24 hours in Brussels featuring cute cobblestone streets and grand buildings
Sam got his wish to go on another train ride! Of course, because we were so happy with our first experience, this trip had to go wrong. Our morning started with our train running 15 minutes late. Then, about halfway to Brussels, at Aachen, the train was suddenly cancelled due to technical issues. We were all told to get off the train to switch to another train which would be arriving shortly. Of course, the majority of this was in German with a very abbreviated English translation so we were very confused. On instinct, we just followed the masses who were all congregating on the next platform. Aachen was freezing! Both of us had to pull jackets from our bags. I even had a thermal on under my jacket and was still chilled to the bone.
At this point, looking back, I can only laugh at the next train that arrived. It was not even half the size of the train we had just gotten off (which was very full) so you can imagine the chaos that ensued with people desperately trying to get on this train. Thankfully, we just managed to get on (albeit had to stand in the aisles). I was so wrapped up in trying to organise my bags that I didn’t look back at the platform as we were leaving. Sam did however and said there were still a number of passengers with confused faces standing on the platform.
I worked up the courage to ask a fellow passenger where we were going. He had no idea as he was an American from Arkansas but a lovely German man helped out and said we would go one stop before changing onto another train that would go to Brussels. The next train was at the same platform we exited on and was twice the size of train we got off. We wisely moved right to the end of the platform and ended up in a relatively empty car. I enjoyed the ride through the Belgium countryside. I thought the German villages were cute but the Belgium villages have a fairytale quality to them. While we were on our two hour detour, Sam did some investigation and found that we could apply for a partial fare refund. However, we would have to send all the paperwork by mail and have a German bank account to qualify!
Arriving at Brussels Central, we had some time again before our check-in so we stopped in to experience some Belgium fries. Unfortunately I didn’t get the right fries with all the toppings that Sam remembered so it was a slight fail but they were pretty good! Sam sat with our bags so I got to practice my French for like five seconds before reverting to English - at least I tried!
For our accommodation in Brussels, we stayed in a private room in a shared living environment. It was very well equipped again and super clean! They even provided lovely gift baskets and complementary tea, coffee and snacks in the kitchen. It was extremely well placed in the centre of Brussels, less than a 10 minute walk from Grand Place.
Speaking of, Grand Place is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s also a treasure trove of nefarious characters so we were very mindful of our bags and phones while we were in the area.
After the success of our walking tour in Berlin, I found an app to assist in making our own self-guided walk for Brussels. While the UI (User Interface) wasn’t the prettiest, the basic functionality was great! You could pick from a list of attractions and it would automatically generate a walking route based on the places you wanted to go. At each stop, the app would display an information screen about the place including the history and interesting characteristics. It’s called GPSmyCity if you’re interested in trying it out!
After walking around Grand Place and reading all the information about the various beautiful buildings in the square, our next stop was the Tintin Boutique. Sam was fizzing over the merchandise and models. From here, we walked through the Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert and admired all the quirky boutique stores. I managed great self restraint around the chocolate stores! Although that self-restraint was supported by the exorbitant prices (or lack of visible prices which always puts me off!).
From here we move on to see the Jeanneke Pis or “Little Girl Peeing”. She’s part of a famous trifecta of urinating fountains but isn’t as famous as her male counterpart
The Manneken Pis or “Little Man Peeing” had quite a crowd gathered. He is one of the most popular landmarks of Brussels and is renowned for both the humour and legends that have sprung up around him. I don’t quite get the fuss! The one displayed in the streets is actually a copy as well! The original was stolen and then recovered and is now stored in the museum.
Continuing our tour, we climbed up the steps to the Mont Des Arts or “mountain of the arts”. From here we had a beautiful view over Brussels looking back towards the Grand Place. Moving up the hill we passed by the intriguing Musee des Instruments de Musique and the Place Royale Bruxelles, the former original royal palace. Sadly, the current Palais of Bruxelles, located behind this building, was closed and covered for extensive renovations.
Our next stop was the Parc de Bruxelles. Originally, it was supposed to have just been a stroll through the park but we found an exhibition of Geluck le Chat statues which were very amusing!
Our last stop was to the Triumphal Arch, the centrepiece of the Parc du Cinquantenaire, which was built to commemorate Belgium’s independence in 1880. On the way, we walked through the European Union government district.
At this point we were ravenous, both for food and beer, so headed to a food hall recommended by one of Sam’s friends called Wolf Sharing Food Market. We had our first experience of Syrian cuisine - it was delicious and I highly recommend Syrian street food! No photos because I was so hungry I ate it without thinking!
A trip to Brussels would not be compete without a Belgium waffle so we stopped in for one on the way back to our accommodation. It was not quite as good as I expected and we did extensive research beforehand to make sure we had the best waffle in Brussels!
The next morning we started our day with a very French breakfast “formula” in a very quaint square. It was nice to finally have some decent coffee as well! We then pottered around for a few hours before heading towards the station to catch our next train!
I really enjoyed Brussels! The beautiful cobblestones streets were enchanting and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and vibrancy of the city. In saying that, we clocked all the major attractions in an afternoon so I would not intentionally return to visit unless I was stopping through for a few hours. Next time we will look into Brugge or Ghent as these places were both recommended to us highly!
