Brussels

The past 2 nights I've been staying with a colleague of my Dad's, Eric Boeckmans. His wife and kids only speak a little English, so it's been fun trying to piece together conversations. They've been extremely generous to take me, a stranger, into their home. Probably the best accommodations I'll have all summer... a big bed, no snoring hostel roommates, a tour of Brussels and great dinners! Me, Eric and Emilie (I think the dogs are watching the cat down the street)

Me, Mathieu and Emilie
Brussels is HQ for the EU. I saw several motorcades drive through the city flanked by police motorcycles stopping traffic. There were a lot of these barbed wire barricades around and I liked the sticker on this sign. Belgian truck drivers, farmers etc are on strike now due to high fuel prices and wages not rising accordingly. A lot of the police officers were carrying loads of ziptie riot cuffs, but nothing happened while I was there.


This is the Atomium building built for a worlds fair in the 50's. Each of those spheres is about 3-4 stories insight.

View from the top sphere. Down below is Europe in miniature... all the greatest cathedrals etc in miniature. They really love miniatures here... these sorts of places are all over. Unfortunately mini-antwerp was closed when I walked by, otherwise I could have "seen" the whole city much faster with much less walking.

No, this isn't a view from the millenium falcon flying through the death star II in Return of the Jedi. It's the elevator through the center of Antomium, and it was the fastest when built in the 50s. The ceiling is glass so you can see how fast it lifts.
Stairway up one of the diagonals.
This building was outside of the atomium. It's made of beverage crates.