Number one sight is the Grand Place, one of the finest medieval squares in Europe. The "wow" factor is high as you walk through the narrow uneven cobblestone alleys to suddenly emerge on the large square. Here you will see the tall Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque facades of the elaborately crafted guild houses, rebuilt in the 1690's after French bombardments destroyed most of them. The centerpiece is the 96-meter high octagonal tower of the Hotel de Ville and the elaborate facade of the Maison du Roi opposite.

Nearby are La Bourse, the Belgian stock exchange, and the Manneken Pis, a 2 feet high statue of a little boy peeing. This, if nothing else, will give you an idea of the quirky, tongue-in-cheek Belgian sense of humor as you watch huge crowds of tourists gather for photos in front of this diminutive icon. There is even a small museum a few hundred yards up the hill dedicated to the statue's clothes donated by dignitaries from other countries.

Backtracking, a few minutes' walk across the opposite side of the Grand Place gets you to the Galerie St. Hubert, the first shopping arcade in Europe. This wide 19th century elaborately domed glass gallery features magnificent Greek and Roman carved stone statues looking down at you. They would not look out of place in the Louvre.

Another five minutes farther up the hill is the towering Cathedrale St. Michele at St. Gudule, a Gothic and Romanesque Cathedral where the Belgian royal family celebrates its weddings and mourns its deceased at funerals. Walk down some narrow stairs below the floor level of the cathedral to see the ancient foundations of the original church that stood here more than a thousand years before. Beside the nave, watch for a painting showing what the cathedral looked like 500 years before with a religious procession in the foreground. If this Cathedral were not surrounded by modern banks and office buildings, it would easily be comparable to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Continue up Coudenberg Hill another five minutes and you are in the Quartier Royal, where the Belgian royal family, who has survived many controversies over the past hundred years, lives. It was here the Dukes of Brabant and Burgundy lived. The Parc de Bruxelles, bisected by long white chalk pathways, lined with ancient trees, statues, and fountains, stands across from the Palais Royal, open only for six weeks each year to tourists.

If itis open, take the self guided tour. You will marvel at the opulence and splendor of the high ceilings, gold gilded, plush red and blue wallpaper, ceilings, and wall hangings. The Marble Room and Long Gallery are highly decorated rooms where receptions and dinners occurred. The Hall of Mirrors is unique. In 2002, artist Jan Febre decorated the ceiling and a chandelier with 1.4 million jewel beetle wing cases, a gift from the king of Thailand. They are fantastic: a deep translucent blue green hue that seems to move if you look at them for too long.

Only ten minutes away by Metro is the Parc du Cinquantenaire with its chalky clay pathways, sculptures, monuments, and three excellent museums; the Royal Museum of the Army and Military History, the Royal Museum of Art and History, and for car lovers, Autoworld, with an eclectic collection of 300 vehicles, many owned and donated by the Royal family. You can walk up to the top of the towering Central Archway, an arch loosely based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, for a great view of Brussels. Access is through the Military Museum. Many say this arch is even more impressive than the Parisian one.

The Atomium stands at the other end of the Metro line, an enormous, 100-meter high glittering stainless steel and aluminum model of an atom of metal crystal that can be seen reflecting the sun from miles around Brussels. You can take an escalator up into and between its nine spheres, each 60 feet in diameter. It was built for the World Expo in 1958.

Plan on spending a long day in Europe's other canal city, Bruges, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. Start early on the train from Brussels; they leave every hour or so from Brussels Central Station. Walk from the Bruges Train Station across the river onto the narrow cobble-stoned streets, and you will soon get a strong impression of what it was like in a medieval town hundreds of years ago. Preserved perfectly in the best Disney fashion, Bruges is the real thing, not a fantasy wonderland.

The Markt is lined with Flemish medieval gabled houses with square or triangular facades from the 13th century. Towering over the Markt is the 83-meter high Belfort tower. Climb up the tower for a great view of Bruges, and the town square. Three minutes walk from the Markt, the Chapel of the Precious Blood features the Heilig Bloed Basiliek, containing a sacred brass phial with a piece of cloth inside. The cloth was used to clean Christ's body after the crucifixion, and is said to contain his blood. At certain times of the day, you can walk up on the small platform, touch the phial, and receive a benediction from a priest. Lines of tourists do this, Catholic or not.

Walk alongside the town hall through the narrow Blind Donkey Alley, under an old curved skywalk, then over a bridge across one of the ever-present canals filled with tourist laden boats putting up and down. Here you will see the old fish market, a large stone square construction. It is still used to sell fish and other tourist souvenirs today.

Ten minutes' walk and you are inside the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, the massive Church of Our Lady featuring a Michelangelo sculpture of Madonna and Child at the end of the southern aisle. Pay another euro or two to walk into the museum behind the altar to see some of the ancient foundations of the original church. Crypt excavations have surprisingly brightly red, black, yellow, and whiter colored wall paintings of angels from more than a thousand years ago.

For art lovers and historians Bruges packs more than its weight in punch with the Hans Memling Museum, Gruuthuse Museum, and the Groeninge Museum. Allow a full afternoon to browse the famous Flemish masters paintings. The Groeninge Museum's centerpiece is Jan van Eyck's The Virgin and Child. Rogier van der Weyden's St. Luke Drawing the Virgin's Portrait and Memling's Tryptych of Willem Moreel, are also captivating works.

If you are entranced by the idea of spending more time in Belgium, a country totally underrated by the tourist industry, spend a day in Ghent and Antwerp, each with its own distinctive character. The Hotel de Ville overlooks the cobblestone marketplace and largest square in Antwerp. Dozens of red, blue, green, and yellow, brightly colored provincial flags hang from its elaborately carved stone front and a large copper sculpture of Neptune integrated into a water fountain contributes to this square's impressive ambience. You will want to soak it all in while sitting at one of the many cafes and bistros around its edge.

The highlight of Ghent is the Ghent Altarpiece in the Sint- Baafskathedral. This tryptych, painted by Jan van Eyck, is laden with religious symbolism. An audio guide in English is available.

Memorial Van Damme Meet