Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - Manneken Pis, Brussels

The Manneken Pis, the "little boy of Brussels" is one of the city's most precious icons. As you can see from the above picture, this bronze sculpture of a little boy is gleefully doing what a boy's got to do. On certain occasions, the statue is dressed in different costumes from all over the world, accompanied by brass band music. Unfortunately, there were no such events when I visited the sculpture.

There are several legends explaining the history of the statue. I heard two different theories during my visit. The first legend literally explained that a little boy named Julien from Brussels saved the city from enemy explosive attacks by urinating on the burning fuses, pretty much in the same manner he portrays to this day. Another legend told a story where the little boy was the son of a wealthy merchantman who got lost and was found urinating in a small garden at the time. The Belgian nobelman had then showed his gratitude by giving this sculpture as a gift to the locals. What ever the real legend behind this statue, it’s worth checking it out when visiting Brussels.

Enough said, little Julien.... BIG piss !



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First Commenter

30 comments:

  1. Beautiful statue! You're a globe trotter huh?

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  2. ya lor, already round the world. Lucky you. Look forward for more vacation photos from you.

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  3. i like the statue's color, but i can't really understand the art of a pissing boy. :p

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  4. Mei Teng,
    i'm not exactly what you’d call a globetrotter, i mean not yet. there are still so many places i've yet to visit.

    btw, i've put up your avatar for being my FC today.:)

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  5. haha, i'm not fortunate enough to travel around the world, lina. i'd love to visit japan someday. LOL!

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  6. levian,
    it's extremely charming and there are many legends behind the statue. i find it hard to resist the history.

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  7. Hi there!

    LOL that is kinda naughty but it was interesting to know the two legends, I prefer the first one! :)

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  8. What a great shot! I too like the first legend!

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  9. Looks like "he" would be about 2 years old! While I prefer the first legend, the second is probably more likely! Amazing how naked statues are acceptable when photos aren't!

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  10. I have a shot of him dressed up in a tux!

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  11. Wow I love it. Lucky you getting to go there!!

    I am playing today too at both of my blogs.

    http://shinade.blogspot.com/2009/03/canadians-are-back-they-changed-their.html



    http://simplyshinade.blogspot.com/2009/03/midnight-cherry-and-full-moon.html

    Happy WW:-)

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  12. I've seen many photos of this little guy. I'd love an opportunity to see him in person.

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  13. Half Crazy,
    the statue does have an interesting legend behind it. thanks for stopping in.

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  14. Thanks so much East Coast Wahine. Happy day to you!

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  15. One mom,
    this will insult some of its readers greatly if nude photos are shown.
    have a wonderful wednesday!.

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  16. Beth F,
    that's awesome. too bad, i didn't get the chance to witness him in a different outfit. :(

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  17. Hi Shinade,
    your photos are always fabulous too. thanks for visiting today.

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  18. i know what you mean, Debbie. but there's nothing more satisfying and rewarding than taking pics of him. :)

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  19. very true, histories can get very interesting! what disturbed me was only the action. :)

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  20. No problem, looking forward to more of your posts! :)

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  21. I guess there are many, many legends about the Manneken ;-)

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  22. Well I guess this should be ok, it's only a boy and presumably someone who did something great. XD

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  23. levian,
    it's only a statue of a little boy peeing. I find it undeniable cute though. infact, it's greatly adored by the people of Brussels.:)

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  24. JL,
    it's acceptable to me to the point where the statue is beautiful with an interesting legend behind it.

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  25. In spite what you should think it is a very small statue. But it is a real symbol of our capital. ;-)
    greetings, Hilde

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