Brussels

We spent only one day in Brussels, taking a tour of the city’s Art Nouveau architecture. Many neighborhoods in Brussels were built between the 1890s and the 1910s, when Art Nouveau was all the rage, and the city has hundreds of surviving buildings in that style. Art Nouveau was characterized by swirling curved lines, themes from nature (such as flowers and vines), and the use of modern materials (such as iron girders). Once we knew what to look for, we started seeing Art Nouveau touches on balconies, windows, and facades all over the city.