This gorgeous building enroute to the gym
So I spent yesterday exploring Brussels. My head was mostly cranked looking upwards at all the detail everywhere. It is such a city of diversity and of detail. It really is beautiful and amazing. And all very walkable which of course I just love.
Mmmmm - Belgian Chocolate
And Brussels, well Belgium, is known for a number of things namely chocolate, lace, beer and well Manneken Pis. Somehow, I have seen this little man before and I did not know it was a Brussels thing. But I have seem him everywhere and I finally came across the famous fountain.
Manneken Pis in fine form
You hear and see so much about this guy that when you actually get to the fountain he is only about one and a half feet high. But you can`t deny how cute he is.
A waffle eating Manneken
Basically this small bronze fountain sculpture depicts a naked little boy urinating into the fountain’s basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. The figure has been repeatedly stolen; the current statue is a copy from 1965. The original is kept at the Maison du Roi/Broodhuis on the Grand Place, which I did see. He has been dressed up in all sorts of costumes over the years and the museum actually has them all on display.
Part of Manneken`s wardrobe!
Colourful Manneken`s
There are several legends behind this statue. One of the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle. Another legend states that in the 14th century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. The city had held its ground for some time, so the attackers conceived of a plan to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Julianske happened to be spying on them as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city. I think the perfect Brussels statement would be a Manneken made of chocolate, dressed in lace and urinating Belgian Beer. Now there`s an idea. Shhhh – don`t tell anyone – it`s my idea.
This funky clock near central station. Something must happen sometimes at the top of the hour because I always see people standing there but nothing has happened when I have been there
But, here I have become distracted by Manneken and there is so much more that I have seen, but I shall put that in some other posts. Stay tuned.
Some of the beautiful gold gilded buildings in the Grand Place