Brussels Travel Guide
8/15/2008 at 9:00 AM
Tags: Belgium Travel, Brussels, Diving (all tags)
We always thought that Belgium was only famous for its tasty chocolate, but it's also home to the world's deepest swimming pool--and you're welcome to go SCUBA diving there.
The 105-foot-deep Nemo 33 has a tropical feel with the water kept at 33 degrees Celsius (91 F). You can learn to SCUBA there or just enjoy your own dive while your non-diving friends sit in the restaurant and watch you descend into the human aquarium.
A safety warning: We recommend diving in Nemo 33 first, before consuming the required ton of Belgian chocolate. Eating the sweets first could lead to serious sinking problems.
Related Stories:
· Nemo 33 [Official Site]
· The World's Deepest Swimming Pool [UK Times]
· How to Do a Belgian Chocolate Deal [Jaunted]
[Photo: medialoog]
by amandak
3/03/2008 at 3:23 PM
Tags: Anniversary Travel, World's Fair Travel, Attractions, Tourist Attractions, Big Things (all tags)
Fifty years ago, Brussels invited the world over for the first World's Fair after the death and destruction of World War II. Expo 2008 will be held later this year in Zaragoza, Spain, but Brussels is celebrating anyway with exhibitions like "Expo '58: Between Utopia and Reality," in conjunction with the renovation of the fair's most durable remnant, the Atomium.
Built in the shape of a crystallized molecule of iron, the Atomium, like the Eiffel Tower, was intended to be a temporary monument but ended up redefining the city where it was constructed. After the jump, another startling view of the Atomium and some more history.
MORE...
by egw
6/29/2006 at 4:29 PM
Tags: Belgium Field Trip, Jaunted Field Trip, Bars (all tags)
Le Tavernier is a trendy bar near the University of Brussels. It is trendy, but by no means over the top. There is an outside area with picnic table type seating and an inside area where a DJ spins chill tunes.
Since it is so close to the Uni, you are bound to run into U of B students having a drink, but don't worry, it isn't the same as running into a bunch of American college kids having a drink. We heard no chanting, hooting, or other frat like noises from the tables filled with students.
The bar also features live jazz periodically, check their web site for detes.
Related Stories:
· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]
by markj
6/29/2006 at 12:13 PM
Tags: Belgium Field Trip, Jaunted Field Trip (all tags)
Want to know where the hipsters hang in Brussels? Try Ixelles, a small bohemian area just south of the touristy Grand Place--full of cafes, lively pubs, and plenty of Art Nouveau buildings.
Ixelles has a bit of a history--Karl Marx and Alexandre Dumas both lived here for a time and the place still has that struggling artist feel. For those of you familiar with San Francisco, if Ixelles was an SF neighborhood, it would be Cole Valley. Or to put it in geek--if Craig Newmark lived in Brussels he would live in Ixelles.
Avenue Louise, where all the Brussels high end retail shops sit, divides Ixelles into two areas. We spent our time south of Louise, and walked through the tres Belgian streets and squares until we found our spot, on Ru Du Bailli. Here, just up the street from Parv de la Trinite, we found a bar on all four corners of a square, each with its own plusses and minuses. We split our time at two spots: Roxi (82 Rue du Bailli), a definite hipster hang, and the Irish Bank which was a full on sports pub, and, or so we were told, the only Irish pub in Brussels. The evening we were sipping Chimay, France was involved in some late night football action, and the crowd was decidely French, of course. Late night at Roxi we learned our first important lesson about drinking in Belgium--mixed drinks are overpriced and not always made right, so stick to beer.
Once the sun goes down on the rue (after 10pm in late June) the nearby Ste Trinite should light up the night sky for your viewing pleasure. Oh, and the bars are all within stumbling distance of most Avenue Louise hotels.
Related Stories:
· More Ixelles Photos [Jaunted/Flickr]
· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]
by markj
6/28/2006 at 4:57 PM
Tags: Rough Guides, Belgium Field Trip, Jaunted Field Trips, Restaurant Reviews (all tags)
The Rough Guide to Brussels was our weapon of choice, during our June 2006 jaunt through Belgium. Sometimes these guide books get it right, and sometimes they are off. In this feature, we will tell you what the guide pros said about a place and then give you our take.
Eating at Le Macaron in Ixelles:
Rough Guides Says:
Charming French-Italian tavern just off palce du Chatelain. The convivial ambience, homely surroundings and cheap fish, meat and pasta dishes-- main meals around €10--mean the place is often packed to the gunnels, even on weekdays. The spaghetti bolognese is superlative.
Jaunted Says:
The spaghetti bolognese (Bolo on the menu) is really tasty. After a long flight, an inexpensive big plate of spaghetti really hit the spot. Do yourself a favor and get some extra cheese to mix in, if you have €3 Euro to spare. Inside this place is a bit cramped and full of smoke, (everyone still smokes inside Belgium restaurants) so do yourself a favor, sit outside and Belgian watch.
Related Stories:·
Le Macarons [resto.be]
·
Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]
by markj
4/25/2006 at 11:58 AM
Tags: Brussels, Belgium, Design (all tags)
Brussels may be most famous for being home to the beautiful Grand Place and the cute-yet-tiny Manikin Pis, but locals hold a special place in their hearts for the
Atomium. A 334-foot structure first built for the 1958 World's Fair and shaped like a crystal molecule at 165 billion times magnification, the Atomium has just undergone a
$28.3 million reconstruction.
The elevator--which was the world's fastest when the Atomium was built--now has a glass ceiling, just like
Top of the Rock. Otherwise, the restoration stayed true to the original, which was futuristic enough, instead of going to Reichstag route and adding onto it.
In the American tradition, there's also a restaurant on top. Just what you'd expect from a structure described (on the Atomium web site) as "the most astonishing in the world".
[Image via zig/Flickr]
Related Stories:·
Mighty Atomium [Wallpaper*]
by AVB
4/10/2006 at 3:49 PM
Tags: Eurotrash, Travel Writing, Belgium, Brussels (all tags)
Why, New York Times, oh why did you mention that Brussels is leading the way of the European party scene? It
ruined a perfectly serviceable article about the bite-size Belgian burg.
Brussels is a fun little town. It's unpretentious, has fantastic food--both of the starred-Michelin and gooey-waffled variety--and allows the visitor come to appreciate the city's charms, rather than be all up in their grill about it.
But party capital? No no no no. This needs to stop right now. Describing a city in Europe as a "party capital" can be directly translated to mean "Here, there are discos playing the most annoying hits from five years ago. You will be forced to drink rum and coke and dance with strange-looking men in tight pants." Don't be fooled.
Go have dinner at
La Quincaillerie instead.
[Image via Daniel S/Flickr]
Related Stories:·
Going to: Brussels [NY Times]
·
Tower Comes to Tiny Towns [Jaunted]
by AVB
3/16/2006 at 12:20 PM
Tags: Theme Parks (all tags)
Prague's famous clock tower--called Orloj in Czech--has been
replicated to 1/25 scale and will soon claim a spot in one of our favorite places to visit in Brussels,
Mini-Europe. No, Mini-Europe is not what Euroskeptics call the EU, but a theme park in the Belgian capital that reproduces everything that the continent has to offer at a smaller scale. Smaller than Smart cars, even.
The replication of Prague's 15th Century clock tower is all the more impressive because legend has it that the original engineer was blinded so that he couldn't reproduce his work elsewhere. And he didn't get health insurance or overtime.
Mini-Europe has it all: Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, an erupting model of Mount Vesuvius, and other stuff that Europeans think is famous but Americans have probably never heard of before. It is a convenient way to see everything in Europe quickly, though, and there are plentiful French fries available. What more can you ask for in a tourist attraction?
[Image via Amir & Malahat/Flickr]
Related Stories:·
The Orloj Goes to Brussels [RadioCZ]
by AVB
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