Aside
from sights in Brussels itself, there are lots of towns to visit nearby.
These places added to Brussels' charm as an excellent summer stopover. Places to see near Brussels October 4, 2003
Aside
from sights in Brussels itself, there are lots of towns to visit nearby.
These places added to Brussels' charm as an excellent summer stopover.
Brugge -- A 40 minute train trip gets you to Brugge, which is probably Belgium's favorite tourist destination. It's easy to see why. This medieval town hasn't changed much since it was a port city back in the 1300's. Take a boat trip on the canal (see photo), ride a horse-drawn buggy around town, and wander through the narrow streets, checking out the old churches and the historic buildings with their stepped roof-lines. There's even a Michelangelo virgin and child to find.
Visiting Brugge is a wonderful way to spend a day or even two, but remember this is the Flemish part of Belgium. We went with our friends Christian and Jeanette W. Though Christian's French was quite good, one waitress we encountered insisted (and not very nicely) that we speak English rather than French. Brugge is definitely recommended; we had a great day.
Waterloo
-- We've all heard of Napoleon's Waterloo. Well, the farms that now make
up the former battle site are just south of Brussels, not far from our golf club,
Hulencourt.
The site is home to a commemorative panorama (built over 100 years ago) showing
the battle scene (fought in 1815), a multimedia presentation, and a monument (la Butte de Lion)
which isn't too hard to climb. Here you'll be rewarded with a good look over
the terrain. Surprisingly,
there's little in the way of data or information on offer at any of these
attractions. From the
internet I learned that after nine hours of fighting between Napoleon's men and
Wellington's allied forces, 40,000 men and 10,000 horses lay dead or wounded in
this small area. More died here than on D-day in Normandy. Still,
Waterloo isn't a place to go too far out of your way for, unless you're already
knowledgeable and
interested in the Battle of Waterloo.
Chateau de La Hulpe and Lac
Genval -- About 8 Km east of
Brussels lies the 220 hectare
park of La Hulpe with its wonderful old castle crowning the top of a lovely,
extremely expansive lawn bordered with trees. 
Given to Belgium by the Solvay
family (a member of whom happens to own our golf club), La Hulpe is a great
place to walk or come to for a picnic, especially since there's no entry
fee. Although the castle is not open for tours (it can however be rented
for a wedding or other occasion) its outside is attractive and its garden is
pretty with its arched hedges. The old stable area now houses a
restaurant with outdoor patio and a museum; the latter showcases the modern
Belgian painter and sculpture, Folon.
A short drive away is Lac Genval. This small lake has a Germanic feel in its pretty, attractiveness. A footpath runs along one side past half a dozen restaurants. Recommendation: come here for a walk followed by lunch, dinner or just a drink with a view.
MAC's
at Grande Hornu (near Mons) --
Perhaps a hour
south of Brussels, the Museum at Grand 
Hornu
(MAC's) is a one time manor house and mining works that has been converted into large modern art museum. The old row houses,
still occupied today, sit opposite the museum entrance. Mine workers lived
in these small houses, which came with the job. But lose your job (get
sick or die) and
you and your family were kicked out into the street.
We went to the museum to see a special exhibit of 150 year-old sea creatures, anemones, jellyfish and the like, made in blown glass by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka. (FYI, there's a collection of their incredible anatomical glass flowers at Harvard, in Boston, which is worth visiting.) This exhibit was great, as were the grounds and the architecture of the buildings. Unfortunately, today's modern art usually doesn't excite me, and this summer's collection of exhibits was no exception. We were fortunate to arrive on some sort of "special" day when there were lots of guides available. We even found one who spoke English. She guided us around some of the art, pointing out things we would not have noticed or thought about ourselves; it was definitely helpful to hear. But it seems clear that what passes for modern art today just isn't my cup of tea.