ZURICH and BRUSSELS

TIME FOR SWITZERLAND

Flat Hawkster was back on the train again after a great time in Cinque Terre, Italy.  He spent a long day  (8hrs) travelling to Zurich, Switzerland. The mountainous scenery made him a little sad as it reminded him of British Columbia but it was an awesome sight. When Flat Hawkster arrived in Zurich he discovered a number of things about this clean and orderly city.  It is the capital of Switzerland, with a population of over 2 million people in the metro area.  He really enjoyed the many street trams that arrived every few minutes to move him around the city. Zurich is a banking center for the world and one its wealthiest cities.  It is also one of the most expensive places to live.  Flat Hawkster found this out when he went out for his first meal and discovered that a hamburger would cost him $35!!!!   Initially, he thought he'd have to save money by regurgitating his food but he eventually found some cheaper places to eat.

This a picture in taken in the heart of the city where you can see a canal that
leads to lake Zurich along with a large clocktower.  The Swiss are famous
for their timepieces and many were on display.

Flat Hawkster visited a toy museum in Zurich and found out that the "Barbie"
doll was named after the daughter of a Swiss toymaker.

Despite the high prices,  Flat Hawkster went out to do some shopping.  There
were a lot of Swiss flags flying.  You can see the red and white one in this
picture.  It's a distinctive flag that features a white cross within a red background

You have to check out this video below.  It was taken in a stream where Flat Hawkster joined a number of locals who were soaking their tired feet.  There were fish in the stream and he just happened to have one of Hawthorne's underwater cameras on hand (Thanks Mrs. Ratzlaff!)  See what happens.

WORKING HIS MUSCLES IN BRUSSELS

After spending time in Zurich,  Flat Hawkster jumped on another train ride that took him to Brussels, Belgium.   The train ride was not as exciting as his previous trip through Switzerland but he did get to travel through 4 countries:  Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium.   Brussels is a large city that hosts the parliament for the E.U. (European Union).  This E.U. is a group of countries in Europe that work very closely with each other and use the same currency (the Euro).  This "union" makes it very easy for travellers to move from country to country without having to go through customs or change currency all the time.   

After binging on some tasty Belgian Waffles, Flat Hawkster made his way out to discover more about this city.  The first stop was the Atomium which is a structure that was built in 1958 for the World's Fair in Brussels.  It was an amazing site that Flat Hawkster first saw on an episode of The Amazing Race.  It features a groups of spheres/pods that are connected by arms that have stairs in them.  He had to go in.

The Atomium.

One of the arms leading up to another pod.   Each pod had an scientific
exposition to inform visitors on some of the issues surrounding the use
of water in the world.


A light show in one of the Atomium's arms.

Can you see Flat Hawkster?

In the picture below, Flat Hawkster is standing beside a beach that was created in the middle of the city in Brussels.  The city trucks in tons of sand, puts up palm trees and brings in restaurants to re-create a fun beach atmosphere,  There was even beach volleyball and soccer.  It was a great scene near the large canal that has turned Brussels into a seaport.

During his time in Brussels, Flat Hawkster found out that Belgium has produced a number of famous comic strips.  So many in fact that they have a large museum dedicated to the authors and illustrators who created them.  It was a great visit where Hawkster had a chance to check in with some of the characters.  Did you know that The Smurfs were created in Belgium?  There is another famous comic strip character from Belgium that you might know.  He just had a movie released last year that included his loyal dog.  Can you guess who it is?  See answer below.

The answer is TinTin.  The world famous character who has been solving mysteries since the 1940's.

THANKS FOR READING EVERYBODY.  THIS BLOG HAS HAD OVER 200 VISITS AND FLAT HAWKSTER APPRECIATES YOUR TIME. IF YOU WOULD LIKE SHARE AN IDEA, MAKE A SUGGESTION OR ASK A QUESTION JUST CLICK ON "COMMENT" BELOW.  HOPE EVERYONE IS ENJOYING THEIR SUMMER!