Exploring Brussels.

Brussels is Belgium's capital and home of chocolate, beer, waffles, and, well, a lot of red tape, is not exactly a secret. Congratulations, Brussels is practically ideal for you if you have ever considered the existential weight of European Union laws while sipping a Trappist beer in a European city.

First off, the food is pretty clear-cut. Fundamentally, Belgian waffles are the unofficial greeting of the city. Whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate, or just about anything your sugar-addled brain can dream up will get them for you. And yes, the chocolate is authentic. This isn't the sad chocolate you buy at a gas station; this is chocolate that could probably solve most of life's problems if you let it dissolve in your mouth long enough. Then there's the beer. Belgium is serious about its beer, which is a nice way of saying get ready for 12% ABV bottles that look like they could double as paperweights. Local pubs are lovely, full of personality, and probably make you wonder why you never left your work to become a full-time beer taster.

From a tourist perspective, you really have to see the Grand Place. It's absurdly decorative, steeped in history, and sometimes so busy you start to grasp why the EU chose to conduct all those conferences somewhere a bit less nerve-wracking. The square is great for photography, people-watching, and discreetly judging visitors who are snapping 43 selfies with the same statue. Regarding statues, absolutely, you have to view Manneken Pis. That is a little boy peeing, yet it is considered a national symbol. Seeing it in person humbly reminds you that Belgium has a distinct sense of humour and that your own expectations of "famous monuments" could be a little naive.

Brussels is a city of paradoxes as well. While some chocolate stores cause you to doubt your decisions, coffee shops let time seem to slow down. On the other hand, you're struggling to locate the correct recycling bin while EU institutions house serious-looking individuals speaking simultaneously in three languages. Like making friends with someone who has a huge PhD but also owns three cats that sometimes judge you, it's delightfully messy and somewhat scary.

If you appreciate art, there are museums; yet, truthfully, the comic book murals found throughout the city are often more entertaining. Belgium gave the world Tintin, and every vibrant corner mural and quirky sculpture shows it. Explore the streets and you'll come across them, usually when you least anticipate it. It's like the city is laughing at you and saying, "Relax, you're on vacation, try not to overthink everything."

Though Brussels may not be as immediately romantic as Paris or as spectacularly picturesque as the Alps, it possesses a subtle beauty that surprises you. It's the sort of place where you chuckle at its oddities, value its luxuries, and perhaps even see that a little statue of a peeing youngster somehow encapsulates the spirit of a nation.

Eat the chocolate, sip the beer, take the selfies, then let Brussels do its subtle magic. Though you might depart with a few extra pounds and a moderate beer hangover, you will also leave with tales almost too strange to be real.