Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Tag: Brussels

  • Historic Cantillon Brewery and Museum

    Brussels, Belgium (November 2003) Deep in the heart of Brussels, not far from the Grand’ Place, sits a small throwback to a simpler time. In ages past, people maintained a more intimate connection with the food and beverages they consumed. The Cantillon Brewery preserves this aesthetic. It serves a working museum (map) open for guided…

  • Belgian Brewery Coasters and Glasses

    Anyone who appreciates good beer understands Belgium’s reputation for excellent brewing. As well, anyone who know me likely realizes my feelings towards the brewing arts. The ability to sample a large contingent of Belgian beers conveniently and inexpensively was definitely a bonus to our several visits. Each beer has its own distinctive glass and anyone…

  • Belgium (November 2003)

    Monde Sauvage, Aywaille Our visit to Belgium this time was quite a bit different than any of our previous trips. We needed to focus on keeping a 2-year-old entertained so our usual options would not work. Our little guy loves animals so visiting Monde Sauvage [roughly translated: “Wild World”] seemed a natural choice (map). His…

  • Belgium (September 1998)

    Grand’ Place, Brussels The Grand’ Place serves as the center of Brussels (map). Museums, Guild Houses and restaurants line the sides of the city square. These beautiful old buildings, decorated with elaborate stonework and gold leaf provide a spectacular visual setting. Guild Houses served as the headquarters and meeting places for various groups of craftsmen…

  • Butte du Lion (“Lion’s Mound”)

    Waterloo Battlefield, Braine-l’Alleud, Walloon Brabant, Belgium (1993, 1998) A great battle raged on June 18, 1815 just south of Brussels, Belgium near Braine-l’Alleud and Waterloo (map). The Duke of Wellington commanding allied troops from several nations defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and his fearsome army after a punishing eight-hour conflict. Historians recognize this as one of the…

  • World’s Fair Towers

    I suppose this is something of a Part 3 addendum to the recent Southern Swing articles although maybe it’s not truly the case. Perhaps it would be better to call it “inspired” by those earlier articles. We broke the return trip into a two-day event with an overnight stay in Knoxville, Tennessee. The hotel happened…