ILLUSTRATION TANG YAU HOONG
ALONG THE RUE DE L’ÉTUVE,
in the medieval heart of Brussels,
you‘re guaranteed to hear seven little words: "I didn’t realise it
was so small." That‘s what tourists mutter as they gaze up at the
famous statue of Manneken Pis, the peeing toddler, their facial
expressions showing their surprise and often disappointment.
They have a point. Standing just 61cm tall, the boy is truly
titchy – the size of a large-ish vase. If it weren't for the crowds,
you’d probably miss him altogether – and it‘s not just this symbol
that's miniature: those dismayed visitors could easily be talking
about the city as a whole.
With a population of around a million (the same as
Birmingham) and only four metro lines, Brussels is certainly no
megametropolis. The Grand-Place is beautiful but it's not terribly
grand
and even the Atomium, the city's best candidate for a properly
impressive monument, is less than a third the height of the Eiffel
Tower. No wonder visitors often look a little underwhelmed.
But, while I can‘t argue that size doesn‘t matter – clearly big
things can have a greater impact – in Brussels, some of the
best things come in wee packages. You need to recalibrate the
way you look at the city to get the best out of it; to train your
magnifying glass on its beautiful little idiosyncrasies.
For my teeny-tiny tour, start with a beer in the pint-sized Fleur
en Papier Doré café (
lafleurenpapierdore.be
).
Once frequented by
Magritte, its yellowing walls are a jumble of surrealist paintings,
poems and quotes. Next, buy traditional spiced biscuits in
narrow, rickety Dandoy (
biscuiteriedandoy.be
),
a bakery older
than Belgium itself, then comb the warren of cramped junk
shops around the Place du Jeu de Balle for hidden treasures.
No, there isn‘t a gallery on the scale of the Prado or Louvre,
but the exquisite Horta Museum (
hortamuseum.be
)
brings art
nouveau to life on a very human scale. It‘s all about the details,
from fluid, curved door handles to jewel coloured, stained-glass
window panels. The same is true of the city as a whole. I‘m
constantly surprised by decorative touches on building façades:
mosaic peacocks, leaf-motif tiles, pockets of Klimt-inspired
gilt paintwork that glow in the light. It‘s all there, especially if
you remember to look more closely. In Brussels, small truly is
beautiful.
Travel writer Emma blogs at belgianwaffling.com
Pack your microscope
O N T H E
G R O U N D
Brussels blogger Emma Beddington says that, in
her city, beauty is in the details
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R E G U L A R S
