Yes, that statue is doing what you think it’s doing. The educated know that Brussels, Belgium is the center of the European Union. The slightly irreverent (which would include myself), know that Brussels is the location of the famed Manneken Pis Statue.

I’m a sucker for kitsch. If you have a landmark in your hometown that is well-known, tacky and very touristy, chances are you’ll find me there when I’m in town. Yes I do go visit the more “cultured” attractions a city has to offer, but there is something very fun about seeing, in this case, Jerome Duquesnoy (the name of the statue) taking a leak for travelers from around the globe.

Brussels is boring. It’s a political city, which means that it is full of bureaucrats and politicians – the antithesis of fun people. This statue is exactly what Brussels needs to liven up the place.

I found myself in Brussels en route to Amsterdam via Paris. Brian and I had a few hours to kill in between. So we searched for this iconic of landmarks.

We encountered some difficulty locating the statue because the map we had wasn’t so great. But after wandering for a bit we encountered Manneken Pis. Now before you start thinking that this is a gross and inappropriate statue, consider this. Countries from around the world send the statue cultural costumes to wear. These costumes are rotated on an ongoing basis. If memory serves me well, the photo from above has a Norwegian Costume. When not being worn, the costumes are housed in a nearby museum. We didn’t have time to check it out. This is probably Belgium’s most famous tourist attraction, seriously.

Besides Jerome, there isn’t much to see here really. After you fight through the mob of people to get your photo of the statue peeing on you, you leave.

Before leaving, I purchased a small statue for my brother and for myself. We both have the same sense of potty humor. In fact, all through the street corner you can find various items such as statues, ash trays, playing cards, thimbles and spoons of this urinating child.

The statue does have a history to it. Several tales tell of a battle between two armies that, depending on the version, end up with a boy peeing on the opposing army or burning fuse and saving the day. It is thought that the real reason the statue was created came from a legend of a mother who found her lost child peeing in a street corner to the relief of the townspeople (and I’m sure the child). It’s quintessentially European, what can I say? Or should I say, Europeein’ ? Hahahahaha

Afterwards we went on a scouting mission to find Jeanneke Pis. While Manneken Pis was constructed in 1619, someone thought there should be equal time for equal sexes. Built in 1987, Jeanneke Pis is located down a narrow, dark alley behind a cage. It’s the kind of setting found in movies, just before the main characters are attacked. Even though we went during the day, it was creepy.

Poor Jeanneke Pis is in a rather compromising pose. While most are familiar with the peeing boy, many less know about his younger sister – and for good reason.

Europe is full of irreverent, shocking and fun tourist sites. What’s the most irreverant tourist site you’ve ever encountered? Comment below. And when you’re done, become a fan on facebook here.

Sometimes when I am reading through books, magazines or websites there are places in the world that I see and I say, “I would love to go there, but I’ll never make it”. The Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France was one of those places. Why was it so difficult? Simply because it is far from Paris and removed from the normal tourist route. In order to visit the Abbey travelers must board a train to nowhere. Arriving in a little town called Pontorson, they must board a city bus to the Mont Saint Michel. The logistics of timing it all turn off many. With a risky spirit and some luck, Brian and I took the chance for a once in a lifetime moment.

The Mont Saint Michel is ancient. It was built in the 8th century. Think about that for a moment. It is over a millenia old. It makes the historical sights in the United States seem pretty insignificant. When the U.S. was “born” the Mont Saint Michel was marking 1,000 years of existence. Visiting this French Landmark is like taking a trip in a time machine. Old-timey shops (like the sandwich maker sign on Sunday), line cobblestone streets, barely wide enough for my little Hyundai Elantra to drive through.

The most striking element of the Mont Saint Michel is it’s proximity to land. It is located on a pseudo-island, surrounding by Mud Flats and the ocean. When the tide is low, travelers can visit the rocky island and tour the medieval shops and cathedrals scattered on the island. Brian and I took a guided tour to truly appreciate the majesty and beauty of this landmark. Remember how I said this is a difficult place to reach? This became strikingly apparent during our walk on the island.

Most backpackers elect not to visit the Mont Saint Michel because it is well off the beaten path. If you would like to visit it, your best bet is to take a join a tour group. Tourists on most of these tour groups are about 65-70 years of age. Good for them for fulfilling their dreams to explore France! I guess what I am saying is don’t expect to find a companion to share that sleeper cabin with on your way back to Paris. That’s what Amsterdam is for.

When the tide is high, water completely surrounds the island. In fact, there are signs in the parking lot warning you not to park your car there after a particular time because the high tides will drown it. In fact, visiting hours are sometimes scheduled around the tides because the road to the island becomes impassable. Here you can see how how far removed the island is from society. Pontorson is way off in the distance.

The island’s church is still active. Priests and nuns still live on the island and hold services. I’d venture to say that this place is perhaps more amazing of a church than Notre Dame just because of it’s setting.

The return to Paris was slightly different than the way there. Since there are only a few trains to the city each day, we had to take a bus for about an hour to another itty bitty town to catch the last train back to Paris. Timing is critical. If you miss your train you’re sleeping on the platform – seriously. At the end of the day, it’s well worth the effort to see one of the most eye-catching landmarks in all of France.

Where would you like to go that’s impossible? And more importantly, what are you doing to get there?

A few years back I broke one of my cardinal rules of traveling. Since most trips are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, I believe that it is worth saving the few extra dollars ahead of time to indulge while you are on your vacation. Skip dining out Friday night, cook something instead and put that $40 into your vacation savings account (you do have a vacation savings account, right?)

Leaving a country saying, “I wish I had done…” is not a fond memory to have. Don’t be cheap. Such was the case on a trip in 2005 to Notre Dame Cathedral. Brian wanted to climb up to the top, but I suggested we save our cash to keep expenses down. He was slightly disappointed, but we moved on. Boy was that a mistake. Four years later we were still talking about how we wished we would have spent the measly 10 bucks and climbed to the top.

Last year we returned to Paris after a business trip I took out there. We had a few days to explore the city and correct the mistakes we made in the past. Believe it or not, the first thing we did to ensure we did not miss it, was climb to the top of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame is ancient. There is a somewhat surreal feeling climbing the spiral staircase to the top of the bell towers. The stone steps are worn in the middle from thousands upon thousands of feet walking on them for centuries of history. I can only imagine the stories this church could tell if it could talk. It must have been witness to so many historically significant events from Medieval Europe.

The protectors of the church are the stone gargoyles that decorate nearly every opportune space along the church walls. For the photographer in me, this was magic. Just look at this pensive creature…

My favorite is this one. If you look closely, you can see the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The trip to the top of Notre Dame Cathedral was only a few dollars and worth the trip. The best times to go are in the early morning or late evening. The lines are not as long and the lighting is more conducive to taking great shots. More photos can be found at my Flickr site.

Visiting Europe is like taking a trip through time. We all know and say that the United States is a young country. But to truly understand how young we are, Paris will put it all in perspective for you.

Jeff Noel, the author of Lane 8.org, is currently in Finland at the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships. He’s in Finland as we speak. How exciting is that? An adventure happening in real-time! Jeff has trained for years to compete on the world stage. He’s doing it for several reasons, chief among them is for his son.

What I like about this story, besides the fact that it takes place far from home, is the commitment, drive, motivation, perseverance and satisfaction he has from reaching his goal. He made the decision to shoot for the stars and he did it. When was the last time you did something like that? Most of us say we want to do all these things, but the reality is, we never do.

Not Jeff. He did it.

Not me, I’m doing it.

What about you?

What are you doing today, right now, to fulfill your dreams? If you answered “no”, then you probably know what you need to do next…

Lane 8.org says, “If Your Goal Isn’t Impossible, You’re Not Reaching High Enough.” What do you think of that?

Good Luck Jeff!

Several years ago a roommate of mine backpacked to Europe for a few months and I became enamored with the fantasy of saving every penny, boarding a train to destinations unknown and discovering old Europe. Given my propensity for planning, the destinations unknown part became a more tightly crafted itinerary of must-see attractions, but the spirit was still there.

Think about all the signs you see each day when you drive: Stop Signs, Yield Signs, Rotary Signs (Or Roundabout or Traffic Circles, depending on where you are from) and Crosswalk Signs. Today’s signs comes to you from Munich, Germany. There are several signs on this post, but the one we found most comedic was the center one – the man walking down the steps.

This sign is for the U-Bahn Station, the Munich Metro – thus the big “U”. The man walking down the steps denotes the entrance to the station, an under-road pedestrian crosswalk. We thought it resembled those old Spy vs. Spy cartoons. Every time we went down the steps we crept eerily and stealthily, just like the spies would. It seemed very 1940′s like. Especially the hat. Who wears hats like that anymore? Even the placement of his arms and hand suggests that he’s not just walking like a regular person, but instead, something is very different about this man. He’s up to no good.

We still talk about this sign today whenever we see a new crosswalk sign in a new city. Have you seen any strange road signs? Comment below.

Whenever I travel I take a lot of photographs, more than the average person I would say. Photography is a hobby of mine. And while I’m not quite the professional I want to be, I have gotten better.

This photo here is one of my favorites. Everyone who visits Paris has the necessary “I was here”, shot directly in front of the Eiffel Tower. I have several of those myself too. But this photo tells a different story.

There are several elements that I like about this photo. The first is it’s use of color. The blue sky and red awning are bold and make the photo “pop out”.

The second element is the placement of the tower. The sides of the nearby buildings draw the eye towards the center where the tower is located.This photo was taken after having walked through the city on our way to the tower for lunch. Sometimes wandering off the beaten path has it’s surprises and this was one of them.

After making our way around a corner the Eiffel Tower just popped into view amidst the hustle and bustle of ordinary, daily life of the Parisians. I think this photo shows a different perspective of the Eiffel Tower than we are used to seeing. It’s no longer the landmark that tourists from around the globe flock to, but rather a piece of the skyline that is as commonplace as the Pharmacy and Hotel signs dotting the road.

The next time you are photographing landmarks, consider straying a few blocks and compose your photo within a different context. You’ll have a unique, one-of-a-kind photo and you might discover a hidden treasure in the city! We found a delightful shop that provided us with bread, meats and cheese for our picnic at the base of the tower.

Someday I will get around to selling my photos. I haven’t quite figured out a decent, cost effective business model for it. But until then, if you copy or print this photo for your own use, consider donating to the site by clicking the donate button on the left.

What do you think of this photo? Comment below. Au Revoir.