Bon jour, Bloggineers. We're in Brussels, Belgium, and we are going to show you the top 12 things you can do here.
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is known for its historical landmarks, comic strips, and street art.
Number one is Mini Europe.
This is the only park where you can visit the whole of Europe in a couple of hours.
First were greeted by the mascot.
We were handed a booklet filled with information on the countries of the European Union.
There's a total of 350 sets and models here.
This is Estonia, but I've never heard of that country before.
Now I'm going to press it.
Oh, you can hear the national anthem of Estonia.
Belgium is next and that's where we're at.
And we climbed this Belfort tower just a few days ago.
It had 366 steps.
Brother and I are running very fast on the map to control the figures in a chase.
For this display, the volume of our voice controls the bull.
Lastly, we're visiting European Space, where we can learn more about the European Union.
Number two is Train World.
This museum features the most beautiful and unique pieces from the history of Belgian railways.
We're picking up a scavenger hunt.
I found the first object.
Brother is writing down the secret letter from this station,
and punching a hole in his activity card.
We're walking to the main exhibit hall.
There are many classic trains here.
I'm pressing a button to see the rail network of Belgium.
We're entering another room with more trains.
As we find more objects, we're able to complete the secret message that gives us a clue on where the treasure is hidden.
Now we're searching everywhere for the loot.
Congratulations, you have found the treasure.
Next, we stopped by a room with model trains.
Lastly, we turned in our scavenger hunts for some prizes.
This is the best train museum I've ever been to.
Number three is the Comics Art Museum.
Opened in 1989, this museum features European comics from its prestigious beginnings to its latest developments.
As we enter the building, we see a display on the early communications with pictures.
We're watching some cartoons.
Time for some hands-on displays.
In this one, you can see the horse gallop when you spin the wheel.
Now we're trying to put this comic strip in sequential order.
Next we're checking out the new permanent exhibit on The Smurfs.
This is a comic about a colony of small blue human-like creatures who live in mushroom shaped houses in the forest.
Remember to visit the gift shop before you leave.
Number four is the Chocolate Museum.
This museum features chocolate related exhibits and live demonstrations with a master chocolatier.
We began by sampling some free chocolates and picking up an audio guide.
First, we're entering the Amazon to learn about cocoa plants.
There are many interactive displays along the way.
We can scan our audio guides on the computers to play games.
I am smelling different types of cacao beans.
Next we're watching the movie on the process of making chocolate.
It's time to get some more chocolate at the dispensers.
And now the event that we've been waiting for: a chocolate making demonstration.
And we got to grab a sample.
I just ate a hazelnut praline.
Number five is Atomium.
This was the main pavilion and icon of the World Fair of Brussels in 1958.
First we're taking the elevator to the very top .
Here you can get a 360 panoramic view of Brussels.
We can see Mini Europe from here.
We're hopping back on the lift and taking it to the ground floor.
Next we're taking the escalator up to see the permanent display of Expo 58.
We're going up to a light show, I think.
We're going up to a light show.
Wow!
That's the nucleus of Atonium.
Here comes the techno music.
In this room, you can see some photos from Expo 58.
Lastly we're riding the escalator down to the ground floor.
Number six is the Music Instruments Museum.
This museum dates back to 1877 with the purpose of showing early instruments to the students of the Brussels Royal Music Conservatory.
Let's start with the string instrument section.
With this audio guide, you can select a number. For example 19.
And you listen to the music from that instrument.
I've never seen so many different types of sring instruments before.
Let's hear what this one sounds like.
This tune makes Brother very bouncy.
Next we're visiting the keyboard section.
This instrument has three sets of keys. One. Two.
Three.
We're looking at a bunch of different types of keyboards.
Don't forget to visit the gift shop before you leave.
Number seven is Coudenberg.
We're entering the Coudenberg, a museum and archaeological site on medieval palace foundations with excavations on display.
Brother don't be scared of the dark.
We're in the cellars under the main building, which probably dates back to the 12th century.
You can feel the vibration of the trains from here.
It shakes the whole place because they're just running above us.
Now we're entering the basement of the chapel.
There are some drawings depicting Brussels during the medieval ages.
We're walking down the boardwalk to look at the excavation site.
We're entering the third section of the Coudenberg.
The ceiling here is getting low.
Watch this optical illusion as Brother shrinks in size.
Number eight is the Brussels City Museum.
This museum is dedicated to the history and folklore of brussels from its foundation to modern times.
We're looking at a scale representation of the town during the Middle Ages.
There are also many paintings showing what Brussels used to look like.
This weather vane was originally on top of the Brussels Town Hall.
And here are a couple of paintings depicting the town square.
The next section is an exhibit of the most popular icon of Brussels.
Look. It's the pee pee boy mannequin.
Mannequin Pis was at first a fountain that played an essential role in the former distribution of drinking water since the 15th century.
During big events, the statues is adorned with luxurious clothing.
This interactive screen lets us find Mannequin Pis' costumes from all around the world.
Let's see if there's one from the United States.
Hey, he's dressed like Mickey Mouse.
You could go see the real Mannequin Pis, but it's very crowded.
Number nine is GardeRobe MannekenPis.
This museum showcases outfits from around the world made for the city's landmark statue, Mannequin Pis.
I'm going to dress the Mannequin Pis.
Here are the instructions.
First, I'm putting on his top.
Next, his hat.
My favorite is the dragon because I was born in the dragon.
And this is my favorite because it looks like a cow.
You can buy a postcard with your favorite Mannequin Pis costume at the gift shop.
Number ten is the Old Masters Museum.
This museum houses a remarkable collection that covers a period running from the 15th to 18th centuries.
We have less than an hour. So we're just gonna look at the highlights from the Old Masters.
I think I recognize this one.
We found the first painting.
This is Eve holding an apple. And we found the second one on here.
And here are the next two.
This painting shows angels battling a bunch of creepy looking creatures.
The last painting is very sad. It shows a woman that committed suicide.
Look at this painting. There's a whole bunch of mini paintings in this painting.
Whoever painted this must had a really hard time.
Because I'd hate to paint that.
Brother spotted a painting that made him giggle.
I can see the angel's butt.
Number 11 is the Natural Sciences Museum.
This is a museum of natural history from minerals to dinosaurs and animal specimens with hands-on exhibits.
We're running to the dinosaur gallery.
The leg of this dinosaur is enormous.
Now we're playing with the hands-on exhibits.
In this game, we're trying to keep away from the dinosaur.
And number 12 is the BELvue Museum.
This is a museum about Belgium and its history, and is also a center for democracy.
n this exhibit you can answer the poll with these tokens; green for yes and red for no.
I'm looking through the binoculars.
This map shows where people immigrated to Belgium from in 1893.
We're going to make a bed out of these blocks in the color of the Belgium flag.
And those are the twelve things that you should do when you visit Brussels.