Brussels - the second most diverse city in the world.

In the space of eating a waffle on the streets of Brussels, we saw a guy wearing a top hat riding a bike, a homeless man rip up a loaf of bread and throw it in the gutter while yelling obscenities, and a whole lot of other weird and interesting sights. It was like the whole spectrum of human existence was passing our table with every skin tone, culture, subculture, sexuality, social class, and religion imaginable. The capital of the European Union is the second most diverse city in the world, after Dubai, with more than half its residents not born in Belgium.

Mural found on the streets of Brussels - destruction while flying a peace flag

Coming from Auckland, which is in the top five most diverse cities in the world, it was so refreshing to see an array of people who didn’t look like me. I felt at home among the multi-cultural vibrancy and it also meant we got to try an array of food. Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai - pretty much any cuisine you could imagine - is in Brussels. We are spoilt for choice in Auckland, and it isn’t until you leave, that you realise how much you miss being able to get good, cheap food which have its origins in different parts of the world.

We certainly indulged heavily in Belgian cuisine too eating a lot of crepes, waffles and drinking beer. In fact, Belgium has one of the most diverse selections of beers in the world, and some you must try while you are there are the beers brewed by Trappist monks who give the profits to charity - what better way to justify your borderline alcoholic drinking habits? One I particularly liked was the Chimay Rouge.

The food, the diversity, the culture - what’s not to like? Go to Brussels.

Arcade du Cinquantenaire