Chocolate, beer, french fries, and waffles. Sounds so yum, right? And don’t forget TinTin, the iconic comic character created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. These were my impression about Brussels (or more generally, Belgium) before I made my trip there. Also, cities with lots of preserved architectures usually have a stricter policy for street art. Thus, I didn’t expect much to find graffiti in the city.
Today’s location
Brussels, the capital of Belgium. It’s also known as the capital city of the European Union.
Story behind the photos
The days I visited Brussels were during the Easter holidays, and the weather was pretty cloudy (as you can see in the pictures). However, the crowd and the grey sky didn’t stop our steps to discover the city. Why? Remember the beer, chocolate, french fries, and waffles the city can offer? Eat more, walk more. Walking is always the best way to help digestion while traveling.
@ChanneLing wow! amazing graffiti, excellent painting. You push me to planning to go Brussels. Thanks for sharing such nice photos with us. Keep sharing.
Glad to hear you enjoyed Brussels @ChanneLing . The weather will probably be much better during the upcoming meetup in August planned by @GauthMug , so that might be a good excuse to visit Brussels again - also for @Ruxellan perhaps?
The only thing I find a pity about these amazing examples of street art is that we are not able to properly put them on Google Maps. I have submitted an idea to hopefully change that in the future.
Brussels is undoubtedly a lovely destination to go to. The city itself is mixed with old and new, classic and modern styles, not to mention its worldwide famous chocolate, beer, fries, and waffles!!
It’s amazing to know that a local is hosting a meetup in Brussels. Sadly I don’t think it’s possible for me to travel that far in August, but I’ll wait for someone to share their experience. Are you taking part in this event?
And for the street art mapping, I can relate. Sometimes it’s hard for street art lovers to explorer art spots while first visiting the city. As for me, unless there’s a street art gathering place, such as Graffiti Alley, or a festival like MURAL, most graffiti I found was spotted randomly when I was rambling in the city.
Thank you so much for bringing these Graffiti on Connect. I had the chance to visit Brussels some years ago and I was surprised by many things, most of all by the graffiti that you can find ( mainly across the area of the peeing boy statue) and by the popularity of Tin Tin, almost considered like a national hero together with the musician Stromae.
I will chose the second picture that you posted ( as I have made the same picture during my stay in Brussels).
Tintin is definitely a worldwide well-known Belgian character. Just as Moomins for Finland. Even people like me who live on the other side of the earth have read their stories.
As for Stromae, I know he’s huge in Belgium, France, and some other francophone areas, but still, I’m amazed that his popularity in Belgium can compare with Tintin. That’s interesting to know.
The graffiti in the second photo is also one of my favorites since it’s themed Tintin!
Thank you very much for your reply. The other amazing city that I suggest you to visit if you haven’t done it during your stay in Belgium is Bruges. It’s much smaller than Brussels, but the vibe that you can feel along the canals and the narrow street is kind of unique.
I totally understand what you meant. I visited Bruges a few years ago and it was a wonderful trip. The town isn’t big but has everything needed and even more. Its vibe is very different from Brussels and it’s one of a few destinations in Europe that still have medieval old town feelings.
However, I saw news saying that Bruges is about to limit tourists since the town is over swarmed by visitors. And in many articles, authorities say that they don’t want Burges to be like “Disneyland” and it’s enough for them. The news was just out a few weeks ago so I think no official policy has been confirmed yet.
It’s definitely bad news for future visitors, but I see their points since overtourism isn’t healthy for a city’s environment, development, and is sacrificing locals’ life quality. Well, I hope they would find a way to balance it.
Lovely pics. Thanks for sharing. I love graffiti; they never fail to put a smile on my face :). I esp loved the Tintin graffiti :). I have never been to Brussels and with this, it seems to be an exciting option for travel.
Hi @PeepingDog , thank you! I’m glad you enjoy the post.
I agree with you. Graffiti and street art always have that power to make people smile. They aren’t as unapproachable as museum art or gallery art. No matter people come and go, they’re always there, waiting for someone to spot them, and bringing little sparkles to those who appreciate.
Brussels is undoubtedly a lovely city to visit, not to mention they have the best (or one of best, just in case some people may disagree lol) chocolate, beer, french fries, and waffles in the world.
I didn’t know about this idea, but I get the overall point of that. Of course mass tourism in my opinion is giving economical benefit, but on long terms is a little bit risky. Would be great to find the right balance that allows sustainable tourism, and I think they can find a way. From my personal experience Belgian people are really warm and welcoming.
