Mini Europe is a way to have fun, travel and learn about the countries of the Europe Union
Ever since the first time I was in Brussels, I had Mini Europe, located on the outskirts of the city between Leaken Park and the Atomium, on my list of things to see. This fabulous park tries to highlight and show off the values of Europe as you walk through pint sized replicas of the main attractions of European cities. The sign at the entrance tells you the distance from that point to the different capitals of Europe, and with that you begin your guided tour of the monuments, attractions, and details that any traveler will enjoy and appreciate.
The good part about the visit, or the bad part if you are the type of person who likes to go off on your own, is that the path is completely marked off, and thanks to the little pamphlet you get as you enter the park, you can follow along and learn about the famous places and miniatures on view. The visit begins with two important points in the construction of Europe: the building that is home to the European Commission, Parliament and the Cabinet Meetings and the house that allowed for the beginning of the European Union. After this, we began to see the miniatures of the different countries.
The huge number of the monuments, landmarks and buildings that we saw made us realize that there is still a lot of Europe to visit (and these are just the countries included in the European Union!) The first part of the visit allowed us to discover life in the Nordic countries and other countries in the North. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands surprised us with their houses, castles and most important buildings. We can´t wait to visit these countries and immerse ourselves in their history!
Belgium, which we had seen more of, was the next stop. Rediscovering cities like Gent, Brugge or Brussels on a small scale is an incredible sensation that only serves to remind you of and reinforce the excitement we felt seeing the real thing. With Great Britain and Ireland, we were given a good review of the charms of their cities. The Eurotunnel, English Parliament and other miniature English cities like Bath reminded us of the time we´d spent in Great Britain.
Our visit continued and in the end we had seen the biggest attractions and monuments of the 27 countries that make up the current European Union. There were two scenes that caught our attention. The first was the exhibit of what we might see in Spain, were you can see a miniature bull ring from Sevilla with its bull fighter and bull. It even makes a sound as you walk by, thus confirming the Spanish stereotype that exists abroad. The other was the miniature Mount Vesuvius where you stood on a little platform that vibrated (and relaxed you) as you literally felt the volcano erupt.
This park is perfect for children or older people, because it is a chance for us to learn, understand and fuel our desire to travel and discover new places. If you are like us, you might realize that some important monuments are missing, but it´s impossible to satisfy everone´s taste. Even so, you are sure to enjoy and being able to see so many miniature replicas is really impressive. We Ruskommend Mini Europe of Brussels with 4 boquerones and we invite you to visit if you have time on your visit to Brussels.
