Brussels; Monday, 21 June, 2004

Only part of a day in Brussels as I my train back to London was booked for that evening. After dropping my luggage off at the station I caught the tram out to Heysel.

Heysel - Sadly, most famous for the disaster at the football stadium - is the site of a former World Fair, of which the only lasting exhibits are the American theatre and the Atomium, the giant structure of an atom that is one of the most famous symbols of the city.

First stop before the Atomium was the next door MiniEurope which has scale replicas of some of the most famous buildings from each of the members of the EU (or most as, of the 10 who had joined a few weeks earlier only Poland had an exhibit).

After wandering round MiniEurope and experiencing being able to stand next to the Brandenburg gate in Berlin and look across to the Sacré Cœur in Paris, the Bell Tower in Bruges and Dover Castle at the same time I walked back to the Atomium.

The Atomium, when it opened was a marvel of design with lifts and escalators disorienting you as you moved around the 8 or so spheres, each with 2 floors.

Unfortunately, today only 4 spheres are open, the displays are tired and most the escalators don't work, though the views from the top sphere are spectacular (if slightly grey from the dirt on the outside of the windows)

After the Atomium I went back into the city centre and following another suggestion in the guide book took one of the trams that rolls past all the Royal palaces for a glimpse of the most exclusive parts of the city.

Then it was back to the Cathedral for a look around. Despite looking large and imposing the inside of the cathedral is very light, with lots of it being made up of glass. Sadly, as it was a Monday and this is continental Europe, most of the exhibits inside the cathedral were closed, including the crypt which supposedly includes some original Roman remains.

After a quick pit stop at the central station I made my way back following some of the cartoons and murals painted on the buildings in the city centre back to the Gare du Midi and the Eurostar home.