Brussels, February 04, 2015

I attended a 3 days course in LIFE (LIFE is the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental and nature conservation projects throughout the EU) monitoring. We had ½ a day without training activities, and used the opportunity for some sightseeing

The view from my room at Hotel Bloom of the Brussels skyline

The hotel was next to the Botanical Garden ”Krudtuin”

View from the Botanical Garden ”Krudtuin” towards hotel Bloom

There was building activity going on many places.

Shopping arcades are the predecessor to modern shopping malls called ‘galeries’ in French and ‘galerijen’ in Dutch. Arcades get their name from the word ‘arch’ but these days the roofs and ceilings could be any shape and could cover an entire block. They are generally a street of separate shops covered by a single roof top. Galeries St Hubert was built in 1847. Galeries St Hubert is one of the first shopping arcades in Europe; it is the length of a small street located near the Grand Place. The building is beautifully decorated with bas-relief and chandeliers. The roof is a glass skylight. There are cafés, luxury clothing shops, an arts film theatre and gourmet chocolate shops.

Here you can buy crocodiles

and tempting chocolate

Town Hall, Grand Place: Grand Place Brussels square is the first place you will normally be taken to see in the city. A small but delicately sculpted 15th century town square erected over centuries to become this modern day representation of Brussels’ history. Almost all of the buildings have a historical significance and the Hotel de Ville (the Town Hall) is still used today! Located in Brussels city centre, just down from Brussels Centrale, this ancient market place is the starting point for tourists. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857

Each of the houses around the Grand'Place, has its own name: Les Ducs de Brabant, Le Roi de l'Espagne, Le Cornet, Le Cygne, the Maison des Brasseurs, Le Cerf, La Maison des Tailleurs. The degree of conservation of original features inside the houses around the Grand'Place is somewhat variable. In some cases almost no changes have been made since the early 18th century, whereas in others there has been radical conversion and modernization. In a number of cases the ground floors have been converted for use as shops, restaurants, or cafes.

A statute on top of one of the houses

The famous Mannekin Pis is just a few narrow alleyways from the Grand Place. The Peeing Boy, or Mannekin Pis, as it is normally called by locals, is a fascinating little statue. Not only does it attract thousands of curious tourists every year to Brussels, local Brussels people celebrate many festivities with this bronze fountain.

Even on this cold February day many fans (or should we call them followers, at least ½ of them?) were gathered

Many activities are going on in Brussels flats

Evening view from my room.

Wild parakeets invade Brussels. More and more green parakeets are being seen in the parks of Brussels. Their number is currently estimated at about 12,000.

The fact that parakeets are able to survive and reproduce so easily in the wild is surprising, especially given the Belgian climate. The problem is that parakeets are a source of danger for some endemic birds as they occupy the tree holes where these birds used to nest. These birds also have an economic impact as they are able to devastate entire orchards.

The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri, Индийский кольчатый попугай). The Rose-ringed Parakeet has proved to be an adaptable species and its adaptations to cold winters in the Himalayan foothills allow it to easily withstand European winter conditions. These parakeets create apparently problems for local bird populations and bats.