BELGIUM: Brussels: Spring has sprung (DAY 2)

Had breakfast and a few minutes stroll, we arrived at De Brouckere metro station. Like I mentioned in the previous posting, army presence were high. At every corner of the station, there would be a pair of them on duty and stopping checking our bags ..... you know just in case. I am totally cool, thanks for "Lagos School of Life".

I can tell you, I felt safe to see all these men in uniforms with machine guns patrolling the station and street....just like Lagos. Not to mock anyone...but you do feel safe. The children got to see other types of machine guns, other than AK-47 that they're so fond of using....again in Lagos. 

Took the metro number 6 to the end of line towards Roi Baudouin (Heysel station was closed)....to visit the Atomium and Mini-Euro.

We bought a ticket to enter both Atomium and Mini Euro. Our bags were scanned at the entrance and the children took a picture (for keychain - have to pay to get them at the end of visit) with the mascot of the Atomium.

We first went to the observation deck as advised by the guide there and took the elevator/lift up. The fastest elevator there is when it was installed in 1958 for the Belgian World Expo.

glass top elevator

Palais des Expositions, built for
Belgium International Exposition in 1935

Mini-Europe park

The Atomium, represents an iron crystal magnified 165billion times! There's 9 sphere altogether (one at each of the 8 points,  and 1 in the middle). Total height of the structure including the antenna, 102m. Each sphere is 18m in diameter and some of the spheres are closed to visitors. The tube connecting the spheres are between 23m - 29m depending on the location. Width of each tube is 3.3m. Total mass of the structure in 1958 was 2400 tonnes. Massive renovation was done in 2004 and some additional weight added to reinforce the stainless steel clad structure. 

After the visit to the viewing platform, we came down and took the stair to the first sphere. It featured some of the early drawings and alternative to the Atomium. 

a model of the structure

Stair to the next sphere...

Luckily, there was no protest from Madman....I mean Madam and Faith. They soldiered on towards the next sphere. Benjamin was different, he immersed himself with all the drawings and models of the buildings on display. Reminds me of myself when I was his age, of course better than his dad. 

Each sphere has its own theme. But to get there, it was either by stair or escalator. Due to the proximity of the wall of the tube , it made the climb steeper and a bit claustrophobic to some visitors. The last escalator which took us down to the first sphere was a bit special because it was lined up with colorful light tubes. 

We left the Atomium and head towards Mini-Euro park, not far from Atomium. The sky looked as if it's going to rain any minute and so we walk as fast as our legs would carry to the next attraction. The children had been talking about it yesterday and any longer they would burst....and I was happy to comply, it was educational.

Next was Mini-Europe. A 10 minute walk from the Atomium. It's like Bekonscot Park in Beaconsville, Buckinghamshire; the oldest miniature/model village in the world. Only Mini-Europe is all the monuments in EU recreated and scaled down to 1:25 size. Each visitors were given a guidebook about the monuments and short info about the country in the union.

The Berlaymont, which houses the Commission,
the Parliament and Council of Ministers of EU
(named after the monastery which used to occupy the site)

rolling stock and train (at the bridge)

example of info, the country, capital, size,
population, currency and year of inception into EU

Model of Town Hall in Grand-Place, Brussels

"Flower Carpet" at Grand-Place

Big Ben and House of Parliament

opposite the previous model building,
Eiffel Tower

You do feel like either Ultraman or Godzilla walking among the recreated monuments. There were a lot to look at. The modelers at the park once a while among the monuments would insert some funny scene like the one below, an accident between a BMW and Porsche. 

The mascot of the park also was inserted here and there throughout the diorama of each monument. Only you have to take a bit of time spotting it. 

sun bathing...ahehhhh.

an expensive collision...

Bullfight arena

the Bull and Matador, t's voice activated.
So the bull would "run" around the track and charge
at the Matador

Ben figured this one out.
He said, just like the English Channel

There were just so many monuments and we got separated. The children really had fun...and so does their daddy. Madam was obviously way ahead of me...hoping I would catch up and leave the place. Well, I was not about the give up and took my time. 

All of a sudden, it rained....it rained tiny ice pellets. No wonder the prickly sensation instead of wet on the skin when it rained. That was my first time and luckily it was about a few millimeters big and it melted after a while in my palm. 

Atomium beside the park

Then, I heard Ben's voice calling me to hurry up. Hahahaha... Yes, you've guessed it...Madam wants me to hurry up before it really rain cats and dogs. Of course I 'have' to listen to her, if there's hot chocolate at the end of the visit. I'm cheap.

To get to the cafe, you have to pass through the info centre  about the EU,and test your knowledge at the end of the visit. We had snacks at the cafe and rest for a while before head back to the apartment.

We walked back to the metro station and there's only ticket dispenser machine that only uses coin. That was the biggest problem we encountered that day, until some good samaritan exchanged some coins with our Euro notes. Unless you're at a big station, you can use notes to buy ticket at the counter. But Heysel wa closed due to the bombing and Roi Baudouin was our only option. Other than that, our trip that day was OK.

We went back to the apartment and the children rest, while I went to the cafe and enjoyed the scenery of Brussels until as usual, Madam would interrupt me. Dinner time she said....hmmmm Day 2 gone, looking forward to the next day.

The Atomium

From the Atomium's Web site, the current copyright restrictions exempt private individuals under the following conditions:^[15]

This is the case where photographs are taken by private individuals and shown on private websites for no commercial purpose (the current trend for photo albums). 

In accordance with legislation, usage rights for the image of the Atomium would naturally extend to 1st January 2076, in other words, the seventieth anniversary of André Waterkeyn's death.

Just some info, regarding the structure.

BTW, when they first built this particular structure....they did not think it will last after 1958 (demolish, maybe)...now in 2016, it's still there and it will be so for many many years to come...fingers cross!