Ski trip with a little detour to space and inside an atom
- Lisa Olafsdottir
- Mar 9, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: May 31
It is hard to believe that the February half-term has already been and gone! They say time flies when you are having fun, that most definitely is the case here and now we are busy tying up any loose ends for the Easter trips, as our first March trip is only a week away. We should have just kept the suitcases down from the attic.
As always, Zell am See was amazing, Julie and Wayne's home away from home. They have been working with the same hotels for years, decades even. And it was wonderful to meet our generous hosts again, they will always go that extra mile to make us feel welcome and at home.
The school group did immensely well in their ski lessons while making many adventurous and fantastic new memories. I know our kids didn't want to leave and they knew they would have a fun-filled itinerary for the way home!
We always drive from Cardiff to Austria and back, it's a long way but good company, new scenery and activities make it worthwhile. We have made it our mission to see and stop somewhere new each time we drive across Europe. All the road signs, heritage signs and all the little towns we have driven past spark curiosity. Once Adam made me a printout ‘Road Atlas’ so I could read about all the places we were passing. Yes, this was before we took constant internet connection for granted. After having driven through Belgium on our way to Austria last year we realised we had never been to Brussels, nor given it any thought to stop by there. So, the research began on what to do in Belgium and specifically in Brussels with boys aged 14 and 11 (who would have been cooped up in a car for two solid days).
What kept coming back to us was the Euro Space Centre which promised a unique and immersive exploration of space and that visitors would be able to take "one small step" into the world of space and embark on an exciting journey of fun, adventure, and education. They aim to popularise science and educate visitors about space science through a range of activities. Our interest was sparked and off we went en route to Brussels which is only 90 minutes away from the Space Centre.
The Space Centre didn’t fail to deliver, the exhibits were truly fascinating and took us on an imaginary trip to space and most importantly, super-duper hands-on which always wins over my boys ... and husband! This journey unravelled the mysteries of the universe and explained what humankind has learned from our endeavours in space so far. Most excitingly we got to try out if we had what it takes to be a space hero by solving problems and exercises which aimed to draw out the qualities needed in an astronaut. The one on how to aim for the toilet while in space stands out and so do all the Space Tours and astronaut training simulators. The rotator was the most thrilling one where we stood by a wall and spun around at super speed and experienced our weight being tripled. Our boys were taken by surprise when we went through the exhibit on how we use space technology in everyday life. They learned how smoke alarms, foam mattresses, powdered foods, cordless hoovers, car airbags and many more come from space technology.
This would make an excellent school science tour with the Euro Space Centre’s wide range of interactive exhibits, exciting attractions, and engaging learning opportunities that I believe students will thoroughly enjoy. Pupils get to build rockets and experience realistic space mission simulations, discovering a world of wonder and knowledge. The mix of learning, hands-on practical experience and activities will help pupils learn to live and work like astronauts. On-site accommodation is available, it’s basic accommodation in the form of crew sleeping rooms with communal dining area, just like real astronauts. The flight simulators, Moon- and Mars walk experiences, Multi-Axis Chairs and pool would make this a learning opportunity like no other for young science enthusiasts. If there was a course for my age category, I would sign up ... maybe they do?!
Next stop, The City of Brussels which is a historical centre of the Brussels Capital Region and the capital of the Flemish Region and Belgium. It is also home to the administrative centre of the European Union but we were there to explore more light and fun things. As we only had one day to explore Brussels we decided to keep it simple. Brussels is famous for its cuisine and we were going for the basics; waffles, chocolate, French fries (did you know that there is an active dispute, are they French or Belgian?) and some of the numerous types of Belgian beer. We knew we would be in our element with this choice, Adam knew exactly where he wanted to go for a cheeky Belgian pint to tag on his precious UnTappd beer app! I bet Adam would love to come again on a beer tour!
Historical and architectural landmarks are abundant in Brussels, many of which are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One popular landmark is a sculpture fountain called Manneken Pis, the clue is in the name The Peeing Boy, our boys were keen to spot that little fountain. I read somewhere that it is one of the worst tourist traps in Europe, but since we knew we would probably walk by it, so why not stop and have a little look, with all the other hundreds of tourists?
That was our day in Brussels sorted, chocolate, chips, beer and the weeing boy. That’s what happens when you have teens in on the decision-making!
The Manneken Pis is the most famous of all of the peeing statues in Brussels, there are several weeing statues scattered across the city. The double pint size bronze statue was designed in 1388 and later moved to where it now stands in Brussels city centre in 1618 and was a fountain that played an essential role in the distribution of drinking water. Toward the end of the 17th century, the statue became more important to the people of Brussels and has gradually since become an image and symbol of the Brussels folklore, the innate joy of Brusselian and their capacity for self-mockery or zwanze as they call it in Brussels dialect. Zwanze is popular in Brussels and therefore nothing makes more sense than to have a dedicated official dresser who often dresses the little statue in various costumes and outfits. Little Manneken Pis is gifted about 20-30 outfits a year. That makes quite an impressive wardrobe which you can see for yourself if you visit the GardeRobe Manneken Pis.
Our one day in Brussels was first and foremost dedicated to the Atomium. Although we knew what we were about to see, we were still unsure of what to expect. The Atomium is a very unique structure and it is to Brussels what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and boy oh boy were we to find out. As we stepped out of the Metro there it was in all its shiny glory, bubbles resembling atoms towering high in the sky, 102 meters tall to be exact. The metal bubbles are each 18 meters in diameter and are home to various exhibitions and viewing platforms. Very fanciful, mid-century and wonderfully odd-looking thing.
The Atomium was constructed as the main attraction for the 1958 World's Fair. Its unique design resembles a body-centred cubic iron crystal, which was intended to celebrate the atomic age that followed the Second World War, while also paying homage to the Belgian metal industry. Despite being intended as a temporary installation, the Atomium has now become a heritage site that hosts cultural and exhibition spaces. In fact, over 50% of the Atomium's space is dedicated to exhibitions, with themes that focus on Belgium and digital arts. We enjoyed our visit to the Atomium and recommend it to others who are interested in history and culture.
We loved our day in Brussels and would love to come again and focus on the cartoon heritage, museums, galleries and more sightseeing.
Let us hear what Mattias had to say about our day in Brussels:
“In Brussels, my family did a few things like going to the Atomium which was cool. Inside there were a few things like in the first part which told us all about the history of the building and its backstory. In the second part, there was a crazy cool light show with music which was really long but worth it. We went up and found ourselves in a room of lights which was honestly pretty boring after the first light show. Once we finished there we went further up towards the top where we had an amazing view. When we were back down there was a lift that took us to the top with an even more amazing view over Brussels. After that, we went and got some chips in a cosy part of the city and they were amazing. You have to have chips when in Belgium because that is where they were invented. Then we did a little sightseeing and went through this massive square and found the statue of a baby having a wee. Apparently, it is a very famous fountain, it was very crowded over there. Then it got dark and there were cool light shows in many different places, it got really busy. All of Brussels seemed to be out for it. For dinner, we had a really nice burger from a place called Bro’s Burgers. I HIGHLY recommend it because it was lush!
And that was our trip in Brussels, overall, I enjoyed it and it was a new experience for me.”
Mattías Högni, February 2024.
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