous for its amazing range of chocolates, be it famous brands like Guylian, La cure Gourmande, Cachet and the ever famous Belgian or you could opt for small shops selling assorted chocolates and colourful candies which are just as tasty, especially if you go to the right shop. We visited a nearby chocolate museum and tested out a few chocolates and some hot chocolate. It was a bit of a disappointment though because it was lacking in exhibits and was not very indulging. But that was all right, we had lots to see!

Manneken pis

The smell of hot maple syrup and waffles greeted us as we came across a street with many cafés selling different kinds of waffles, in fact they sold only waffles! There were so many kinds that we were sad not to try all of them. The ones we tried were simply delicious and tasted like nothing I'd eaten before. They say that the Belgian waffle is one of the best varieties in the world, fluffier and higher than other types. The cream it was topped with was a delicacy by itself, that amazing taste which stays on your tongue forever! With that done, Just down the street was Manneken pis, which translates to Little man pee (:-D), it is a famous landmark in Brussels. It depicts a small boy urinating into the fountain basin. Creativity! I had to think, nice concept for a fountain! His dress is changed 2-3 times a week, a judo attire, an ancient Indian dress and many more, all his clothes are said to be thoughtful and attention grabbing. Be sure to visit this spot if you are in Brussels!

Atomium

The streets of Brussels are equally old and modern, looking at the skyscrapers lining the road, it was hard to say that we were in the same city as earlier that day. Due to the presence of many UN agencies in Brussels, it houses a variety of UN buildings, and is also home to the World trade center. Coming to one of the landmarks of the city, the Atomium was built for the 1958 world fair held here. But when you look at it, it's hard to think that this ultramodern structure was built more than 4 decades ago. It has nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times (Wikipedia). The structure seemed so out of the world and truly a marvel of architecture. Thus ended a great day in the country of Belgium, a truly amazing country to behold!

Grand Place-Brussels

Reaching skyward!