Brussels' 'Little Man Pee' or as locals know him, Mannekin Pis

Located just some hundreds of feet from the Brussels' central square, at the intersection of Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat, is a small, 2-foot tall statue of a little boy urinating in a fountain. A Belgian landmark.

Know in Dutch as Mannekin Pis and in French as le Petit Julien, the little boy is one of legends. One of the many and most famous legends regarding his existence involves Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. It states that "in 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke (now Neder-over-Heembeek). The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle."

Our little boy wonder is known for his ever-changing attire. He's quite the trendy little fellow. His costume is changed several times each week and his wardrobe is cared for by a local non-profit, The Friends of Mannekin Pis. 

In October 2009, Alaina and I happen to catch him in his seemingly Arab-inspired wardrobe.

Little Mannekin Pis is so trendy.

Little boy legend. Literally. This one is to show scale of size.

Considering he's been standing around, peeing, since 1618, his closet must be gigantic.

I think he should dress as Mickey Mouse one day. What do you think?

Portugal is beautiful! Vamos para Lisboa!

Lisbon in February, 2009. Yes, the sun was shining in Lisbon in February! I was elated to be able to walk around in sunglasses and a tank top.

Here is a view of the beautiful Rio Tejo, which runs through Spain and Portugal, from the Belem Tower, which is a UNESCO world heritage site "because of the significant role it played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries of the era of the Age of Discoveries. The tower was commissioned by King John II to be both part of a defense system at the mouth of the Tagus River and a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon."

Here is the "Momument to the Discoveries" (another UNESCO world heritage site), overlooking the Tagus River. The red bridge in the background is the 25 de Abril bridge, which was built by the same company that constructed the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge. Across the water is the monument of Christ the King, located in the town of Almada. This is similar to the statue in Brazil.

So, vamos para Lisboa! Anyone?