# WeLoveBrussels
Summer in Brussels by Karolina Buzaljko
Karolina Buzaljko is a public affairs consultant focusing on local economic development and European affairs. She is the founder of the Europolitan Trends, initiative advocating regional and local dimensions of imaginative European cities, businesses and tourism. Karolina has lived and worked in Belgium, The USA, Germany, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Poland.
Everyone who stayed behind in a city during hot summer days knows that staying and working, while‘ everyone else seems to be enjoying their holidays’ could be tough. This is where open spaces, cultural events and city imagination come into rescue providing some great urban escapes. Brussels has all three of those, offering plenty of inspirational summer outings within the orbit of its metropolis. This allows city dwellers and visitors alike to enjoy their urban summer time.
However, in Brussels more than in other places, it is important to know your way around. Otherwise, one could easily get lost within the maze of narrow cobblestoned streets and buildings that seem empty to an amateur eye. Therefore, if you are staying in Brussels this summer, prepare yourself for a time full of unexpected experiences, explore the unexplored and be open-minded. While you are looking for your favorite spots, I warmly invite you to check out my favorite parks, museums and summer terraces, Now get a large map, some comfy shoes and a lot of free time to discover and enjoy.
Parks Brussels may leave the impression of a concrete jungle without a lot of greenery, but during long summer days parks are beyond doubt real jewels of the city. More than likely you have already visited big green lungs of the city— such as Royal Park, Cinquantenaire or Botanique— where numerous interesting events take place during summer months. However, hundreds of other public parks are finely tucked away in popular and less-popular neighborhoods of Brussels. These parks are less known but equally beautiful. Warm, sunny days are great for exploring the ones that you have not visited before. My very favorite parks are Square du Petit Sablon, Egmontpark, Parc l’ Abbe Froidure and Abbaye de la Cambre to name a few.
Museums What is your first thought when thinking of Brussels? It is probably something along the lines of the European Union or NATO. Well, with more than 100 museums in the city and numerous artists settling in Brussels, cultural scene is thriving too. Brussels’ museums have recently united with the aim to promote the permanent collections of the museums. Participating museums have selected their most valued masterpieces into an ongoing exhibition under one name: # 100masters. I encourage everyone who has a bit of time to go and see it on inevitable rainy days. The exhibition will be open until the end of August. It is impossible for me to pinpoint my favorite museum; however, if I were you I would start my exploration at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Urban Gardens Brussels is an imaginative city, which adapts to the needs of its residents; it is expanding its urban, summer offer, creatively converting its parking lots into temporary summer terraces. Actions like this prove that there are unlimited possibilities for transforming our cities into enjoyable urban spaces. I warmly invite anyone who happens to be in Brussels this summer to check them out. City gardens, rooftops and terraces become summer entertainment oasis. Besides being environmentally friendly, they offer plenty of benefits too, such as: relaxation, entertainment, aesthetics, and privacy.
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