Named the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2000， Brussels is a multifaceted city， full of contradictions and intrigue. Home to both Belgium's Flemish and French populations， this multicultural city boasts a wealth of history， a thriving arts culture， graceful architecture， and rich chocolate. Fine food， coffee， Art Nouveau， and laissez faire locals who value the city's casual atmosphere， Brussels is a great stop to add on your European vacation.

在2000年被譽(yù)為“歐洲首都”的布魯塞爾是一個(gè)矛盾和神秘交織的多面性城市，向世人展示著不同的魅力和風(fēng)情。作為弗蘭德人和法國(guó)人的聚居地，這個(gè)多文化城市擁有悠久的歷史、豐富的文化藝術(shù)、宏偉的建筑，當(dāng)然，還有美味的巧克力。美食、咖啡、新藝術(shù)、自由主義，都為這個(gè)城市抹上了濃厚的自由色彩。總之，布魯塞爾是歐洲旅行中不可錯(cuò)過(guò)的風(fēng)景線。

Start the day off at Brussel's Grand Place， the city's magnificent central square. Dating from the 12th century， the square was established on a site that was once marshland. By the 15th century， a booming cloth trade and the patronage of the dukes of Burgundy transformed the square into a prosperous market area. The square boasts one of Europe's finest urban views， the country's best baroque guildhalls， the beautiful Hotel de Ville， museums， cafes， chocolate shops， and intimate cellar restaurants. For three days in August (even years only)， a carpet of flowers covers the whole square. It is truly a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy.

最先來(lái)到最具有中世紀(jì)風(fēng)貌的城市中心廣場(chǎng)——布魯塞爾大廣場(chǎng)。它始建于公元12世紀(jì)，地面用花崗石鋪就。在15世紀(jì)，由于服裝貿(mào)易的興起和勃艮第公爵的資助，使得這里成為繁榮的貿(mào)易中心。而廣場(chǎng)擁有歐洲最好的城市風(fēng)貌、最華麗的巴洛克建筑、最美麗的市政廳、博物館、咖啡店還有私人地下旅館。每年一到八月，有三天廣場(chǎng)上將遍布鮮花，形成一張明艷的鮮花地毯。徜徉于如此美麗的地方，實(shí)在是一種享受。

Head on over to the nearby Galeries St Hubert， the grande dame of Brussels' many shopping galleries. Opened in 1847 during a gala event by King Leopold I， it immediately became popular with the fashionable elite. Here you can find an eclectic mix of fashion， chocolate， cinemas， book shops， restaurants and cafes. The neoclassical setting and the vaulted glass roof accentuate the beauty of the arcade.

靠近大廣場(chǎng)的是布魯塞爾的購(gòu)物勝地——胡貝特長(zhǎng)廊。源于1847年比利時(shí)國(guó)王利奧波德一世發(fā)起的一次盛會(huì)，之后這里便成為時(shí)尚精英的聚集地。各種時(shí)尚流行元素在這里互相交融，巧克力、電影院、書(shū)店、旅館還有咖啡店，應(yīng)有盡有。新古典主義的建筑和拱形玻璃屋頂更為長(zhǎng)廊增添了無(wú)與倫比的美麗。

A trip to Upper Town takes you to the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts. Made up of the Musee d’Art Ancien， the Musee d'Art Moderne and the new Magritte Museum， Belgium's premier collection of ancient and modern art is on display. Here you can appreciate works by Rubens， Rogier Van der Weyden， Constantin Meunier， Paul Delvaux， as well as Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte.

來(lái)到上城區(qū)就要去看看皇家藝術(shù)博物館。包括古典美術(shù)館、現(xiàn)代美術(shù)館以及新的馬格利特博物館，這里展示著布魯塞爾從古至今最優(yōu)秀的藝術(shù)品。你可以欣賞到魯賓斯、羅吉爾#8226;凡#8226;德#8226;維登、康斯坦丁#8226;莫聶耳、保羅#8226;德?tīng)栁诌@些藝術(shù)大師以及超現(xiàn)實(shí)主義畫(huà)家雷尼#8226;馬格利特的作品。

Brussels also offers a great introduction to the late 19th century Art Nouveau movement at the Musee Horta. If you are willing to put up with the long queue and crowded spaces， you can appreciate the airy rooms radiating from an iron-laced staircase， mirrored walls， glorious timber paneling， and intimate stained-glass inlays.

荷塔博物館更是一個(gè)完整地欣賞19世紀(jì)興起的新藝術(shù)主義裝飾美學(xué)的地方。如果你能夠忍受冗長(zhǎng)的隊(duì)伍和擁擠的空間，那你就可以一飽眼福了。荷塔博物館內(nèi)到處都是流動(dòng)的曲線，鑲有藤蔓般鑄鐵的樓梯、光可鑒人的墻壁、華麗的木制鑲板、還有精細(xì)的彩色玻璃鑲嵌，這一切都給有限的空間增添了無(wú)限的想象。

What would a trip to Brussels be without chocolate? Enjoy sumptuous morsels of heaven at the famous Mary's， where scrumptious pralines are sold from one exclusive boutique in the royal quarter of town. The relative newcomer Perre Marcoloni offers Belgium's most expensive pralines.If unusually shaped chocolates are what you're looking for， then Planete Chocolat is the shop for you， where both the moulds and the chocolates are made on site. A walk down Place du Grand Sablon also offers up many more delightful treats.

當(dāng)然，到了布魯塞爾最不能錯(cuò)失的就是巧克力了。嘗一口獨(dú)一無(wú)二的比利時(shí)皇家巧克力——瑪麗巧克力，唇齒留香。Perre Marcoloni則是布魯塞爾最貴的果仁糖巧克力（一種比利時(shí)典型的有餡巧克力糖）。如果你想要自己決定巧克力的形狀，那么巧克力行星就是最適合你的，店里所有的模型和巧克力都是現(xiàn)場(chǎng)制作。而附近的大薩布隆廣場(chǎng)也會(huì)提供許多美味的茶點(diǎn)。

For dinner， head over to the Rue Des Bouchers to work up your appetite a little. It is nestled in a lively little quarter known as Ilot Sacre. Seafood is on the menu here， and waiters will attempt to entice you with iced displays of marine delicacies. Both sides of the cobbled street are packed with tables for dining throughout the year. Although actually eating in most of the establishments here is not recommended， the spectacle is not to be missed.

到了吃飯的時(shí)候，你可以直奔坐落在依羅塞克雷區(qū)的著名美食街Rue Des Bouchers。海鮮是菜單上的必備之物，服務(wù)員也會(huì)向你展示冰柜里新鮮的海生物。一年四季，鋪滿鵝卵石的道路兩邊滿是餐桌。建議你最好不要在這里吃飯，但這種奇觀還是不容錯(cuò)過(guò)的。

The Taverne du Passage is where you actually want to dine. Friendly service and faithful Belgian meals make this place a great stop to fill up. Middle-aged male waiters dressed in penguin unforms walk around serving portions of moules-frites (mussels and chips) and waterzooi (cream-based chicken or fish stew).

Taverne du Passage則是你真正享受美食的地方。熱情的服務(wù)和正宗的比利時(shí)菜肴都誘惑著你為它停留。穿著企鵝制服的中年男服務(wù)員穿梭于餐廳中，為客人獻(xiàn)上美味的淡菜薯?xiàng)l（蚌類(lèi)和薯?xiàng)l）和蔬菜燉魚(yú)（蔬菜燉魚(yú)或雞，湯料中加有奶油）。

If you're on a budget and aren't particularly feeling the Belgian， Gourmet d'Asie offers take-away Vietnamese food on a busy St Gery street. The establishment offers a large selection of authentic dishes including the house specialty， pig's ear.

如果你不想破費(fèi)太多而且也不在乎是不是正宗的比利時(shí)菜，那么在繁忙的St Gery 大街上的d'Asie所提供的外賣(mài)越南菜一定能滿足你的需要。這里還有很多實(shí)惠的小吃，比如特色家常菜豬耳朵。

Comic books are just another unique aspect of the culture of Brussels. The Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee offers a tour of the country's rich， vibrant comic-strip culture， from its earliest beginnings to contemporary favorites. For fans， Boutique Tintin offers up every Tintin comic you could possibly imagine. Brusel also stocks a wide collection， including comics with English translations. The shop was named after a book by Francois Schuiten， one of Belgium's most famous contemporary comic artists.

漫畫(huà)則是布魯塞爾文化的另一大特色。世界聞名的漫畫(huà)博物館將帶你進(jìn)行一次豐富多彩的漫畫(huà)文化之旅，從最早期的作品到現(xiàn)代的主流漫畫(huà)，無(wú)所不有。對(duì)漫迷來(lái)說(shuō)，丁丁店里提供了一切你能夠想像到的和漫畫(huà)人物丁丁有關(guān)的周邊產(chǎn)品。專(zhuān)業(yè)漫畫(huà)店Brusel里有大量的漫畫(huà)收藏，還包括很多英譯本。店名則來(lái)自于比利時(shí)當(dāng)代漫畫(huà)家馮索瓦#8226;史奇頓的作品。

When it comes to shopping， Brussels is quickly closing the gap with what is currently considered the Belgian capital of avant-garde， Antwerp. With many young designers coming out of Brussel's fashion school， La Cambre， boutiques have been appearing everywhere and the city displays the works of some great up-and-coming talents such as Olivier Theyskens， Laetitia Crahay， Xavier Delcour， and Jose Enrique Ona Selfa. Some of the stores you definitely want to check out include Kaat Tilley， which offers women's wear and childrens' communion outfits. Martin Margiela is a fashion icon and the unofficial seventh member of the Antwerp Six. This small shop is also worth checking out for men's and women's clothes and accessories. Head over to Olivier Strelli to browse through the collection of one of Belgium's most successful fashion labels. For leather handbags and accessories in Belgium， Delvaux is the place to go.

說(shuō)到購(gòu)物，那么布魯塞爾和時(shí)尚先鋒安特衛(wèi)普就會(huì)被迅速的聯(lián)系起來(lái)。很多年輕的設(shè)計(jì)師都來(lái)自安特衛(wèi)普皇家藝術(shù)學(xué)院。在這里時(shí)尚小店隨處可見(jiàn)，還能夠欣賞到很多天才設(shè)計(jì)師的作品，像奧立弗#8226;瑟斯肯斯、莉苔希婭#8226;克拉海、澤維爾#8226;迪古亞還有歐納瑟法。比如在一些小店里你能夠買(mǎi)到像Kaat Tilley設(shè)計(jì)的女性和兒童服裝。而時(shí)尚偶像設(shè)計(jì)師馬丁#8226;馬吉拉則在非官方排名中成為第七位“安特衛(wèi)普六子”。小店里也有很多男性、女性服裝以及附件裝飾品。奧利維爾#8226;斯泰利是布魯塞爾最為成功的知名品牌。如果要購(gòu)買(mǎi)皮包及附件裝飾品，那么德?tīng)栁謩t是最好的去處。

Brussels offers a variety of magnificent hotels to choose from， including the unique Hotel Le Dixseptieme， and the sumptuous Hotel Metropole， with an opulent French Renaissance-style foyer. On the more mid-range level， the Hotel Rembrandt offers fantastic value. Old ornaments， oil paintings， and polished wooden furnishings adorn the spaces and although the rooms are a tad small， they are well maintained.

布魯塞爾酒店林立，從獨(dú)特的Hotel Le Dixseptieme到豪華的Hotel Metropole（大廳具有濃重的法國(guó)文藝復(fù)興風(fēng)格），你可以任意選擇。適合中產(chǎn)階級(jí)消費(fèi)的Hotel Rembrandt則價(jià)格公道。古老的裝飾品、色彩斑斕的油畫(huà)、閃閃發(fā)光的木制家具，盡管房間不大，但卻干凈整潔，令人賞心悅目。

There is so much to see and experience in Brussels and what has been presented here will only give you a small glimpse of the magnificence of this city. It's designication as the Cultural Capital of Europe has brought renewed life to historic buildings and decaying streets. Serving as the headquarters of both NATO and the EU， the city maintains a cosmopolitan feel， yet is cozy at the same time. If you are in Europe， Brussels is definitely a city you do not want to miss.

布魯塞爾有太多令人神往的地方，而以上展示的僅僅是這座華麗之都的一小面而已。這個(gè)歐洲文化首都也將賦予那些古老的歷史建筑、破舊的街道以新的生命。作為北大西洋公約組織和歐盟的總部，它仍保持著世界性大都市的繁華與喧囂，同時(shí)又不失安逸和舒適。如果你去歐洲，那么千萬(wàn)不要錯(cuò)過(guò)這座華麗之都——布魯塞爾。

Links

1 Chocolate濃情巧克力

可以說(shuō)世界上很少有人能夠拒絕得了巧克力的魅力，而在布魯塞爾，你就能感受到真正的巧克力文化。除了獨(dú)特的外形設(shè)計(jì)之外，眾多的口味更是令人愛(ài)不釋手。人們不但可以買(mǎi)到用桔子皮和塔西提香草，或者百里香和軟糖調(diào)制的巧克力，甚至可以買(mǎi)一塊同時(shí)添加了焦糖和香料的辣味巧克力。然而對(duì)更多人而言，巧克力是生活的一部分，承載了他們對(duì)生活的熱愛(ài)，送一塊濃香的巧克力給親人、朋友或者愛(ài)人，那就說(shuō)明對(duì)他們的“愛(ài)之深”了！

2 Tintin丁丁

比利時(shí)國(guó)王阿爾伯物二世說(shuō)：“丁丁是我們國(guó)家最好的大使。當(dāng)我訪問(wèn)某個(gè)國(guó)家時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)他早已經(jīng)在那里了。”

法國(guó)總統(tǒng)戴高樂(lè)將軍曾嘆息：“丁丁是我惟一的國(guó)際對(duì)手?！?/p>

世界上最出名的比利時(shí)人——丁丁，來(lái)自于比利時(shí)漫畫(huà)大師埃爾熱的作品《丁丁歷險(xiǎn)記》。作為一名記者，丁丁總是自己去調(diào)查人們所認(rèn)為的事實(shí)。在世界各地都留下了丁丁的腳印。他甚至成為了月球探險(xiǎn)第一人。 丁丁之所以受到世界人民的熱愛(ài)，更由于他是和平、友誼和正義的象征。游歷中的丁丁與所到之處存在的不合理現(xiàn)象作斗爭(zhēng)。 半個(gè)多世紀(jì)以來(lái)，《丁丁歷險(xiǎn)記》被譯成48種文字，走遍了世界各大洲，影響了好幾代不同膚色、不同國(guó)籍的少年兒童，他們通過(guò)埃爾熱的畫(huà)冊(cè)，和“丁丁”一起遨游世界，增長(zhǎng)見(jiàn)聞，甚至于有的人以丁丁為榜樣，開(kāi)始自己的記者生涯。

3 Antwerp Six安特衛(wèi)普六子

“6英尺以內(nèi)，必有一個(gè)時(shí)裝設(shè)計(jì)師。離開(kāi)米蘭，忘記巴黎，別再思念倫敦，安特衛(wèi)普將成為歐洲的時(shí)尚之都?！?/p>

1987年，Ann Demeulemeester、Dries Van Noten、Dirk Bikkembergs、Dirk Van Saene、Walter Van Beirendonck 和Marina Yee六位從安特衛(wèi)普皇家藝術(shù)學(xué)院畢業(yè)的年輕人，懷揣夢(mèng)想，一路高歌，開(kāi)著一輛租來(lái)的破卡車(chē)前往倫敦參加英國(guó)服裝設(shè)計(jì)大展。他們的前衛(wèi)設(shè)計(jì)理念和顛覆的設(shè)計(jì)手法，震驚了當(dāng)時(shí)低迷保守的時(shí)裝界。一舉奠定比利時(shí)設(shè)計(jì)師于全球時(shí)裝設(shè)計(jì)界不可動(dòng)搖的獨(dú)特地位。比利時(shí)安特衛(wèi)普也已然站在了時(shí)尚的前沿。從此六個(gè)好朋友被譽(yù)為“安特衛(wèi)普六子”，后來(lái)，Marina隱退，她的男友Martin Margiela接替女友被列為“安特衛(wèi)普六子”之一。