Kunstberg & Coudenberg

As the heart of Europe, Brussels is full of worldwide-known landmarks, of course. But if you search carefully through its narrow -and not so narrow- streets, you'll find lots of places that you would have never imagined to find there. And to offer you some help... here you are two: Coudenberg and Kunstberg :)

Église de Coudenberg/Koudenbergskerk

Located next to the Royal Palace, in the Royal Square -Place Royale or Koninklijk Plein-, this pretty, white Church is the official worship place where the Belgian Kings and heirs celebrate their Christening ceremonies. Surely, a place you shouldn't miss at all! 

Mont des Arts/Kunstberg

The Kunstberg -Mountain of the Arts in Dutch- is a beautiful garden square located just a  few steps away from Coudenberg, home for both the Belgian Royal Library and the Museum of Fine Arts. By night, light and colour turn this place into one of Brussels's most wonderful places. But it's not a big deal if you miss it by night, it's impressive 24 hours a day! :)

The Atomium

Just as happens with Paris and the Eiffel Tower, Brussels is the home for one of the hugest, most amazing monumets ever. And yes, I'm talking about... the Atomium! 
With its 102 metres of height, this impressive structure was designed for the Brussels expo in 1958, and was planned to last for no more than six months. However, the Atomium would be never taken down, as it soon became one of Brussels's most widely visited attractions. Technically, the structure represents an iron crystal -which means that every bubble is an independent atom-. That means that, in spite of its name, the Atomium isn't an atom but nine iron atoms (Fe) kept together through powerful bonds, creating an awesome iron crystal... isn't that amazing? -or at lest it's amazing for me, a future biochemist-.
Back to my visit, I feel really lucky as it started to rain while I was inside the great landmark, and by the time I came out, it had just stopped raining. Great thing! But due to rain, Brussels skyline wasn't visible, and pictures are not as good as I expected but... they are all genuine, so hope you like all them. 
In addition, I have included a picture which shows how's the Atomium inside: some bubbles include incredible light spectacles inside, and walking from one ball to another feels like traveling in a spaceship... truly FANTASTIC! :D

Brussels is an extraordinary city, no doubt! But among the many attractions which the belgian capital city helds, there's always a place that makes you feel more than just delighted. And I've got to say that one of those was, indeed, the Brussels Royal Palace.

From the outside, it's nearly impossible not to feel somehow attracted by the enormous simplicity of its wondrous classical facade. 

In the inside, huge halls and extraordinarily arranged rooms: from the fanciest one to the most plain. Every single room hides magnificent treasures.

The Royal Palace, located just opposite the Federal Parliament, can be visited almost everyday from 10 am -or so I think- and, what for it... it's free! Nice place, and wondrous visit!

As all of you know, Brussels is the European Union's heart: all major institutions -the European Comission, the European Union Council, the European Parliament, the Regions Comittee...- have their HQ in this amazing city, in a fabulous quartier in eastern Brussels which, through theyears, became the European Quartier, the home of Europe!

The Berlaymont

Though that name may not be familiar to you, the Berlaymont is, indeed, the European Comission HQ, a place of meeting for all European leaders and politicians -and politician leaders as well-. This famous cross-shaped building -which appears on TV constantly- is located in Schuman Square, one of the fathers of the EU, and looks flamboyantly in its modern appearance. A place that you should not miss if you're in Brussels!

The European Parliament

Though the official HQ for the European Parliament are located in Strasbourg (France), the second HQ -which are used for special meetings and comissions- are located in Brussels's European Quartier. Officially, the parliament building's name is Espace Léopold. And since Leopold Park is just next to parliament building, I have to say that it's an incredible place to have a wonderful walk and... why not, some relax!

The Cinquantenaire

This wondrous park, with its enormous triumphal arch, is located in eastern Brussels, within the European Quartier and just a few steps away from the European Comission HQ. Originally, the Cinquantenaire was erected in 1880 to commemorate the Belgian Independence. Today, the complex is the home for the Belgian Royal Army Museum, the Royal History and Art Museum and the Cars Museum -I decided to visit the Belgian Royal Army Museum as it seemed to be the most interesting of all them, as in fact it was-. Another fantastic place to have a walk and even to enjoy some sunbathing -like plenty of locals do-. Great!

Brussels offers many different cultural attractions to enjoy -contrary to the popular belief which states that Brussels is such a city with not much to offer-. And among all those wondrous places, you can find the Grand Place, the heart of Brussels city. A point of meeting, or a place to start... you can always do it your own way, that's the good thing about traveling! 

The Broodhuis/Maison du Roi

Among the buildings located in the Grand Place, the Maison du Roi is surely the one that attracted all of my attention. With its ornamented columns and impossible silhouettes, this building was turned into a visitable museum. Nice place to take a few of amazing snapshots!

The Brussels City Hall

Just opposite the Broodhuis, you can find the local City Hall. With one of the tallest towers in the city, the City Hall is nowadays the house for the town's museum. The Grand Place is also a place of remarkable events a, such as the creation of a flower carpet in the center of the square every month of August. Alongside the townhall's pictures, I have attached a picture in which appears the Brouwerhuis -the House of Brussels's brewers-. Great view of course!

The Maneken Pis

This tiny sculpure of a boy while peeing is, don't ask me why, Brussels's most well-known symbol. And of course, surrounding the little sculpture you can always find a lot of people taking pictures and having a laugh... at times. Located in Stoofstraat/Rue de L'Etuve, is, like Daniel Diges would say, 'Something Tiny'... Algo pequeñito! 

The Saint Hubert Royal Galeries

Just a few meters from the Grand Place, another great place awaits: The St Hubert Galeries -Royaux, of course!-. Inside this crystal-roofed street you can find some of the finest stores in Brussels: from chocolate to books, from jewelry to cosmetics... A good place to go shopping and get some fantastic souvenirs... though it's not that fantastic when it comes to price. Despite that, nice place to do some window shopping!

And to finish this post, a wonderful sunset picture. The sun sets behind Koekelberg Basilique, what a wonderful view from my hotel room! :D