Secret Brussels

A "love hotel" where you can say a prayer, a reconstituted section of the Senne river at Saint-Gery, an extraordinary private museum devoted to plastic, a farm with sheep, goats and turkeys at place de l'Yser, Masonic secrets in the Parc de Bruxelles, a hotel overlooking the Grand-Place, a surrealistic trip in a lift, a homage to the military pigeon, potholing at Koekelberg basilica, a swimming pool with a panoramic view of the city, a scandalous pavilion in the Parc du Cinquantenaire, an immense vegetable garden at Uccle, an 19th century artist's studio at Schaerbeek, a camping ground in the heart of the Belgian capital, a forgotten garden-city at Forest... One doesn't fall in love with Brussels at first sight. But it contrast to cliche of grey streets and soulless buildings, it is full of surprising features and curious sights that will amaze residents as well as visitors who thought they knew all there is to know about this city.