Archive for the ‘Belgium’ Category

Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium

Posted by Val on August 30th, 2011 at 3:06 am | Permalink | 3 Comments » |

Belgians love their frites: salty fried sticks of potato covered in mayonnaise or whatever your particular poison happens to be. If you’ve ever stared at a fry and wondered “how was this made” or “where did potato fries come from,” you’ve either spent a little too much time in neighboring Amsterdam or you should made a detour to Bruges.

Not only is Bruges a cute little town of winding streets, but it’s also home to the Frietmuseum. Here you can trace the history of the fry, find out how Belgian fries are made, learn about different condiments, and more. If the tour makes you hungry (and it most certainly will) you can even stop in the basement to get some frites of your own.

Just don’t try to eat any of the fries you see before you get to the end. They’re probably made of plastic.

Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium

Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium | 3 Comments » |

Silly Brussels!

Posted by Val on August 16th, 2011 at 11:16 am | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

Random silly things in Brussels, Belgium!

Man with a dog statue in Brussels, Belgium.
A statue of a man with a dog.

GIant traffic cone in Brussels, Belgium.
A giant traffic cone.

Sculpture of a cat on a bike in Brussels, Belgium.
A sculpture of a cat on a bicycle.

Giant flower pots in Brussels, Belgium.
Giant flower pots.

Graffiti in Brussels, Belgium.

Graffiti in Brussels, Belgium.
Cartoon walls.

Old woman statue in Brussels, Belgium.
Old woman statue.

Giant trumpet in Brussels, Belgium.
Giant trumpet.

Falling man statue in Brussels, Belgium.
Falling man statue.

Giant clothespin in Brussels, Belgium.
Giant clothespin.

Silly Brussels! | 1 Comment » |

Silly Brussels – Zinneke Pis

Posted by Val on August 12th, 2011 at 9:16 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

If you have a statue of a peeing boy. And you have a statue of a peeing girl. The only logical thing to do is add a peeing dog!

Zinneke Pis - peeing dog fountain - in Brussels, Belgium

Zinneke Pis is a mongrel designed by Tom Frantzen. The dog’s mixed breed represents the mix of cultures in Brussels.

Zinneke Pis - peeing dog fountain - in Brussels, Belgium

He stands on three legs on a street corner in Brussels. The fourth leg is raised so he can do his business on a nearby pole.

Zinneke Pis - peeing dog fountain - in Brussels, Belgium

The pup actually works as a fountain, but alas he must not have had to pee too much when I was there because he wasn’t working.

Even a dog needs a break. I guess.

So, with Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis and now Zinneke Pis, I think Brussels pretty much has the peeing fountain market covered.

What do you think their next peeing statue should be? Have you seen any peeing statues from Brussels or anyone else in the world?

Silly Brussels – Zinneke Pis | No Comments » |

Silly Brussels – Jeanneke Pis

Posted by Val on August 10th, 2011 at 8:03 am | Permalink | No Comments » |

It’s an equal opportunity world. So if a town has a statue of a peeing boy, why shouldn’t they also have a female equivalent, right?

Enter Jeanneke Pis.

Jeanneke Pis - peeing girl statue - in Brussels, Belgium

This squatting peeing girl fountain was designed by Denis-Adrien Debouvrie in 1985 and erected in 1987 down a small corridor off a busy restaurant row across from Délirium Café.

Jeanneke Pis - peeing girl statue - in Brussels, Belgium

(Earlier this week I blogged about Jeanneke Pis’s more famous male counterpart, Manneken Pis. Come back later this week for one more peeing statue in Brussels.)

Silly Brussels – Jeanneke Pis | No Comments » |

Silly Brussels – Manneken Pis

Posted by Val on August 8th, 2011 at 8:35 am | Permalink | 1 Comment » |

Belgians apparently like things that pee. I guess I can’t speak for all Belgians seeing as I only spent time in two cities in Belgium and am not a local. So I guess the statement would be more accurate as Brussel-ians(?) seem to like things that pee.