1. Walking. Brussels is a compact city, the centre of which can be crossed by foot in around 40 minutes. By setting a brisk pace Tintin was able to walk to work in around 20 minutes. Try doing that in London!
2. Beer. Although initially confusing, the wide variety of beers available in Brussels is something to be treasured. Never again will we relax in le Perroquet with a Chimay Bleu, or take in Place du Grand Sablon with a Kriek. Sigh.
3. Greenery. Brussels has some beautiful open spaces, and although its central parks (Cinquentenaire and Parc de Bruxelles) tend to be somewhat formal, the outlying Foret de Soignes is a great place for a bike ride or picnic by the lake.
4. Travel. In some ways one of the best things about Brussels is getting out of it. The city is well located for day or weekend trips to a variety of European destinations, with London and Paris only a couple of hours away, or Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Cologne a slightly longer journey.
5. Civic pride. Nobody does random festivals like the Bruxellois. From Belgian National Day, to la Fete de l'Iris, to Magritte day, we've seen numerous festive goings on in this city designed to bring young and old, rich and poor, Belgian or not, out on to the streets for an old-fashioned knees up.
Not:
1. Dog poo. Now me and Tintin like small dogs more than most, as do the Belgians, but there is simply no excuse for not picking up your dog's shit, particularly if it is in the middle of the pavement or public square. As an aside, public excretion is not merely limited to the canine species as on more than one occasion I was unfortunate enough to witness people urinating a) against a church b) in the middle of a public square and c) at the end of our road.
2. Paying to use the loo. This fact probably explains the preponderance of public urination lamented in point 1. It's particularly annoying spending 40 cents to spend a penny when you're drinking in a bar - you're effectively paying for the drink to go in, and for it to come out again.
3. Rudeness. Particularly from shop assistants, public officials and waiters/waitresses. The latter are particularly good at hovering near your table, faffing about, and managing to avoid your eye contact as you desperately try to get their attention. Shop assistants will think nothing of banishing you from a store 15 minutes before closing time, or demanding to search your bag, and restaurant staff will give you a dressing down if you deign to move the chairs from their original arrangement. That said, we'll miss saying "bonjour" and "bonne journee" when entering or leaving a shop - "have a nice day" just sounds naff.
4. Ooh la la, c'est tres cher! Everything from restaurants to clothes to food in the supermarkets is more expensive here, partly due to the dismal exchange rate. Gone are the days when you could get cheapo stuff on holiday - we've been making trips back to London just to do our clothes shopping.
5. Cobbles. Responsible for ruining at least two pairs of shoes and partly responsible for ruining my ankle, the cobbles of Brussels are deadly. Female (and, indeed, male) visitors to Brussels be warned - leave those stilettos at home!
5. Civic pride. Nobody does random festivals like the Bruxellois. From Belgian National Day, to la Fete de l'Iris, to Magritte day, we've seen numerous festive goings on in this city designed to bring young and old, rich and poor, Belgian or not, out on to the streets for an old-fashioned knees up.
Not:
1. Dog poo. Now me and Tintin like small dogs more than most, as do the Belgians, but there is simply no excuse for not picking up your dog's shit, particularly if it is in the middle of the pavement or public square. As an aside, public excretion is not merely limited to the canine species as on more than one occasion I was unfortunate enough to witness people urinating a) against a church b) in the middle of a public square and c) at the end of our road.2. Paying to use the loo. This fact probably explains the preponderance of public urination lamented in point 1. It's particularly annoying spending 40 cents to spend a penny when you're drinking in a bar - you're effectively paying for the drink to go in, and for it to come out again.
3. Rudeness. Particularly from shop assistants, public officials and waiters/waitresses. The latter are particularly good at hovering near your table, faffing about, and managing to avoid your eye contact as you desperately try to get their attention. Shop assistants will think nothing of banishing you from a store 15 minutes before closing time, or demanding to search your bag, and restaurant staff will give you a dressing down if you deign to move the chairs from their original arrangement. That said, we'll miss saying "bonjour" and "bonne journee" when entering or leaving a shop - "have a nice day" just sounds naff.
4. Ooh la la, c'est tres cher! Everything from restaurants to clothes to food in the supermarkets is more expensive here, partly due to the dismal exchange rate. Gone are the days when you could get cheapo stuff on holiday - we've been making trips back to London just to do our clothes shopping.
5. Cobbles. Responsible for ruining at least two pairs of shoes and partly responsible for ruining my ankle, the cobbles of Brussels are deadly. Female (and, indeed, male) visitors to Brussels be warned - leave those stilettos at home!
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