
Travel from the past into the future and back in only a few strides. The Parliament and the institutions of the European Union with their vast, modern and prolific buildings effectively symbolise the construction of a continent in constant social, cultural, economic and political mutation.
The riches of a still very vivid past are encapsulated by the two splendid parks, Leopold Park and Cinquantenaire Park, and by the treasures held in the Museums of Art and History, of the Army and Auto-world and of Natural Sciences. In the surrounding area, our past heritage is also brought alive by the Wiertz museum, the elegant Solvay library and the astonishing house and workshop of Paul Cauchie who designed its most intricate details in 1905 at the age of 30.
Cafés and restaurants, tearooms and ice-cream parlours with welcoming terraces abound along this trail. Place Jourdan alone is a delightful and cosmopolitan microcosm. During the week, it is not uncommon to find the severe Eurocrats there, queuing up in front of a popular chip stall that has become an insti-tution itself. On Saturdays and Sundays, the stalls of the ‘small’ and the ‘large’ market take over the square, offering a profusion of produces from the everyday to the exotic.