{"id":1297,"date":"2011-04-19T18:20:17","date_gmt":"2011-04-19T22:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.singleoccupancyblog.com\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2023-12-27T21:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T01:35:11","slug":"5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons It’s Okay to Love the Manneken Pis"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I arrived in Brussels I had no fixed plans. I had prepared myself to walk around and simply explore and find the city\u2019s treasures on my own. However, there was one well-known attraction that didn\u2019t interest me in the least. Call me stuffy or call me a prude but at no time did I have any intention of seeking out Brussels\u2019 most famous resident: the Manneken Pis.<\/p>\n

At first I just didn\u2019t get the allure. Yeah, a statue that pees. Big deal! <\/strong>There are tons of statues out there that pee, right? I don\u2019t need to spend my valuable travel time to see that. But on my first day, trying to navigate my way from the Grand Place to Rue Anspach so I could catch the Metro back to my hostel, I stumbled upon a crowd of people buzzing about a nondescript street corner. Curiosity got the best of me and I approached. There he was in all his naked, peeing glory: the Manneken himself.<\/p>\n

If his popularity confounded me before, now I was downright flummoxed.<\/p>\n

Is that all?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Seriously?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s this tiny statue\u2014from tip to toe the Manneken is barely 2 feet tall\u2014tucked into a street corner spouting water from his wee-wee while the tourist hordes file in and out all day long just to take a picture.<\/p>\n

With time, though, I learned to love that cheeky little cherub with the big bladder.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You see, after I first encountered the Manneken, I spent a few days traveling around Belgium . And when I got back to Brussels with four days left before I flew home, I inexplicably kept finding myself on the Manneken\u2019s street corner. Maybe it was because I knew there were two competing 1Euro waffle stands across from each other right next to the statue where I could cheaply satisfy my full-on addiction to those hot, sugary confections. \u00a0Maybe. But I think the allure of the Manneken endures because there really is something special about it (either that or brilliant tourism marketing).\u00a0 After I thought about it a little more, I counted five reasons why it\u2019s okay to love the Manneken Pis.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s accessible<\/h2>\n

You have to pay to gain entry to many of the attractions around Belgium.\u00a0 A visit to the Rubenhuis in Antwerp will set you back 6 Euro, and then you can\u2019t take pictures inside. The new Magritte Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels? 13 Euro. The Manneken Pis you can visit day or night and it\u2019s totally free. Plus with all his fame, the Manneken doesn\u2019t mind all the paparazzi and he never tries to hide from all the flashbulbs with weird disguises. Oh, wait\u2026yes he does\u2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
He’s got a massive closet full of clothes from all over the world!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u2019s a fashion icon<\/h2>\n

From time to time, the Manneken gets dressed to the nines but he never stops doing what he does best. During one of the days I spent in Brussels, he was fully clothed in a Portuguese costume, complete with an opening for his winky-winky. I visited the city museum a day or two later and discovered that the Manneken has a walk-in closet to rival even the most intrepid fashionista\u2019s.<\/p>\n

He brings people together<\/h2>\n

If you stayed at the corner of Rue du Ch\u00e8ne and Rue de l\u2019\u00c9tuve for a full day, you\u2019d see tourists from all nationalities, races, and languages filing past the Manneken Pis. And their reactions are almost always the same (is that all?<\/em>) It\u2019s a beautiful thing to observe people who don\u2019t share the same language or nationality or race taking pictures of each other in front of the Manneken. Although they go their separate ways after the photo op, in that moment differences become inconsequential. And who do we have to thank for that? That\u2019s right–the little bronze statue with his pee-pipe hangin\u2019 out.<\/p>\n

He knows how to party<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a rumor floating around (unsubstantiated, but still) that on special occasions, the Manneken spouts beer from his tinkle-tube. That\u2019s right: beer. Although I think that\u2019s a perfectly good waste of some good Belgian beer, it shows that although he\u2019s close to 400 years old, the Manneken still knows how to relax and have a good time.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the symbol of a city\u2026and maybe a nation<\/h2>\n

It wasn\u2019t until I\u2019d spent a few days in Brussels (and damn if I just kept visiting and re-visiting the Manneken) that I began to understand. The Bruxellois don\u2019t take life too seriously. Yes, they know how to work hard, but when work is done, they know how to leave it behind and really enjoy their leisure. They love their freedom and embrace their liberty. And the Manneken simply personifies that attitude.<\/p>\n

So go ahead and love Brussels or hate it, the city really couldn\u2019t care less.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
I even posed for a photo with the Little Boy Piss<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the end of my nine days in Belgium, I made it a point to return one last time to visit the cheeky, impertinent, irreverent icon who encapsulates the spirit of Brussels and perhaps the entire nation. Just as I\u2019d hated Brussels when I arrived, I developed a new appreciation for both the city and its emblem by the time I left.<\/p>\n

So if you ever travel to Brussels, go ahead–play the tourist and visit the Manneken Pis. But do it more than once\u2014like Brussels itself, the Manneken improves on closer acquaintance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I arrived in Brussels I had no fixed plans. I had prepared myself to walk around and simply explore and find the city\u2019s treasures on my own. However, there was one well-known attraction that didn\u2019t interest me in the least. Call me stuffy or call me a prude but at no time did I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5,6],"tags":[29,36,38,44,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-1297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-belgium","8":"category-destinations","9":"category-europe","10":"tag-advice","11":"tag-attractions","12":"tag-belgium","13":"tag-brussels","14":"tag-thoughts","15":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wanderlust for One\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marsha S.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marsha S.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marsha S.\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8\"},\"headline\":\"5 Reasons It’s Okay to Love the Manneken Pis\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":965,\"commentCount\":15,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"advice\",\"attractions\",\"belgium\",\"brussels\",\"thoughts\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Belgium\",\"Destinations\",\"Europe\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/\",\"name\":\"5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8\"},\"description\":\"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/destinations\\\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/staging\\\/3560\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Reasons It’s Okay to Love the Manneken Pis\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wanderlust for One\",\"description\":\"The world on your own terms\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8\",\"name\":\"Marsha S.\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marsha S.\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wanderlustforone.com\\\/staging\\\/3560\\\/author\\\/admin01\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One","description":"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One","og_description":"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.","og_url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/","og_site_name":"Wanderlust for One","article_published_time":"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00","author":"Marsha S.","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marsha S.","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/"},"author":{"name":"Marsha S.","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8"},"headline":"5 Reasons It’s Okay to Love the Manneken Pis","datePublished":"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/"},"wordCount":965,"commentCount":15,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["advice","attractions","belgium","brussels","thoughts"],"articleSection":["Belgium","Destinations","Europe"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/","url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/","name":"5 Reasons It's Okay to Love the Manneken Pis - Wanderlust for One","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2011-04-19T22:20:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-28T01:35:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8"},"description":"After thinking about it (a lot), it turns out there are five reasons why it's okay to enjoy Brussels' most famous and infamous attraction: the Manneken Pis.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/destinations\/5-reasons-its-okay-to-love-the-manneken-pis\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Reasons It’s Okay to Love the Manneken Pis"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/","name":"Wanderlust for One","description":"The world on your own terms","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/#\/schema\/person\/77a3776042a5b7255cc1b8a49e9abff8","name":"Marsha S.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d919a3767761082264ae9c7771962155719930e3f08f40c197362c0ad6df92f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Marsha S."},"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/author\/admin01\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Marsha S.","author_link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/author\/admin01\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1619,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/belgium-and-my-waffle-a-day-diet\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":0},"title":"Belgium and My Waffle-a-Day Diet","author":"Marsha S.","date":"July 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Let's hear it for the humble waffle. The delicacy, found on pretty much any street corner in the main tourist areas of Brussels, Antwerp, and Brugge, became a staple of my daily diet during the ten days I spent in Belgium. It all started very innocently when I was coming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vitalgaufre waffle, Belgium","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/belgium-brussels-vitalgaufre-wafel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/belgium-brussels-vitalgaufre-wafel.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/belgium-brussels-vitalgaufre-wafel.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1437,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/riding-the-rails-in-belgium\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":1},"title":"Riding the Rails in Belgium","author":"Marsha S.","date":"May 25, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"While some wince at the idea of traveling anywhere by train, I welcome the opportunity to sit back and watch the world flow past my window like a moving picture. So when it came time to travel from city to city on my recent trip to Belgium, I knew that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-train-station1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-train-station1.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-train-station1.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1654,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/flirting-food-and-a-view-from-the-top-in-brussels\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":2},"title":"Flirting, Food, and A View From The Top in Brussels","author":"Marsha S.","date":"July 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I suck at flirting. Seriously. I put the \u201csingle\u201d in single occupancy. On the day I returned to Brussels from a few days in Antwerp and Brugge, the day was gray and cold and I\u2019d grown weary of lugging my behemoth backpack around the country. Cranky and chilled to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Old England building in Brussels.ee","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/belgium-brussels-old-england-building.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1206,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/14-things-about-belgium\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":3},"title":"14 Things No One Tells You About Traveling to Belgium","author":"Marsha S.","date":"April 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever you plan a trip, there are lots of resources in print and online for all the various things you might want to see and do. As I prepared to travel to Belgium, I did a lot of reading about which attractions were worth visiting, where I could eat the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/belgium-brussels-grote-markt-grand-place.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/belgium-brussels-grote-markt-grand-place.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/belgium-brussels-grote-markt-grand-place.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1697,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/memories-of-antwerp\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":4},"title":"Memories of Antwerp","author":"Marsha S.","date":"August 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Although I\u2019m not a blonde, I felt every bit like Goldilocks sampling Belgian cities like the porridge of the three bears. Brugge was too hot. Too much activity and too many people in the city center. I enjoyed my trip off the beaten path but I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d go\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/belgium-antwerp-antwerpen-grote-markt-brabo-fountain.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1458,"url":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/destinations\/dealing-with-disappointment-in-brugge\/","url_meta":{"origin":1297,"position":5},"title":"Dealing With Disappointment In Brugge","author":"Marsha S.","date":"June 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I knew I\u2019d have a strong reaction to Brugge. As the single most visited city in Belgium, I had great expectations for Brugge as a destination and figured it would be a traveler\u2019s wonderland. The scant research I\u2019d done before my trip told me to expect one of Europe\u2019s most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Belgium"","block_context":{"text":"Belgium","link":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/category\/destinations\/belgium\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/belgium-brugge-bruges-grote-markt-tour-bus-600x4502.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/belgium-brugge-bruges-grote-markt-tour-bus-600x4502.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wanderlustforone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/belgium-brugge-bruges-grote-markt-tour-bus-600x4502.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5145,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions\/5145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderlustforone.com\/staging\/3560\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}