When a Belgian cartoonist named Peyo introduced the world to a village of little blue people called Les Schtroumpfs back in 1958, he had no idea of what he had just unleashed. The Smurfs went on to become a cultural phenomenon, with millions of people around the world enjoying the comic strip, television shows, and immensely popular miniature dolls. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Smurf franchise, the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels is hosting a special exhibit entitled "Smurf for All, All for Smurf," which includes original artwork and documents that reflect the origins of the Smurfs and their rise to prominence. The Smurf exhibit runs through November 16, 2008, but the museum is a pleasure to visit at any time. It's the only museum of its kind exclusively dedicated to comic strip art, and a stroll through its fantastical exhibits of oversized sculpture and anthropomorphic creatures just might make you feel like you're in a comic strip world yourself. Starwood had four hotels in Brussels, including the nearby Le Méridien Brussels.
