Atomium, Flea Market, Fête de la BD... biking around Brussels

Yesterday it was very sunny so I decided to go for a bike ride in the morning to enjoy the day. I went to the Atomium, one of the big tourist attractions in Brussels, which consists of a huge metallic-looking structure representing an atom. I didn't go in because I wanted to spend the day outside and save the 8 euros of admission fee, but it was nonetheless a pleasant trip. The Atomium is very shiny on a sunny day (and at night too, thanks to the lights they turn on at sundown).

Later in the day I joined Courtney (an American girl from Florida/California I met through Couch Surfing) at the Flea Market at Place Jeu de Balle. It was interesting to see how much random stuff can be together in the same public square. The prices are not cheap, specially if you are chatting in English and look like a tourist, but the view is quite peculiar. From old cameras, to China, to 70's furniture, you could find mostly anything there. One very annoying thing: many of the salesmen don't seem to understand that flirting with the clients has the opposite effect than they intend. I am beginning to become very irritated with the catcalls here and there. Oh, Canada, I miss you!

In the late evening it was time to go to the Light Show at Fête de la BD. It was short and sweet, 25 min of fun with tons of Tintin and fireworks and lights and live music. The funniest (but not necessarily the most fun) part was in the end, after the grand finale, they forgot to turn off the displays before shutting down windows (I was surprised they didn't use Mac for that) and the "Windows is shutting off" message was projected on all four walls at the Place Royale. Very anticlimactic.