Rick Steves' Snapshot Bruges and Brussels by Rick Steves & Gene Openshaw

Author:Rick Steves & Gene Openshaw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Travel
Published: 2013-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Place de la Bourse and Boulevard Anspach

Brussels is the political nerve center of Europe (with as many lobbyists as Washington, DC), and the city sees several hundred demonstrations a year. When the local team wins a soccer match or some political group wants to make a statement, this is where people flock to wave flags and honk horns.

It’s also where the old town meets the new. To the right along Boulevard Anspach are two shopping malls and several first-run movie theaters. Rue Neuve, which parallels Anspach, is a bustling pedestrian-only shopping street.

Boulevard Anspach covers the still-flowing Senne River (which was open until 1870). Remember that Brussels was once a port, with North Sea boats coming as far as this point to unload their goods. But with frequent cholera epidemics killing thousands of its citizens, the city decided to cover up its stinky river.

Beyond Boulevard Anspach—two blocks past the black, blocky skyscraper—is the charming Ste. Catherine neighborhood, clustered around the former fish market and the Church of Ste. Catherine. This village-like zone is the easiest escape from the bustle of downtown Brussels, and features two ideal lunch stops: the Mer du Nord/Nordzee fish bar and the delightful Belgian cheese shop Cremerie de Linkebeek (both worth a detour).

• For efficient sightseeing, consider catching a taxi across the street from the Bourse to the Place Royale, where you can follow my Upper Town Walk (see next chapter), also ending at the Manneken-Pis. But if you’d rather stay in the Lower Town, return to the Grand Place.

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