Some interesting facts about Brussels...

• Belgium has over 400 different types of beer. Trappist monks make some of the most famous.

• Brugge is the home of Europe's first stock exchange.

• Brugge is known as the 'Venice of The North' because of its many canals.

• The saxophone was invented by the Belgian, Adolphe Sax.

• Roller-skating was invented by Joseph Merlin, a Belgian, back in 1760.

• Brussels Sprouts have been grown in the fields surrounding Brussels for the last 400 years.

• The Atomium is a giant lattice of iron crystals magnified 165 billion times! It weighs 2400 tonnes!

• There are many stories about the origin of the Manneken Pis. One is that in the 14th century Brussels was under siege and explosives had been laid around the city walls. A small boy urinated on the fuse thus saving the city!

• Many people mistakenly call the large park in the centre of Brussels the Parc Royal when actually it is called Parc de Bruxelles.