... They have the Atomium, Grand Place (which is really not that grand) and the famous Manneken Pis.
The latter is the subject of this review. And, due to the nature of the review, I will be using a splattering of the word wee throughout the review. This subject just begs for its use.
Manneken ... Read review
Advantages: close to Grand Place in Brussels, walk by at your leisure, won't cost you anything Disadvantages: it's teeny tiny, you expect more
...that grand) and the famous Manneken Pis.
The latter is the subject of this review. And, due to the nature of the review, I will be using a splattering of the word wee throughout the review. This subject just begs for its use.
Manneken Pis (translated as little man wee) is famous well beyond the boundaries of both Brussels and Belgium. The statue in question is that of a wee small boy urinating into a basin. It's one ... ...(and ultimately tackier) versions of Manneken Pis on sale. It's not really worth the visit. But you have to do it while you are in Brussels, it's one of the things on everyone's 'to do' list.
I wasn't even tempted to buy the Mannekin Pis in chocolate in one of the ever present chocolate shops and devour it at my pleasure. I was just totally underwhelmed by the experience.
By all means, go and visit the fountain, it's ... more
Belgium isn't really famous for much. Well, it's got Jean Claude van Damme, Hercule Poirot and Tin Tin, the European Parliament, a large variety of beer and chocolates but that's about it. Then there's its capital city, Brussels, famous for even less - apart from the ill named Brussel sprouts (that have nothing to do with Brussels, just an unfortunate sharing of names). However, even the most uninitiated will know at least a couple of things about Brussels. They have the Atomium, Grand Place (which is really not that grand) and the famous Manneken Pis.
The latter is the subject of this review. And, due to the nature of the review, I will be using a splattering of the word wee throughout the review. This subject just begs for its use.
Manneken Pis (translated as little man wee) is famous well beyond the boundaries of both Brussels and Belgium. The statue in question is that of a wee small boy urinating into a basin. It's one of Belgium's best known landmarks.
There is no one explanation how this little boy and its statue came into existence, history still tells a number of different tales. A lot of them have to do with war and how a little boy weed onto opposing troops and them losing the war. Other stories tell of a boy urinating on a burning fuse and thus stopping a large bomb go off, saving the city from destruction.
Whatever the history, there's a wee little statue in Brussels on the corner of l'Etuve & Rue du Chêne, just a little walk from Grand Place attracts a lot of tourists all throughout the year.
Considering its reputation, you would expect a statue of a life size boy piddling into a basin. My friend Michael and I went to Brussels the other week and went to look for this statue. We found it alright. When we arrived at the corner of the two streets all we could do was look at each other and wonder what all the fuss was about. The bronze statue is tiny. It's even smaller than I had imagined - and I knew it wasn't big. And I was totally disappointed that the wee guy was not naked as I had expected. He was dressed in a little outfit I didn't care finding out about. I took a couple of pictures but we didn't stay long. After all, there really isn't much to see apart from a dressed up little small statue of a boy weeing into a basin. And yes, it really that THAT small.
I'm sure most of the souvenir shops around the statue have larger (and ultimately tackier) versions of Manneken Pis on sale. It's not really worth the visit. But you have to do it while you are in Brussels, it's one of the things on everyone's 'to do' list.
I wasn't even tempted to buy the Mannekin Pis in chocolate in one of the ever present chocolate shops and devour it at my pleasure. I was just totally underwhelmed by the experience.
By all means, go and visit the fountain, it's a must do thing when in Brussels. After all, there isn't really that much to do and it will kill a little bit of time while you are there, trying to figure out why on earth you decided to spend the day in Belgium's (and Europe's) capital city.
I doubt good weather and sunny skies will make up for the small statue that caused such a major disappointment.
By all means, go and visit the wee guy, but don't expect much then you won't be disappointed.
Advantages: Great beers, great beer festival Disadvantages: can be quite crowded
Just opposite the MannekenPis, the Poechenellenkelder is one of Brussels' finest bars, and also home to the order of the pink elephant (which adorns the bottles of the lethal delirium tremens!) The owner is a real character and I had many chats with him, and the atmosphere is great. The beer is outstanding and its location is great, next to the MannekenPis. The highlight is the beer festival where Delirium Tremens flows freely, and a local oompah band entertain everyone, this happens around 21st August and is a great laugh. I'd recommend this place to anyone young or old. ...
Not many people know of Jeaneke Pis, she's the sister of Manneken. You may see MannekenPis replicas for sales on every corner you turn in Brussels but you'll be lucky to even see the one small sign that directs you to Jeaneke. She's hidden down an alley just off Rue des Bouchers near the Grande Place. She was put there in 1985 due to a campaign by a group of feminists. She is a lot more fun than visiting the MannekenPis who I found rather disappointing, he's rather small and you can't get too close to him. On the other hand you can get close enough to touch Jeaneke, who is very endearing with her cute little pig tails and cheeky grin. I would highly recommend taking the effort to find her. ...
Advantages: Cheap travel, delicious food and BEER! Disadvantages: If you find a comfy bar, you may not leave...
you'd pay for a cab ride across London on a Friday evening.
Our accommodation was at the Novotel Brussels Off Grand'Place. Situated at the heart of old Brussels between the railway station and the Grand'Place. All mod-cons such as air-con, TV, separate WC, Modem access etc... and close to Metro, train, convention centre, museums and shops. We found that walking the streets of brussels was a great way to see the city and work up an appetite, or to walk off the beer...
There isn't actually that much to see in Brussels compared to Paris and London, but what they have got is spectacular. The Grand'Place, arguably the most beautiful city square in the world is a medieval spleandour of 17th Century architecture. On all four sides of the famous cobbled square you have shops and restaurants, mini-breweries and bars. The MannekenPis (a couple ...
