Brussels is the lively and appealing crossroads of Europe, bringing together the best of the past and present. Turn in any direction and you encounter a thousand years of history preserved in a Medieval city that seems untouched by time, yet as the capital of the European Union it is a place very much in step with the rhythm of life in the new millenium. The heart of Brussels is the Grand Place, a historic and stunning square lined with ornate guild houses focused on the Gothic heights of the Hotel de Ville. The Grand Place is the central market square which has served for centuries as the focal point of the city's social and civic life. The Bruxellois gather here for their most important ceremonies and festivals, for the traditional bird market on Sunday mornings, and for no task more pressing than to sit, have a beer, and people-watch.

Markets are everywhere, like the bird market, the flower market, the antique market, and the horse market. Vendors bring fresh produce from nearby fields, cheeses made in farms and abbeys, hams cured in the Ardennes, flowers and potted plants, chickens, game, and fresh catches from the North Sea. Art museums house enormous collections including an impressive presence of the work of national sons, Peter Paul Rubens and his disciple, Anthony Van Dyck. Music fills the squares, master chefs leave Parisian counterparts in the dust (nearly), and exquisite displays of pageantry leave you wondering if Belgium isn't in fact still a monarchy. Much is made of Belgian hospitality, and it's all true. Because of its place as the Continent's center of commerce and culture, its courteous people are at ease with travelers and eager to show off their country.