Design And Shop in The Country of A Little Man Pee in Marols

Took the flight to the North from my student town Eskişehir in the midnight together with many local people who have immigrated there in the 60's. The little country in west Europe, Belgium. The plane landed to Brussels International Airport in the very morning. I took the bus from the airport to the Hotel where I will stay for the days i participate in a meeting in Brussels. I had freedays to discover the city in my perspective. Where to find design, where to find small local design shops, and ofcourse where to shop. Brussels’s population is around 1.5 million and locates in the center of the country. The city is located in between the two big provinces of the country Wallonia and Flanders.

   Surprisingly, even if the country is so small, the speculation about being two different countries in one is actual. To phrase it as "speculations" can be a mistake because Belgium contains two "wanna be" countries in it. This is mainly because of two different nations living in the country: Flemish Belgians and French Belgians. Once you cross over from one to another region all of a sudden everything changes such as the language, culture, economy etc... Brussels is officially located in the Flemish part but however the spoken language and the culture are basically French. During my stay in Belgium I only visited the cities in the Flemish part.

Why A little Man Pee in Marols?

The most popular and worldwide known part of Belgian history is the little child peeing in marols. Belgians have two legends on this child. One of them is that when all the houses were wooden, the Child saved the city from a big fire by peeing. And the other claim is that once upon a time the King had lost his child and after years past he found him while he was peeing. Whatever the fact is Belgians like this child and you can see that from the sculptures of him located in every city in Belgium.

Brussels

The very first impression that everyone can easily gets from the city is firstly the huge population of non-Belgians and the feeling of a capital city that authorities all Europe. The state buildings, European parliament and all its institutions, ministries, committees and the people working in the state creates a big part of the city view. Especially during the week days, in the center, the number of people all dressed nicely and formal is so high. The center of the city is Grand Palace. It is known by the belgian carpet that they create by flowers every year on the square. 

Where to See Design

The diverse population and the advantages of being the capital of Europe make Brussels a wonderful place to explore the design that comes not only from every single place in Europe but also from all over the world.

Especially the small streets are waiting for its guest to be explored. There are variety of design centers, alternative furniture shops, art galleries and worldwide known design brands in the city. Especially Hoogstraat and the district in between Joseph Steven street and Rollebeekstraat can strongly recommended to design addicts. The worldwide known exclusive design brands as the Danish Jevellery GeorgJensen, finish tool design Iittala are in the district. Moreover that, especially the Hoog Street is a place where you find any kind of design. Every single store on the street has its own style and beside the European style and taste it is even possible to find Indian, Chinese or even African design. In between the Avenue Louise and Hoogstraat there is a little square with some lounges where you can sit and chill out in front of the wonderful justice palace. If it is time to discover the design of fashion then the right address will be Avenue Louise and Boulevard de Waterloo. To go there after your chilling you can take the elevator up to Louisealaan, where you also meet with a wonderful view of the city. After taking photos you can continue on your fashion tour. On the Voulevard de Waterloo you will mainly find mostly known exclusive fashion brands as Louis Vuitton, Hermes etc... But on the Avenue Louise there are variety of unique brands as well as the known ones like Cos, Flippa K, Urban Outfitters, Acne and more...

After A Tiring Day

As it is known, Belgium is famous with its chocolate.

 The much known chocolate shops Godiva and Neuhaus are coming from here. Actually I would like to consider these chocolates as pieces of design. Each chocolate has its own seen and taste. How they decorate the tops and how they fill in the chocolates with variety of tastes can only be explained by using the word design. When you once try it probably you will want for more. But it is good to watch out the prices. One piece of chocolate can easily cost you 10 euros. To advice a wallet-friendly sweet I can strongly recommend Speculoos which is made of biscuits but in a cream form. It can be find in any regular market.

If you want to get the answers of where to eat after a tiring day of design discovering in the city I would strongly recommend Place Du Luxe. It is the square in front of the European Paliament where you can find lots of bars, cafes, and restaurants. After a nice dinner if you also want to see a nice place with bars and taste on of the 500 types of Belgian beers then the right address for you is St. Gery. It is a square so near to the Grand palace, where you can experience the night life in Brussels. Try Mappa Mundo Bar!