Bustling Brussels

brussels is unlike the average capital cities of european countries. having come from london and paris, my jaw dropped when i first entered brussels. it is spectacularly ugly! But the locals love it; well.. if they don't, they still live with it. Dun get me wrong, I honestly dun hate brussels and have totally enjoyed it but with regards to photography and the various mismatched adjacent buildings, mmmm...

i must say brusseleirs are also an interesting bunch of people. they speak a wide range of languages and frankly, i couldn't quite work out what language they speak when i first arrived. interestingly, i found out the answer to this was when i was asking for directions. this particular brusseleir told me that he speaks english, french, flemish and dutch. impressive hey? what i didn't know was that most brusseleirs mix their languages when they talk. i wasn't aware this language cocktail was going on in europe! i thought it only existed in singapore/malaysia. well.. i'm wrong.

another quirky thing about brussels is to do with the local beer aka Gueuze beer. they are really sour! u might be in a for treat if u think it isn't that bad. Gueuze gets it unique sour taste from bacteria that only exist in and around brussels. come to think of it, do u reckon i'd still have those unique bacteria colonizing me somewhere since I've travelled to brussels?

The Atomium
Structure of the element iron (Fe) !

Brussels Expo

Grand Place - Grote Markt

Grand Place - Grote Markt

Xmas in Brugge & Gent

brugge aka "venice of the north" is one of europe's best preserved medieval towns. a romantic city of ancient, beautifully preserved buildings, medieval squares and canals criss-crossed by cobbled street, brugge possess enough charm to make the hesitant girlfriend say "yes" to marriage proposal.

warm stone, red roofed houses are reflected in the dark waters of canal, narrow streets lead through splendid grand squares and wind between buildings that have stood there, seemingly unchanged, since medieval times. brugge -romantic and addictive...

gent, on the other hand, is the spiritual citadel of flanders, a university city, the second largest belgain port and major industrial center. the city of gent is lined with cobbled streets and stunning ancient buildings.