Breathtaking Brussels

Thousand Year Old Belgium City Is Certainly A Site To Behold

Brussels means chocolate, fantastic restaurants, beer, fries, sprouts, soaring churches, lace, mussels, outdoor markets, music, and fun.

Brussels, one thousand years old, has the elegance of France, the friendliness of the Dutch, one of the great art collections of the world, and every kind of music you can imagine.

It is the headquarters for the European Union, for NATO, for the United Nations, and for hundreds of international organizations and businesses.

There are 10 million people in Belgium, and a million-and-a-half of them reside in Brussels, a truly international city whose people speak French, Flemish (almost entirely the same language as Dutch), and excellent English. Brussels has one of the greatest sites in all Europe, the Grand Place, or "Great Square", the enclosed plaza which causes visitors to stop, mouth agape. Home of the ancient guilds, and bedecked by the flags, it is surrounded by incredibly ornamental architecture from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque periods, and is lit-up at night.

Victor Hugo, author of "Les Miserables", lived on the Grand Place, and a plaque marks where he resided. Another plaque on the Place marks where Karl Marx lived, and wrote the "Communist Manifesto".

A few days in Brussels offers a wealth of possibilities. Here are just a few of the highlights:

* THE TOWN HALL (Hotel de Ville) on the Grand Place is a breathtaking gothic building from the 13th century, topped by a 315- foot high statue of St. Michael the Archangel.

* ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS: Consisting of the both Ancient and Modern museums, here is where to feast your eyes on 20,000 paintings and sculptures from the modern works of Magritte back to giants of the past including Brueghel, Bosch, Memling, and Rubens.

* MUSEUM OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS: A favorite of mine, located in a fine Art Nouveau building. You can see instruments from throughout history, including the saxophone, which was invented in Belgium in the 1840s by a man named Sax. It's fun to put on earphones and hear the instruments you see (not 100% reliable, but usually good), and there's a café on top of the place with a remarkable view of Brussels.

* THE GALLERIES ST. HUBERT: The first shopping arcade in Europe, the beautiful 1847 glass-roofed arcade if filled with cafes and fine shops.

* THE PALAIS DE JUSTICE: The giant courthouse, with a 340- foot dome taller than St. Peter's in Rome, is the biggest in all Europe and overlooks Brussels Park. Those are just a few of the sites in this city of no less than 80 museums, some of which include Autoworld, with everything from Napoleon's carriage to modern speedsters; the popular Belgian Center for Comic Book Art, which shows you how to put a comic strip together; and the Horta Museum, dedicated to the sinuous lines and curved balconies of Victor Horta, a pioneer of this florid style.

* FOOD: One of the gastronomic capitals of the world, Brussels is filled with restaurants. The Rue des Bouchers ("Butchers' Street") is a must-see of restaurants, but locals will tell you that better and less expensive choices abound. Look at the menu prices outside try the St. Catherine's fish market, or just ask a local for recommendations.

My guide was the knowledgeable Dominique Janssens (Note the Belgian combination of a French first name and a Flemish last name). His father Claude is also a well-known guide.

We walked all over town, including the palace from which Emperor Charles ruled when Belgium actually dominated most of Europe centuries ago. We strolled the pleasant park Rue de Petit Sablon, with its tiny statues of medieval guild members, such as brewers and weavers, and big statues of local greats from the 1500s, such as the pioneering mapmaker Mercator.

Among the things I learned were that until the religious wars of the 1600s Belgium and Holland were one country, the Netherlands. Brussels people feel close to the Dutch. My guide joked that "there are more than 150 beers in Belgium, and every one of them is better than Heinekens. But the Dutch are better at selling than we are."

FUN FACTS: There are plenty of French fry stands‹but don't call them French fries here. Locals claim that the food was invented here, and they walk down the street munching fries like popcorn, sometimes with a dollop of mayo (an acquired taste). The Belgian flag is a black, yellow, and red tricolor. The country has a Parliament and a king, and uses the euro form of currency. The town is built on seven hills, like ancient Rome, and there is a fancier Upper and less-so Lower part of town. The architecture, beer, and food alone are worth the trip.

GETTING THERE: American Airlines has a daily flight in the late afternoon direct from O'Hare to Brussels.

A PLACE TO STAY: The Hotel Sofitel "Toison D'Or" is modern, friendly, very fine, and on the Michigan Avenue of Brussels. The name refers to the legend of the Golden Fleece, and the hotel is located in the fashionable "Avenue Louise" area, with designer boutiques, luxury shops, and art galleries.

Not far from the Grand Place, it is in the chic Sablon part of town. There are 170 guest rooms. For more information, visit www.visitbelgium.com.