 |
| Grand Place |
So, last weekend Callum and I made use of the Bank Holiday weekend and booked a spontaneous trip away to Brussels. I've been to Brussels once before and fell in love with it; the weather was gorgeous and I remember having such a laugh getting lost around the city with my family. It was one of those experiences that was so good that part of me was worried I'd be disappointed the second time around, however, Brussels didn't let me down and the second time was just as lovely as the first.
I actually wrote about the coach journey there yesterday and this proved to be such a hefty blog that I had to make it a post of its own. You can read that here if you want.
 |
| Street art |
 |
| La Brouette, the perfect stop for breakfast |
We arrived in Brussels at the crack of dawn and had the whole day ahead of us; even though we were exhausted and we'd had next to no sleep, we wanted to fit as much in as we could. We began the day by jumping in a taxi to drop our cases off at the hotel. We stayed at the Park Inn by Radisson, which was conveniently right opposite the Gare de Midi station. Not so conveniently, however, was the fact that we couldn't work out how to use the damn ticket machine. From what we could tell - please bear in mind that we are technologically inept and don't speak a word of French - the ticket machine only took coins and cards; not notes, which is all we had on us. I mean, yes, we could have sought assistance but it was so early in the morning and we really couldn't be bothered, so we ended up walking everywhere or taking taxis to avoid having to operate the ticket machines. So if you are reading this blog with the hope of gleaning some insight into the Brussels public transport system, then you are in the wrong place!
We had breakfast in La Brouette in Grand Place. The inside of this tavern is very traditional, charming and cosy, whilst the outside offers a perfect viewing point for the hustle and bustle of Grand Place. Bearing in mind that it's in such a central location, I expected the prices to be a lot higher than what they actually were; I'd highly recommend the hot chocolate if you ever visit - it is to die for!
After breakfast we had a wander round the city and took a look round some of the shops. Of course, we couldn't go to Belgium and not visit a Belgian chocolate shop, so this was our first point of call. I bought a giant box of chocolates for my Mum and the lady serving me was very helpful, recommending ones to choose and even letting us try a couple. No one does chocolate like the Belgians!
One of the places I really wanted to eat, as mainstream as it may be, was the Hard Rock Cafe. Now, I've done my fair share of travelling and have seen these dotted all over the place, but I'd never eaten at one before and really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. As Sod's law goes, the ONE TIME I was actually actively seeking out a Hard Rock Cafe was the ONE TIME I couldn't find the bloody place. Neither the AA Guide To Brussels or the Hard Rock Cafe pamphlet we'd picked up at the hotel could help us in our struggle and we walked around what felt like every square inch of central Brussels looking for it but we couldn't see it anywhere. Eventually we resorted to doing what we should have done all along andasked a local for directions turned our mobile data on to Google Map the joint, where it transpired that the Hard Rock Cafe was right where we started - just a stones throw away from La Brouette. Getting lost in Brussels worked out for the better really because we saw so much of the city, took loads of photos and stumbled across all kinds of quirky shops.
My first experience of the Hard Rock Cafe was really good. the Brussels one has four levels to it and I loved the memorabilia scattered around the place. Despite there only being one vegetarian option on the menu, the food was incredible and the portions were generous! I really have nothing bad to say about the place! In fact, I liked it so much I got a bit carried away in the gift shop and bought myself not only a HRC mug, but a sweater as well.
We seemed to do an awful lot of eating in Brussels and one thing I would recommend having if you go is a Belgian waffle. I tell you what, it is a good thing I've been hitting the gym recently because the waffle we had contained enough sugar to give anyone in a 5k radius instant diabetes. Saying that, I regret nothing. Melted nutella, melted white chocolate and tonnes and tonnes of whipped cream, what's not to like?! The place we went to was called Los Churros and you certainly get your money's worth from there. 10/10, would recommend.
While we were in Brussels we were lucky enough to be there at the time a Jazz festival was being held in Grand Place. There was a giant stage in the middle of the square and there were drink stalls everywhere selling cheap, yet hella strong, beer. The festival was incredible and there was such a lovely vibe to the place; everyone was happy and having a good time and it is times like this that make you truly appreciate how music can bring people together. On our first night we got some drinks and sat in the busy plaza where the jazz festival was being held and we met two incredible people called Elizabeth and Thomas, who kindly walked us around Brussels and took us too see Manneken Pis, a landmark that somehow we had managed to avoid walking past that day. We bought them a drink to thank them for being so kind and we sat and talked with them for a while in Grand Place. Meeting new people and hearing their stories really is one of the best parts of traveling. It was a magical night that I'll never forget.
The second day we spent in Brussels had the most perfect weather, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. We did some more walking, visiting cafes and bars, sightseeing and we visited the gorgeous Brussels Park where we lay down on the grass and people watched for a while. I must say that Brussels is a perfect city for walking around in and like I said earlier, we didn't use the train or a bus once and frankly, we didn't need to! It prides itself on being a green city and you can tell by walking around how immaculate and beautiful everything is.
Despite one particularly horrific and scaring dining experience, which you can read about on Callum's blog here, we had an absolutely lovely time. Will definitely have to go back one day!
While we were there we did a little bit of vlogging, which you can watch on our YouTube channel below.
After breakfast we had a wander round the city and took a look round some of the shops. Of course, we couldn't go to Belgium and not visit a Belgian chocolate shop, so this was our first point of call. I bought a giant box of chocolates for my Mum and the lady serving me was very helpful, recommending ones to choose and even letting us try a couple. No one does chocolate like the Belgians!
One of the places I really wanted to eat, as mainstream as it may be, was the Hard Rock Cafe. Now, I've done my fair share of travelling and have seen these dotted all over the place, but I'd never eaten at one before and really wanted to see what all the fuss was about. As Sod's law goes, the ONE TIME I was actually actively seeking out a Hard Rock Cafe was the ONE TIME I couldn't find the bloody place. Neither the AA Guide To Brussels or the Hard Rock Cafe pamphlet we'd picked up at the hotel could help us in our struggle and we walked around what felt like every square inch of central Brussels looking for it but we couldn't see it anywhere. Eventually we resorted to doing what we should have done all along and
My first experience of the Hard Rock Cafe was really good. the Brussels one has four levels to it and I loved the memorabilia scattered around the place. Despite there only being one vegetarian option on the menu, the food was incredible and the portions were generous! I really have nothing bad to say about the place! In fact, I liked it so much I got a bit carried away in the gift shop and bought myself not only a HRC mug, but a sweater as well.
We seemed to do an awful lot of eating in Brussels and one thing I would recommend having if you go is a Belgian waffle. I tell you what, it is a good thing I've been hitting the gym recently because the waffle we had contained enough sugar to give anyone in a 5k radius instant diabetes. Saying that, I regret nothing. Melted nutella, melted white chocolate and tonnes and tonnes of whipped cream, what's not to like?! The place we went to was called Los Churros and you certainly get your money's worth from there. 10/10, would recommend.
 |
| Buzzing Grand Place in the evening |
While we were in Brussels we were lucky enough to be there at the time a Jazz festival was being held in Grand Place. There was a giant stage in the middle of the square and there were drink stalls everywhere selling cheap, yet hella strong, beer. The festival was incredible and there was such a lovely vibe to the place; everyone was happy and having a good time and it is times like this that make you truly appreciate how music can bring people together. On our first night we got some drinks and sat in the busy plaza where the jazz festival was being held and we met two incredible people called Elizabeth and Thomas, who kindly walked us around Brussels and took us too see Manneken Pis, a landmark that somehow we had managed to avoid walking past that day. We bought them a drink to thank them for being so kind and we sat and talked with them for a while in Grand Place. Meeting new people and hearing their stories really is one of the best parts of traveling. It was a magical night that I'll never forget.
 |
| Grand Place at night. |
 |
| Elizabeth, Thomas and Callum. |
The second day we spent in Brussels had the most perfect weather, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. We did some more walking, visiting cafes and bars, sightseeing and we visited the gorgeous Brussels Park where we lay down on the grass and people watched for a while. I must say that Brussels is a perfect city for walking around in and like I said earlier, we didn't use the train or a bus once and frankly, we didn't need to! It prides itself on being a green city and you can tell by walking around how immaculate and beautiful everything is.
 |
| Grand Place gardens |
 |
| Beautiful day |
Despite one particularly horrific and scaring dining experience, which you can read about on Callum's blog here, we had an absolutely lovely time. Will definitely have to go back one day!
While we were there we did a little bit of vlogging, which you can watch on our YouTube channel below.
No comments:
Post a Comment