Back to Homepage Back to Travel Photos	Brussels and Brugge, Belgium -- June 2006
St. Michel's Cathedral in Brussels
The equestrian statue of Albert I in front of the Albertina Library
The Église Notre Dame du Sablon (Church of Our Lady of Sablon), a Late Gothic (15th- to 16th-century) church in Brussels
Triumphal Arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels
The Petit Sablon Garden which is surrounded with these small mounted statues which each represent a different trade
The Royal Palace where the king works
The Royal Park. On one end of the park is the Royal Palace and on the other end is the Belgium Parliament, seen in the background here.
The Atomium is a structure that is half way between sculpture and architecture, symbolizing a crystallized molecule of iron by the scale of its atoms, magnified 150 thousand million times. It was designed for the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958, the first major world exposition after the war; the previous world’s fair had been held in New York in 1939, when the German troops were invading Poland. It symbolized a democratic desire for peace between nations, faith in technical progress (despite fears about the atom bomb) and optimism about the future of a modern world that promised to enhance people’s lives.
The palace where the king and the royal family live.
The Stock Exchange in Brussels
Apartments with restaurants and shops at the ground level in the central square of Brussels called Plaza de Brouckére
The Belfort Tower in the main square called Markt in Brugge which has 366 stairs to the top for views of the city.
Simon Stevin Plein, a little square in Brugge.
A street in Brugge--like the Netherlands, the Belgium architecture also consists of rows of narrow buildings.
Along with narrow houses, many of the people of Belgium also ride bicycles to get around. This is in the main square called Markt.
Buildings with Gothic architecture lining one side of the Markt square.
More buildings and shops in the main Markt square in Brugge.
Behind the Markt square in the Burg square are the Stadhuis buildings. Tucked to the left is the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which supposedly holds the blood of Christ in an ornate sanctuary.
Some Belgians enjoying a leisurely outdoor game. .
Belgium is famous for its chocolate and deservedly so. This is in the Chocolate Museum where they treat visitors to fresh chocolate made on the premises.
A horse drawn carriage in the Burg Square.
At night in Markt square they had set up a temporary stadium and had live jousting.
Two knights jousting
Along the edge of Brugge is a park which has four huge windmills spaced along it.