Manniken Pis

Brussels was the second place we went in Europe. On the way, we saw

Waterloo -1950

from the train. (Flying was not as common in those days)

Brussels from hilltop

We stayed at the Le Grand Hotel.

Facade of the hotel 1950

Entrance to the hotel in 1950

I have my father's photos of it, and I have seen a historic postcard which has the address of this current hotel on it. This was the second place we stayed on our European trip. Since we were traveling by train, we mostly stayed at hotels near a train station. This was common practice back then and these were not just cheap and dirty hotels. I don't remember anything about the hotel - if it wasn't for the photos, I would not even have remembered that we stayed there. Plus I doubt if it is the same now as it was then

Street in front of hotel

The current website says:
..rooms all have a classic décor with large windows. They come with a tea/coffee maker, ironing facilities and marble bathrooms. The rooms at the front of the hotel also have a balcony. A breakfast buffet is available in the breakfast area daily. Guests can relax in the bar and coffee shop or use the free internet computer in the Grand Place’s lobby. The Anneessens Metro Station is a 3-minute walk away, providing a connection to Gare du Midi Train Station and its Eurostar terminal in 5 minutes. Brussels Central Train Station is a 10-minute walk away.

View from hotel window - Whippet racing sign

Closeup of building decoration from hotel window

My father took a lot of photos of buildings such as the Cathedral in Petit Sablou (which I do not remember at all)

Cathedral in Petit Sablou in 1950

2 Counts Egmont and Hornes - in Petit Sablou Square

and also of statues including several of the 48 bronze statuettes, each representing a different medieval guild.

One of the trade/guild statues around the church

My mother correctly labeled the

clock maker

as well as the

Fisherman

Sword smith

She called one of them a street sweeper and I have found a picture of that one and he is a

Bleacher

The last photo I have not been able to identify the guild - he has an auger in his belt so my mother called him a carpenter, but the carpenter is supposed to have a chair or a saw.

What occupation is this?

And of course he took photos of the Mannikin Pis statue. Manneken Pis is the name of the statue of a little boy who is urinating - he supplies water to what was at one time a water supply for the city.

Manneken-Pis

Mannikin Pis

Manneken-Pis - closer

He no longer has that function. He was 'dressed' in costumes four times a year, but we did not see that. Now he has many costumes and there is a schedule that you can consult so that you can time your visit to the costume schedule.

Photo from a taxi in 1950

In a city, we sometimes took taxis. Currently to take a city taxi, you can just go to any of the taxi stands on the side of the main streets. If you can't see a taxi stand, the taxi stand information is on the Brussels Maps. You can wave down a taxi if you see one and there is no nearby taxi stand.. Taxis come in all shapes and sizes without any markings on the car doors, but they have a white, yellow and blue triangle on the roof to identify them. All taxis are metered and you do not need to tip except to round to the next higher Euro. The standard fares will change over time; At present it is €2.40 at the start and €1.35 per km in the city. A €2 surcharge applies between 10pm and 6am

Unknown soldier

Statue of Antoine Depage (1862-1925) with unknown man

Hotel Ville (city hall

Note statues on top of town hall

main square - city government buildings

buildings in old square

Brussels policeman

Street scene

Belgium billboards

Belgium billboards

Peace palace

Peace Palace

Kings Palace and grounds

My sister (on the left) and myself - June 1950

and we made a day trip to Antwerp