"As the heart of the city, I find the Grand-Place an expansive UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounded by fairytale-like Baroque guildhalls, home to the Town Hall and the King’s House/Bread House (now the Brussels City Museum); though its history goes back to the 11th century, it was largely destroyed in the Nine Years War and rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries, and today it hosts many events—most notably the festive Christmas Market, winter light show, and the massive Flower Carpet every two years in August that uses half a million begonias." - Matthew Kepnes