Belgium - First Stop Brussels!
When most people think of Europe I don’t think Belgium is the first place that comes to mind. It’s a small country wedged in between France, Germany and the Netherlands, and is mainly known for beer, chocolate and French fries. And maybe lace! I was committed to seeing, doing and eating as much as possible in 5 days. It’s a very diverse country - in Brussels the main language spoken is French, while in the north it’s Dutch - with a good amount of Flemish which is the Belgian version of Dutch. Luckily for us lots of English spoken as well. Because of its location it has been a battleground all the way back to medieval times so lots of history, but also a definite feeling of embracing new trends.
We based ourselves in Brussels because it is such a small country, from my research I knew that we could get anywhere on the train in an hour or less, and not having to schlep even our small amount of luggage around on the train seemed like a good idea. The train from Paris was excellent and fast. We took a Thalys train which is a private company and I was familiar with from my recent trip to Italy. It should have taken just an hour and a half direct from Paris, and took just a bit longer due to some kind of a delay, but all in all a cost effective, efficient and pleasant way to get to Brussels.
Made it to Brussels!
Brussels is not just the capital of Belgium, but the headquarters of NATO and the seat of the European Union. It’s a great mix of old and new. It’s even divided into the Lower (Old) Town and the Upper (Upper crust area surrounding the Royal Palace and the EU) Town. Our Airbnb was perfectly located right where the two meet! And just two short blocks from the Central train station. This fact along with the great reviews as far as cleanliness, comfortable bed, quiet and amenities plus the really reasonable cost were all the reasons we chose it.
Top left - our view of the Place Royale, Right - the street in front of our apartment, Bottom left - super cool wall art on the side of our building.
Rather then a minute by minute reconstruction of our days I’m just going to highlight some of the significant things we did in Brussels. In my opinion part of the real charm was walking through lots of fascinating and quirky neighborhoods, so we spent a considerable amount of time doing just that. It’s an easy city to navigate around, and we walked everywhere.
Grand Place. Main square in the heart of Old Town. Always crowded and lots of places to eat and people watch. Impossible to get a picture that does it justice. Really beautiful old historic building with lots of statues that appear to be talking to each other.
Lots going on in the Grand Place always.
European Parliament - not in session but free audio guide tour after going through a screening process similar to getting on a plane. You must have your passport or drivers license to gain entry. No advance reservations but worth seeing for sure.
St Michael’s Cathedral - a classic Gothic church build between 1200 and 1500. Bottom left is an incredible carved pulpit of Adam and Eve. Where royal weddings and funerals take place.
The Royal Museums Of Fine Arts. We spent Mother’s Day afternoon here and other than being with my children I can’t think of a better afternoon. Really amazing art with pieces by Bosch, Memling, Bruegel, Rubens and Rembrandt to name a few. Lovely!
The Mannekin-Pis, the mascot of Brussels. Yes it’s a 17th century statue of a little boy peeing. Sometimes he is wearing clothes which are sent to him from all over the world, and in fact are then housed in a museum dedicated to him. We didn’t hit the museum, got to save a few things for next time but this is serious stuff! His image is all over town and greatly loved.
Moving on to food - and now might be a good time to go get a snack. This is guaranteed to make you hungry because we tried everything. And the food was amazing!
La Villette - cheese croquettes for appetizer, lamb for Julie and cod and veggies for me. There’s the Mannekin-Pis on the sign!
Restaurant La Maree - Mussels for appetizer (that was one order split between the two of us!) Cod and frites for Julie, Monkfish with veggies for me.
Lots of great coffee shops and saw many more really healthy choices then you might see in other countries. This place was called Tich and Julie had porridge with fruit and toast with almond butter and fruit for me. Great coffee and a super cool space. Maybe the only day I didn’t have a croissant!
Mother’s Day brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. We have them in the US but not in as cool a space as this one was. And the original locations were in Belgium so they consider it a local restaurant. We ate in the garden and it was wonderful, and if Julie wants a bowl of coffee as big as her head she can have it!
Stopped at a cool coffee shop to share a dessert. Lots to choose from but we didn’t regret our choice. There are lots of awesome new coffee shops so I liked the fact that this one had been there forever. Really reminded me of the coffee shops in Vienna.
Waffles! Where they have been making them since 1829. There are actually two different kinds of waffles sold. Julie went with the traditional square Brussels waffle with caramel and whipped cream. I tried the Liege-style waffle which is much denser and sweet. Just a dusting of powdered sugar was enough. Both delicious! You can buy them all over to go but we wanted them fresh and hot.
Frites! They really are better because they are fried twice - once to cook them and the second time to brown them. And lots of dipping sauces but the mayo is tradition. Yumm!
So much chocolate! To say that every other door is a chocolate shop is not an exaggeration. We ate it, we brought it home, and we loved it! I’m sure the locals debate the merits of each like people in KC debate barbecue and people in Chicago debate pizza. It’s all great!
The missing category is beer. Belgium has more varieties and brands of beer than any other country - and they take it very seriously. Unfortunately neither Julie or I are beer drinkers, so can’t report back on that. So sorry!
Last category worth mentioning is shopping! I’m not a big shopper but there were some unique categories in Belgium. For one - housewares. Who knew the Belgians were such homebodies?
Our favorite! I bought knife holders to bring home. I didn’t even know what knife holders were before I saw them at this shop. Then I had to have them. Everything was adorable and really reasonable.
So many beautiful lace shops - much of it handmade. Looks like Julie found a few things she had to have. Such an incredibly intricate art form.
Galleries Royale St Hubert. Built in 1847 Europe’s oldest still-operating shopping mall. A gorgeous glass ceiling that inspired other galleries in Paris and London. No chain stores in here! Instead very expensive items that are typically made on the premises like hats, gloves, umbrellas etc. and food. We stopped for coffee and a waffle snack.
Well that’s is for our time in Brussels! Next up Bruges. Check back soon and thanks for coming along😊