Brussels Flower Carpet: a million begonias tying the room together.

In just two weeks I’ll be visiting Brussels for the first time on a day tour. (Whoop!) While Grand Place’s begonia celebration pictured above won’t be going on, chocolate, waffles, and a couple palaces shouldn’t be the hardest compromise.

Here are a few facts I enjoyed learning about the gorgeous Brussels Flower Carpet:

– It happens every two years in August (it opens next on Aug. 14, 2012)

– The event first started in 1971

– The carpet’s pattern consists of a million begonias

– According to the official website, a hundred skilled gardeners assemble the pre-planned design in less than four hours

– Grand Place, Brussels’ central square where the event takes place, dates back to the 1100’s

As a sidenote, here’s a Popular Science article explaining our distaste for Brussels Sprouts, which, as mentioned, I only began liking in 2010.