Once Upon a Time

Can you imagine a place where the air continuously wafted the scent of chocolate? Where the buildings looked like legitimate works of art with elaborate details carved from gold? Where even the mere pavement that people stepped on appeared to be intricately planned and designed? How does a place seemingly so poetic exist out of fiction? But I found it. I found the "land far, far away" that fairytales always found themselves mentioning. There is no other place more worthy of being a fantasy setting than Belgium.

The Atomium

The first place that we were designated to visit in Belgium was The Atomium. The Atomium was originally built in 1958 for the Expo '58 event - the Brussels World Fair. The unconventional infrastructure is actually a representation of a magnified unit cell of an iron crystal. I would be lying if I claimed that I wasn't immensely excited about seeing a chemistry-related establishment. I was, in fact, the first one out of the tour bus, giggling while haphazardly running towards the infrastructure. Having numerous chemistry units in college converted me into a chem fangirl, and this is despite the fact that I suck at the subject itself.

Fun fact: At the topmost level of The Atomium is a restaurant - the aptly named Panoramic Restaurant. I can only imagine the view of Belgium that the restaurant would have offered! Unfortunately, the time crunch decided to be a villain against my Europe whims again.

The Manneken Pis

Following our photo stop at The Atomium, we found ourselves visiting the Manneken Pis - arguably the most famous landmark of Brussels, Belgium. The Manneken Pis or the "peeing boy" is a small bronze statue depicting a young boy peeing into a fountain basin. I'm honestly not quite sure why this vaguely obscene statue is such a hit among the tourists. I practically had to elbow my way through the flock of people just to catch a glimpse of the le Petit Julien.

The Brussels Town Hall

It just isn't possible not to fall in love with the details.

Oh, just casually posing. W h a t

The "land far, far away" I was referring to is the Grand Place or the Grote Markt. The Grand Place is the central square of Brussels, and all the buildings surrounding the square are breathtakingly beautiful. As you weave yourself through the pretty guild houses, the array of streets had plenty to offer as well. A spot as enchanting as this unquestionably deserves its title as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Authentic Belgian waffles!

My belly attests to the fact that the food was delicious.

As my mom and I made our way through the streets directly connected to the square, I understood why the air unmistakably smelled of chocolates. Chocolate shops seemed to be in every corner; in fact, every shop seemed to be selling at least one type of chocolate! However, the best thing about shopping for chocolates was that every shop that we entered gave us free samples. The locals didn't even skimp on the free chocolates - you could grab as much as you wanted! Thank You, Lord, for the generous Belgians and their wonderful Belgian chocolates! (Don't even get me started on just how wonderful the Belgian truffles are!!!)

But it wasn't just the chocolates that made my visit worthwhile. I took advantage of the fact that I was in Belgium and bought myself a waffle! One plain waffle was horribly overpriced, but it isn't everyday that I get the chance to taste an authentic Belgian waffle. Not surprisingly, my money was put to good use - I've never been so satisfied by food before - and that's probably saying something, considering the fact that I could never bring myself to diet because of my intense love for eating.

I never knew it was possible to get overly attached to a place that you've only spent a few hours in, but Brussels, Belgium made me fall madly in love with it in the span of less than a day. Perhaps someday my story will end in an "and she lived happily ever after in Belgium". (And delusional Lesley Anne is back.)