European Parliament building

Monday
Finally this afternoon we got some sunshine, though not before we had another shower in the morning, including some hail, while we were waiting in line (outside!) for tickets for Atomium. Atomium is located in the suburb of Heysel, so we had a fairly long metro ride to get there. The structure, 335 ft tall, and representing an iron crystal molecule enlarged 165 billion times, consists of 9 spheres linked by tubes, which you can walk or take an escalator through. The top sphere is reached by elevator and offers an extensive view over Brussels. It was built for the World Fair of 1958. Originally it was meant to stand for 10 years, later extended to 25. However, by this time the city had become attached to it and so it stayed, and was recently restored. The visit took longer than we had envisaged, as we had to wait in line for tickets, then again to go up in the elevator. We then returned to the centre by metro, and went to see the Royal Palace, then had quite a long walk out to Cinquantenaire Park, which contains the Palais du Cinquantenaire, it's twin wings joined by a monumental arch. Then we returned to the area around l'Église du notre Dame du Petit Sablon, where we were late yesterday afternoon, making a slight detour to see the European Parliament building on the way. I was amazed by the huge area, block after block, taken up by immense European Community buildings. It makes you wonder what all the people do, sitting in this multitude of office buildings! Adjacent to the church is a charming square, surrounded by columns bearing 48 bronze statues representing the trades of Brussels. The other side of the church is the attractive Place du Grand Sablon, with its old facades, antique dealer shops, elegant restaurants and perhaps about half a dozen chocolate shops, one of them looking distinctly upmarket! We did bring some chocolates back home with us, but not from that shop! Then it was back to the Grand place for a final meal before leaving for home!