Running with PIGS in Europe

After a busy day of interviews, we had a chance to head down to the main square or Grand Place (check) in Brussels – the bustling tourist heart of the old city where you’ll find hordes of camera-toting tourisrs from all around the world gathered around the famous statue of the little boy peeing.

Aside from being much smaller than I expected, the statue that is, both Zhang Feifei and I were surprised by how much the city’s tourist traps were ready to ensnare a new kind of customer – the Chinese tourist.

Signs in Chinese encouraging customers to taste some Belgian chocolate before buying, clingy touts out the front of “mussel” restaurants – giving the girls who work at Xiushui or Yashow a run for their money, with the “hello socks” switched for “ni haos” – it seems the age of the Chinese consumer has already arrived.

Wandering the streets, there was definitely a notable presence of tourists from China – some in groups others travelling independently – and many more than either of us had encountered in Madrid, Lisbon or Athens.

One other passing observation, just off the main square, we came across a monument (see image below0. It seems that visitors rub certain sections of the statue for good luck – the sections that shine from all the rubbing. This reminded me of similar sites in some Chinese temples – including this image which I snapped at Beijing’s Baiyun Temple during Spring Festival two or three years ago.