Episode 1/25

Belgian Luxury Shopping
After a hard day's sightseeing, your pet will love to explore the beautiful shops of the prestigious King's Gallery in Brussels, to perhaps spend a golden mole or two on gifts for those at home!

@ Belgian Luxury Shopping
Avalon begins her tour of the Belgian city of Brussels.

Episode 2/25

Luxury Chocolate Shop
One of the many chocolate stores in Brussels! Don't forget to stock up before your trip ends!

@ Luxury Chocolate Shop

Purple Flower Power Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Episode 3/25

Elegant Luxury, Brussels
Les Ecuadors is a luxury Belgian perfume designer, located in the King's Gallery, Brussels.

@ Elegant Luxury, Brussels
The humble fried potato chip is claimed to have originated here. Now misleadingly called French fries, people first began frying potatoes in Belgium in the late 1600s. Today, there are fries on the menu at nearly all Brussels restaurants, and there’s even a fry museum! Some people (mostly students) swear by the local dish called mitraillette – a sandwich with fries.
According to lore, the dish was born in Belgium in the winter of 1680, when the fried fish-loving denizens of a city called Namur had to find something else to cook when the local river froze over. While some historians have questioned the authenticity of this tale, Belgium has stood firm in its stance that it created French fries, and successfully petitioned UNESCO to add the dish to Belgium's list of cultural treasures back in 2017.
So why do fries have the word "French" in front of them? The term most likely refers to the dish's method of preparation — not its origins. "Frenching" is a way of cutting ingredients for even cooking, basically a julienne that aims to expose all sides of an item, such as potatoes, to the heat of an oven or fryer. Technically, the name "French fries" should really be "French fried potatoes."
Read More: https://www.tastingtable.com/740270/the-origin-of-...

Episode 4/25

Floral Art Nouveau
A beautiful floral pattern on an art nouveau house designed by Ernest Blerot in the rue Vanderschrick in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, Belgium.

@ Floral Art Nouveau
Whatever you feel about the Brussels sprout, the people of the city of Brussels loved them back in the 16th century! There’s debate as to whether this is where they actually got their name but it’s widely accepted that they were originally grown by Belgians.

Episode 5/25

Atomium Escalator
Expo 1958 - a window on the world! The Soviet pavilion featured the Sputnik; the USA pavilion offered the American Dream and the host country showcased the Belgique Joyeuse. The structure of the Atomium remains a famous landmark in Brussels. It is shaped like a cube balanced on one edge and represents an elementary iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

@ Atomium Escalator
Brussels is home to over 80 interesting museums. There are museums ranging in focus from the sewage network, to celebrity underwear, to the history of street lights – if that’s your thing!

Episode 6/25

Gothic Gate, Brussels
This sturdy wooden gate, set in a thick wall decorated with elaborate stone scrollwork, forms part of the 17th century Eglise Sainte Marie-Madeleine in Brussels.

@ Gothic Gate, Brussels
Over the years, the city has lured in many historic figures of renown, including Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Paul Verlaine, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Baudelaire, Auguste Rodin and many more.

Episode 7/25

Belgian Chocolate Delights
Visit any one of the many, many chocolate shops in Brussels and you will face a cornucopia of delights! Start with a scoop of chocolate enrobed cherries, move down the counter and top up with chocolate nuts -- anything is improved when smothered in chocolate!

@ Belgian Chocolate Delights
Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels on 4 May 1929.

Episode 8/25

Royal Palace of Brussels
Europe has a dozen countries that have a constitutional monarchy. The Palace in Brussels is the King’s administrative residence and main workplace, where he works daily with his staff. In his office at the Brussels palace, King Philippe receives heads of state, ambassadors and other guests. The Palace has many beautiful rooms, and it opens its doors to the public every year.

@ Royal Palace of Brussels
The oldest shopping arcades in Europe are located in Brussels – the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. The centre opened back in 1847 and was the heart of luxury and elegance, attracting all the big names of the time to its theatres, cafés, restaurants and many shops.

Episode 9/25

Ornate Edifices, Brussels
These striking buildings are typical of the architecture in Brussels.

@ Ornate Edifices, Brussels
There are three official languages spoken in Brussels – French, Dutch, and a small amount of German. French is the most widely spoken in the city, being the first language of around 80% of the population.

Episode 10/25

All the King's Horses
Belgium has eight different horse breeds, used variously as draught horses or as general riding horses or in showjumping. The horses forming part of the Belgian Royal Escort (Dutch: Koninklijk escorte te paard, French: Escorte royale à cheval) are Belgian horses. The escort is a horse and motorcycle unit that accompanies the Belgian monarch (currently King Philippe) on ceremonial occasions. It also provides escorts for foreign visiting heads of state and ambassadors visiting the Royal Palace in Brussels.

@ All the King's Horses
One of the lesser-known but interesting facts about Brussels, Belgium is that the Brontë sisters came to the city to study between 1842 and 1843. Charlotte and Emily Brontë were pupils at Pensionnat Heger, a girls’ school that no longer exists but you can find a brass plaque on the former building which is now the Palais des Beaux-Arts.

Episode 11/25

Grand Place Architecture
These magnificant buildings are part of the Grand Place in Brussels.

@ Grand Place Architecture
Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels on 4 May 1929.

Episode 12/25

Coach Above Reproach
You can picture this splendid antique coach being pulled by two fine horses conveying a lord and his lady to a masked ball or cotillion in the city of Brussels—or did it perhaps belong to the Royal Family?

@ Coach Above Reproach
Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels on 4 May 1929.

Episode 13/25

Fountain, Parc de Bruxelles
Warandepark is the largest urban public park in the centre of Brussels and is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.

@ Fountain, Parc de Bruxelles
Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels on 4 May 1929.

Episode 14/25

Brussels Raven
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, 1845

@ Brussels Raven
Brussels was founded in 979 CE, but facts suggest that people have settled on this spot since around 580 CE.

Episode 15/25

Wondrous Waffles
Brussels is renowned for its delicious waffles and the display here of a range of splendid dessert waffles does not disappoint! You can enjoy a waffle that is relatively plain, or push the boat out a little to eat one that is smothered in whipped cream, syrup and fruit pieces!

@ Wondrous Waffles
Oh look ... you got a little gift!

Episode 16/25

Time for Reflection
An interesting angle on mediaeval architecture caught in Brussels after rainfall.

@ Time for Reflection
There are 138 restaurants per square mile in Brussels! It’s a city famous for its food, and there are around 1800 restaurants in total. There’s even a gourmet restaurant on a tram where you can have a 6 or 7-course meal while exploring the streets of the capital.

Episode 17/25

Brussels Ferris Wheel
Brussels is famed for its Christmas market where this Ferris wheel forms part of the attractions!

@ Brussels Ferris Wheel
If you’re interested in dinosaurs, you need to come to Brussels. The Museum of Natural Sciences houses Europe’s largest hall dedicated to dinosaurs, with over 37 million species in its collection.

Episode 18/25

Brussels City Centre
An aerial view of the Brussels Botanical Gardens after snowfall showing the main artery of traffic heading for the imposing buildings of the financial quarter.

@ Brussels City Centre
As well as the European Union, Brussels is home to the headquarters of several different worldwide organisations, like NATO. Because of this, there are more journalists and ambassadors in Brussels than in Washington DC!

Episode 19/25

Snowy Cityscape
An aerial view of the Brussels Botanical Gardens after snowfall with the orangery (Le Botanique), composed of a central rotunda with a dome, designed by architect Tilman-Francois Suys, in the foreground. In the background are the imposing buildings of the financial quarter.

@ Snowy Cityscape
Over the years, the city has lured in many historic figures of renown, including Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Paul Verlaine, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Baudelaire, Auguste Rodin and many more.

Episode 20/25

Stained Glass Window, Brussels
Stained glass in the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in Brussels, Belgium, depicting Catholic saints. Built in a Gothic style, Notre Dame du Sablon has been a site of pilgimage since the Middle Ages. The central nave has beautiful natural light which streams from eleven stained-glass windows, each measuring 49 ft (15 m) high. It is the effect of the stained-glass windows that encircle and light up the altar that makes it a major attraction to the church’s visitors.

@ Stained Glass Window, Brussels
One of the most striking buildings in Brussels is the Atomium. It was built in 1958 for the World Expo and it is shaped to look like a cell of an iron crystal magnified by 165 billion.

Episode 21/25

Clock and Carillon, Brussels
This landmark is located at Mont des Arts, part of the Palais de la Dynastie. The Carillon is a star-shaped clock designed by Jules Ghobert. The clock alternates every other day playing folk tunes in Walloon and Flemish on the strike of the hour.

@ Clock and Carillon, Brussels
The Grote Markt, the city’s Grand Place is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s also the best location to blend in with the Belgians and watch the world go by.

Episode 22/25

Galeries Royales, Brussels
The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert: a fascinating place right in the heart of Brussels to shop for luxury goods, feast on coffee and waffles and perhaps take part in a chocolate-making class!

@ Galeries Royales, Brussels
Now for some climate-based facts. The people of Brussels put up with an average of 132 days of rain per year! The average temperature of the city is 10.3°C.

Episode 23/25

Christmas Market, Brussels
The Brussels Christmas Market in Belgium is said to be the best in Europe and contains everything needed to get you in that feel-good Christmas spirit! It's a real-life Winter Wonderland. Held each December in the Place Saint Catherine, this charming market offers a glimpse into Christmas Past with over 200 traditional wooden chalets filled with local treasures and perfect gifts. If shopping isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other seasonal activities to choose from, like ice skating, carnival rides and a son-et lumière show.

@ Christmas Market, Brussels
The oldest shopping arcades in Europe are located in Brussels – the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. The centre opened back in 1847 and was the heart of luxury and elegance, attracting all the big names of the time to its theatres, cafés, restaurants and many shops.

Episode 24/25

Grand Place, Brussels
The palace in the Grand Place lit up at night.

@ Grand Place, Brussels
One of the most striking buildings in Brussels is the Atomium. It was built in 1958 for the World Expo and it is shaped to look like a cell of an iron crystal magnified by 165 billion.

Episode 25/25

Brussels Cityscape
A fine aerial cityscape looking over Brussels in the early morning. Note the crow-stepped gable end of the house in the centre foreground, typical architecture in Belgium.

@ Brussels Cityscape
Avalon has now completed her tour of the Belgian city of Brussels. As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!

Avalon has enjoyed her tour of the Belgian city of Brussels, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also tour a Belgian city!