The Belgians have a reputation for being the most boring people in
Europe. But apparently there’s more to Brussels than mussels.
’The fact that the Manneken Pis - a statue of a little boy passing water
- is the (almost) official symbol of Brussels is perfectly apt for a
city with the best beer and worst toilets in Europe,’ says Peter Shield,
European sales director of 24/7 Media Europe.
’Living in Brussels has been described as a victory of optimism over
intellect. Well, I’m an optimist - I love it. From pie-throwing
anarchists to an airline whose initials stand for Such A Bad Experience,
Never Again, Belgium has a character and charm some people find
illusive, others endearing.
Most of us just sit back on the terrace with chips, a kilo of mussels
and a glass of Chimay and treat the city as an entertaining live
show.
’From the sophistication of Ixelles and the villas of Teurvuren, to the
multicultural St Josse-Ten-Noode, where I reside, Brussels has a
cosmopolitan atmosphere normally only found in cities five time its
size. It has bars that never close, one of the best opera houses in the
world and restaurants that actually deliver what they promise. Brussels
is the city that invented hedonism.
’If you can’t hack the hectic pace then it’s 15 minutes to the airport,
1 hour 20 minutes to Paris by train, 90 minutes to Amsterdam by car or
35 seconds to the next bar!’
