Over the centuries Brussels was twice girded round with defensive walls, and took on the shape of a heart when seen from a bird’s-eye view. Today there are still remains of those walls, but the Senne vanished in the last century! Because it was a source of pestilence it was routed underground, hence Brussels’ second name, ‘the city of the lost river.’ If you want to see the Senne, it’s in a museum—you can go below ground via the Museum of Sewers.

EVERY BUILDING HAS ITS OWN STORY
Lets go from St. Gery to the heart of the city, the Grand Place. It is the most striking spot in Brussels, ‘the richest stage in the world,’ to quote Jean Cocteau. One where we too perform our parts. And in summer the set is even further enriched thanks to the Carpet of Flowers woven from hundreds of thousands of begonias. The begonia is the flower of visionaries, and the Grand Place the home of dreams. The oldest building in the square is the City Hall, which in 1695 eluded a French bombardment. A statue of St.