Comical walls

It pays to look up, behind, and all around you when wandering the streets of Brussels.

Sure, the city has a host of Art Deco and other architectural gems, along with possibly Europe's prettiest main square, but it is its comic strip murals that provide a unique and colourful addition to the city.

Celebrating the distinctive drawing style of Belgian comic books, the murals cover walls across the city.  As a friend who lives in Belgium informed me, comic books aren't just for kids in this country.  Perhaps that's why they have pride of place in Brussels.

Without a map of their locations it's easy to walk straight past them as they are often tucked around building corners.

But for those who make the effort, Tintin, Asterix and a host of other vibrant characters are waiting to be discovered.

It says something about a city that comic book art can complement the side of both modern and historic buildings.

And for those who have always wanted to live in a cartoon world, I suspect this is the closest you're going to get.

Here's a collection of the ones I spotted.

And there's also a fair share of other art adorning the city walls.  While not necessarily comic strip art, they too add fun surprises to Europe's capital.