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– the cosmopolitan vibes and the European atmosphere; In Brussels you can taste every other culture from Europe and if you are an expat, you will find so many people like you, coming from all over the world
– Brussels is the capital of Europe and showcases most of the European Institutions. Go to Schuman or to Place Luxembourg and you’ll find yourself surrounded by expats, MEPs, lobbysts and so on. Visit the European Commission’s HQ or the EU Parliament and you’ll be overwhelmed by the dynamic of the grand surroundings.
– the multicultural events, the variety of concerts, the prolific art. For instance, last week it was the Jazz marathon, a 3day marathon of free jazz music broken down into more than 400 concerts of various styles of jazz: rock, soul, lation and modern
– the Japanese tour and the Chinese Pavilion
– the music in the metro stops. It is cool to listen to Vivaldi while waiting for the metro
– the people from all over the world. Go to Havana on Saturday night and you’ll find there at least 15 nationalities
– the panoply of options and possibilities that this city offers
– the passion for flowers and apartments with nicely decorated windows
– the great parks that make you dream. See Place Flagey, the hidden park by Madou, the Jardin Botanique, the Bois de la Cambre and so on.
– the numerous types of beer that you can taste, especially at Delirium bar
– the THAI & Vietnamese food – see Saint Gery
– Les Marolles
– the variety of the areas: Turkish area with loads of Kebaps shops (e.g. Sultans of Kebap and L’express), the Thai & Chinese areas at Saint-Gery, the Clemenceau market, the palaces from Uccle, the dynamic from deBrouckere and the picturesque of the past from Grand Place, the grandness of L’Atomium. The list could go on, but I still have to explore…
– close to nature. You can easily go out from Brussels and go to superb landscapes in only 15 minutes. See La Hulpe, Genval, etc
– literally the heart of Europe. Paris is 3 hours away by car, Amsterdam only 2 or 3, take the plane and you’ll be in Venice or Milan in about two hours. 🙂
– the SPAs outside Brussels that I have not tried yet
– the swimming pools, la rue Neuve, Mama Roma, the chocolate and the bakeries
And the list can go on… What do you like about Brussels?
Gabriela D. Spencer 