When I talk to people after my visit to Brussels, and tell them about The Atomium, my most frequent reaction is “What?”
This leads me to believe that I’ve really picked up on it being a “thing,” from my dad’s comics from the 60s and 70s – again, a lot of Belgian artists there.
The Atomium was made for the 1958 World Expo in Brussels. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you can go into it, and it has become an iconic symbol of Brussels. (It’s either this, or the boy who pees.)
We didn’t go in, and our guide book said that it was not really worth the admittance fee, especially since most of what we were there for were the pictures and to grasp an understanding of the size.
We took the Metro out there, and the tram back. And honestly, it was worth the trip, even though it is a bit out of the way of the city centre.
The tram trip back made me see that Brussels as a city – might be nice to live in, as it went through residential neighborhoods that looked, affluent, to varying degrees, but also less cultural confusion between Flemish and French architectural styles .
