brussels: where europe's bureaucrats meet waffles
brussels is... something else. the city's got this weird vibe going on - it's all these old medieval buildings plopped next to these massive EU headquarters that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. i just checked and it's...there right now, 5.94°C but feels like 3.24°C, so hope you like that kind of thing.
brussels started around 979 AD, which is way older than i thought. it's this marshy place by the River Senne, which apparently means "settlement in the marsh" in Old Dutch. makes sense when you see how flat and damp everything feels. the main city's got about 1.2 million people squeezed into 162 km², which is nuts. it's basically a concrete forest with some parks sprinkled in.
the city's split in two - the Lower Town which is all commercial stuff, and the Upper Town with museums and landmarks. it's shaped like a pentagon because of the old medieval walls that got replaced by ring roads. if you get bored of brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, and Walloon Brabant province are just a short drive away. they all connect and have over 5 million people total.
people here speak French and Dutch mostly, but English is everywhere because of all the expats. like 27% of the population aren't Belgian, including 40,000 EU workers and 4,000 NATO people. someone told me that brussels is the comic strip capital of the world, which is why there are murals all over the city. the locals seem to have this "joie de vivre" thing going on, but they're also really into beer and weird humor. that peeing boy statue (Manneken Pis) is apparently a big deal and they dress him up in costumes.
the food's pretty good, though. Belgian waffles are amazing, as is the chocolate and beer. there are like 800 different beer brands here - more than anywhere else. and yeah, French fries are apparently Belgian, not French. who knew? they're also known for Brussels sprouts, which are actually kinda tasty if you cook them right.
transport's pretty decent - there's a metro (Belgium's only rapid transit), trams, buses, trains, and you can bike or walk around the center. it's super dense though, like 5,949 people per km² just in the City of Brussels. the economy's strong with services, finance, publishing, and food processing. they've got this Justice Palace that's supposedly the world's largest courthouse.
brussels is basically the de facto capital of the EU, hosting all the important institutions in the European Quarter. NATO's HQ is here too. it's this mix of medieval architecture, Art Nouveau buildings, and these modern EU monstrosities. someone told me that despite having a high GDP, Brussels has the lowest household income in Belgium, which seems weird. there's also petty crime and pickpocketing in tourist areas, so watch your stuff.
overall, brussels is a weird place. it's got all these contrasts - ancient and modern, rich and poor, French and Dutch speaking. it's definitely not the prettiest European city, but it's got character. if you're into bureaucracy, beer, or comic books, you'll probably like it. just dress warmly if you're going anytime soon.
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