Brussels feels less like a vibrant city and more like a grand museum of the EU.

Brussels is more like an EU exhibition hall than a living city. Taking the subway from the city center to the Atomium, I have to say, the distance between Brussels subway stations is incredibly short. Every time the train stopped, Mao suddenly realized, "We're here, we're here!" and we both hurried off. There was a small country music concert in front of the Atomium, with stalls selling food, drinks, and various goods. A charming vintage car, radiating girlish charm, attracted many people eager to take photos. The Atomium is spectacular at first glance, truly massive, a marvel of geometric mechanics. It becomes even more stunning after dark. We initially planned to visit the Jourdan Market, drawn by the promise of the famous Antoine's fries, a Belgian specialty. However, after a long, hungry trek, we discovered Antoine's fries was… closed. Fortunately, it's a market with a wide array of food: bread, cheese, meat, various olives, fruits, ready-to-eat meals, and freshly prepared hot dishes. We finally settled on garlic butter prawns and oysters. The oysters were €8 for 3, and the vendor proudly declared them to be the famous French Gillardeau oysters, encouraging us to Google it if we didn't believe him. Skeptical but hungry, we decided to give them a try. While not as plump as those in online photos, they were still satisfying. Mao raved about the garlic butter prawns, completely ignoring my teasing remark, "Aren't you the one who doesn't eat 'hairy sea caterpillars'?" He even asked for another piece of bread to soak up the sauce. The prawns were truly delicious and fresh. From Midi station, we took bus 105 (or perhaps a different number) and walked for 10 minutes to reach the Waterloo battlefield. The one-way fare was €7 per person. The bus didn't stop at every station. After leaving the city, it followed a tree-lined road, offering a scenic view of the suburbs. Brussels offers two types of combination tickets for attractions. One includes museums and the Lion's Mound, while the other also covers the distant Wellington Museum. Due to time constraints, we chose the ticket with fewer attractions. The entrance to the attractions is located within the Memorial 1815 museum.