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Grand Place Brussels

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    • ViajanteEurope - Fall 2023
      1
      Dia 5

      Brussels

      30 de setembro de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

      They were unfortunately setting up for a marathon in the Grand Place, so it spoiled the ambiance a bit, but still almost absurdly gorgeous buildings. And yes, I also got a picture of the Manneken Pis :P Fyi, the glass covered shopping arcade is Europe's oldest continually operating one, and the building to the left of the spired town hall is where the Communist Manifesto was written.Leia mais

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    • Europe Trip 2023
      Dia 32

      Brussels 101

      28 de agosto de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      After a rainy first day in Brussels, we awoke to a much nicer day for a second and last full day before we headed off to Paris the next day. We had a sleep in and planned out some activities for the day.

      The first stop was a trip to the European Parliament which is one of the main offices of the European Union. It was interesting to explore the buildings and the scale was immense compared to the Beehive. We made it to the main parliament chamber which was set up to cater hundreds of MPs from all across Europe, with live transalation into all the different European languages.

      After finishing up at the European Parliament, we walked slowly through a nearby park to find some lunch. We settled on a Syrian restaurant, which turned out to be some of the best food we’d had on the trip to date. In the afternoon we had booked a food & beer walking tour so we had some time to kill before that began at 4pm. We continued exploring the city, going through a park with some interesting cartoon, animal-themed water fountains, and stopping for some coffee along the way.

      At 4pm we made our way to the starting point of the tour. We were greeted by Thiago, our very friendly and enthusiastic tour guide. There were 20 or so other people on the tour too from all around the world. Our tour mixed sights, history, food and a Belgian beer tasting at the end. First was chocolate tasting at Pierre Marcolini’s shop. Thiago described Pierre Marcolini as the Gordon Ramsay of chocolates, and we were all given a small box of assorted chocolates and a macaron to taste. The fact they didn’t last long probably describes how good they were. We continued walking through the city, with Thiago providing insights into the history of Brussels. The next food stop was for fries and waffles, two classically Belgian treats. Both were incredible and a perfect way to fill us up a bit before our Belgian beer tasting. The beer tasting contained a range of beers, from older trappist beers brewed by monks, through to modern IPAs. We enjoyed our drinks while making some friends with the other people from our table who were from Austrlia, Germany, Brazil and Canada. All in all the tour was great and it was a good day in Brussels. -V      Leia mais

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    • Europe Trip 2023
      Dia 31

      Bus-sels to Brussels

      27 de agosto de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We took a FlixBus from Eindhoven to Brussels, following Paul's recommendation, which turned out to be a good choice. It was super affordable, and the journey lasted only 2-3 hours. We passed the time with podcasts, downloaded TV shows, writing FindPenguins entries, and snacking. We’ve never forgotten to bring snacks or water on any of our long-haul trips (thank god), and our typical snack choices include cashews, muesli bars, and sometimes a bit of chocolate or Haribo. We might also grab a supermarket sandwich or wrap for lunch (I’m writing this down so I remember the little details for later). The bus route took us through Antwerp, passing farmlands adorned with many, many wind turbines.

      We arrived in Brussels around noon and strolled to our Airbnb, which offered a convenient baggage storage area for our main bags. Our Airbnb was a cool apartment located in the heart of the charming French part of the city on Rue du Jardin des Olives. It was just a few doors down from the Church of Notre-Dame de Bon Secours, nestled in a corner of the city that was lively without being overly noisy. We noticed that the main street leading to the Bourse de Brussels area was a bit busier and commercial, so we were thankful for our cozy spot tucked away from the hustle and bustle.

      We roamed the local area in search of lunch options, but given the odd timing between lunch and dinner hours many were closing, we so settled on Café Le Fontainas, a laid-back café and bar right across from the church near our Airbnb—the first place we had spotted. A friendly gentleman behind the bar served us coffee and managed to squeeze in one of the last lunch orders from the kitchen. We initially ordered two shakshouka dishes with meatballs, but due to the kitchen running out, we substituted one meal with lasagna. It was one of those situations where we thought we were getting just whatever was available, but it turned out to be a delightful experience. The food was so, soooo good.

      After lunch we’d killed so much time with lunch -very French- it allowed us to check in to our Airbnb, a few doors down from the restaurant. Our studio-style apartment on the second floor had charming flower pots in the windows, timber framing and offered plenty of space. Having a kitchenette was a bonus, so after some rest, we ventured out again to pick up groceries.

      During our walk, we stumbled upon a Percussion Festival taking place during the weekend of our visit. We followed the rhythmic beats of drums down the main street, admiring the many comic book murals along the way. It was fascinating to see both French and Flemish languages prevalent throughout the city, with bilingual road signs and even the fruit and vegetable weighing machine at the supermarket offering a choice of either language.

      After preparing and enjoying dinner, we decided to catch a movie, "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," at Vikum's request—it was on the eve of his birthday. Tom Cruise with French subtitles.      Leia mais

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    • D&G's 2023 Adventure
      Dia 106

      Amsterdam —> Brussels

      1 de julho de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      We checked out of our hostel in Amsterdam and jumped on a direct train to Brussels, Belgium! We checked into our Airbnb around 2pm and were grateful for a bit of extra space after a couple of weeks in hostels.

      We had a brief walk through the main square of Brussels, the Grand Place, before heading to the European Parliament. This is one of the three main buildings which conduct the EU parliament functions, with the other two being in Strasbourg and Luxembourg. The European Parliament representatives are elected by citizens from each nation so they act on behalf of the citizens who elected them.

      The site also includes the places for the European Commission (which acts in the interests of the EU as a whole) and European Council (which acts on behalf of EU members states).

      The Parliament musesum building was really well laid out and was very interactive, explaining the functionality of the EU as well as the in depth analysis of how the EU was formed over time, starting with the first six countries back in 1951 - Italy, France, Luxembourg, West Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.

      We learnt about the beginning of the EU and the many agreements which led to the EU being the institution it is today. In short:
      - The idea of a European union came about after WWII. In particular, Germany had huge resources in the Ruhr area for steel and coal and other countries were concerned that this industrial power should not ever be used again for war and should not be exclusively used by Germany.
      - 9 May 1950 - Ultimately this led to the Schuman Declaration which related to the pooling of resources such as coal and steel in Europe. The 9 May is now still recognised as "Europe Day" and it saw the first cooperation between France and Germany and this was solidified by the Treaty of Paris the following year.
      - 1957 - The Treaty of Rome was signed which related to European economic community and European atomic energy cooperation. Interestingly, the treaty had not been translated into all of the necessary languages prior to signature but there was a French election and to not risk the new French president not agreeing, the parties signed it as soon as possible with a document containing mostly blank pages. This showed the great level of trust which had evolved between the countries at this time!
      - During the 1960s - There was a tug-o-war of ideas as to how the EU would continue (I.e. whether it would be a United Europe or whether it would be a Europe of Nations and how this would look going forward).
      - During the 1970s - This was the start of the use of a European currency unit so they could track currency inflations in different countries. This was the forerunner of the Euro which is used today.
      1992 - The Masastricht Treaty was signed which led to greater cooperation between the parties.
      1995 - The Schegen Agreement was signed which meant there was free travel between European borders.

      The Parliament musesum also explained a lot about how world history has impacted on the EU and also how the EU provides various types of aid not only to its members but also all around the world. It was a very informative experience with a lot of information to absorb!

      Afterwards, we made our way back to the Airbnb after doing some shopping and then had a chilled movie night.      Leia mais

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    • Gate 1 River Cruise
      1
      Dia 11

      Brussels

      21 de maio de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

      Have arrived in downtown Brussels. Home to NATO. Amazing city square. "The Grand-Place of Brussels is the location of the city's Town Hall, and thus its political centre. It also housed the largest marketplace in the city (hence its official names Grote Markt or Groote Markt, ; literally meaning "Big Market", in Dutch)." The Grand-Place is surrounded by the guild houses, the City Hall and the Maison du Roi. The Grand-Place is considered as one of the most beautiful places of the world. For more info on this amazing square - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand-Place

      Got a short history lesson in the square. Sat down for a beer, some fries and a shrimp croquette, bought some fine Belgian Chocolates and back to the bus.      Leia mais

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    • ViajanteEurope 2019
      Dia 16

      In search of Zinneke

      19 de setembro de 2019, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      After exploring the Atonium we caught public transport to the city centre and went in search of the third “pissing” statue - Zinneke-Pis (a dog peeing). We passed some lovely areas of Brussels, found some great street art and finally located the dog.Leia mais

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    • ViajanteEurope 2023
      Dia 83

      Brussels, Belgium

      27 de outubro de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

      What we did:
      - Woke up at 5:45 to catch our train… really feeling the 1:30am bedtime and drinks with Sarah. We stumble into our cab and took the smooth hour and a half train into Brussels. Luckily we could check in, so took a two hour nap!
      - Sufficiently refreshed we headed to enjoy the endless playground of food that is Belgium. Started off with coffees from “Oriental des Caffes” while we waited in line for the notorious Belgium street fries. This coffee shop had beans from all over the world and is likely on our list of best coffee of the trip. After an hour in line, we got our fries and believe it or not - it was worth it! They chopped the potatoes and fried them in front of you and then gave them to you in a cone with our choice of curry ketchup and Mayo topping. We ate them in the famous square of the Grand Place and enjoyed the cool architecture and ornate buildings.
      - We wandered the streets for a while - Brussells is so charming and underrated! Great little streets filled with food, bars and unique buildings. Saw the peeing boy (“Manneken Piss”) that our Prague guide said was voted the #2 most overrated thing in Europe (and man do we agree). How is that little statue so well known?
      - We then stopped for Liege waffles! Hubbada hubbada 🤤 these things are unlike any waffle we've ever had. Dense and packed with flavor, you don’t even need any toppings. Kentucky needs to import these things and slap some fried chicken on them. Now that would be a delicacy!
      - We then hit a museum (shocking right?!) called the Parlamentarium that shows the history of the EU, how countries were added, and explains how it functions today. For geopolitical nerds like us it was pretty interesting.
      - As with anytime we do something touristy or educational, we somehow found ourselves drinking afterwards again. But hey Belgium beers are notorious! It’s called getting cultured. Steph got warm apple juice so guess credit to her for no booze. We sat at a fun outdoor beer garden spot called Woodpeckers in the main park. The park was full of colored trees and the crisp air made it a perfect autumn evening. Nice to enjoy our favorite season before we head back to the Chicago tundra.
      - We then grabbed dinner to tick off our Moules Frites (Mussels and fries) at a historical place in the center of town. Very good and enjoyable!
      - Now that we’re basically Europeans, we had to tune into the championship for the Rugby World cup between South Africa and New Zealand. It was hosted in Paris, so the last week in France really got us into it. We tried to hit two bars that were standing room only. Steph being perfect armpit level does not correlate well with standing in bars, so we headed back to the hotel to watch! Better decision for our livers anyway. We watched Rugby 101 youtube videos while listening to the French announcers getting all excited. Rugby is confusing as hell to watch, but we picked up on it by the end and loved the nonstop action.
      - Crashed around midnight and woke up to grab more waffles for brunch! Again so delicious 🙌
      - On the way back we realized both our credit cards had been compromised that morning. Steph had a $1500 apple charge and $250 United charge….. our guess is the sketchy DHL pop-up we mailed our wedding contract from in Paris did it. Chase quickly fixed it and canceled the card. Trent on the other hand had $3500 in charges from Marriott… turns out there was a computer glitch and he had booked 5 rooms for four nights in Munich. While planning Oktoberfest he had blocked some rooms (for the wrong month nonetheless 🤷‍♂️) that we ended up obviously canceling. The computer cancelled the rooms but then rebooked 5 more. The panic at potentially being out $3500 to no fault of our own receded after talking to Marriott and getting it resolved. Whew! On to Bruges! With all of our money safe and sound

      What we ate:
      - Friteria Tabora for the fries noted above. The hour long line was worth it!
      - Le Roi de La Gaufre for Leiges waffles! Best waffles we’ve ever had
      - Dinner at Chez Leon for Mussels and Fries! A famous spot since the 1800’s for mussels, it ran the risk of being touristy but was actually delicious! Had lobster bisque and fresh smoked salmon as well 🔥🔥🔥
      - Maison Dandoy for breakfast waffles! Tried both the “Liege” and “Brussels” style Belgium waffles, and the Liege waffles won by a mile.

      Fun facts:
      - Brussels is HQ for the EU and Nato
      - The name ‘French’ fries in the US is actually a misnomer. During World War I, American soldiers stationed in Belgium believed they were actually in France due to a geographical mistake and local’s speaking French. So when they brought them back home they called them “French Fries”. Having enjoyed frites in both France and Belgium, we voted Belgium by a mile.
      - There are two types of Belgium waffles. The “Brussels” one is square, lighter, crispy, airier and less flavor. Really meant to have toppings. The “Liege” is softer, thicker, oval shaped and rich in flavor. You only need powdered sugar.      Leia mais

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    • Uta VogelBenelux mit dem Wohnmobil
      Dia 4

      Street Art in Brüssel

      31 de agosto de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      Brüssel hat viele Sehenswürdigkeiten zu bieten. Etwas ganz Besonderes ist dabei der sogenannte Comic Strip. Den wunderbaren Wandbildern, die beliebte Comics aber auch andere Kunstwerke darstellen, kann man kaum ausweichen. Man muss nur mit offenen Augen durch die Stadt gehen, dann entdeckt man sie überall.

      Gestartet wurde die bunte Bemalung der Wände 1991. Heute gibt es mehr als 50 Kunstwerke in der Innenstadt zu bewundern, die man auch auf einer Wanderung in 2-3 Stunden ablaufen könnte.      Leia mais

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    • ViajanteBrussels
      Dia 1

      Grote markt, Manneken Pis

      19 de maio de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

      The first day I arrived in Brussels, I went straight out with a friend (Marla) a girl that I met in the hostel. We went to the Grote Markt, Manneken Pis and sat down at a really cute place to have some local beers. The whole area around Grote Markt really gives you that historical feeling and everyone is just chilling and having a beer. We also saw Manneken Pis which is a statue of a boy pissing. Haha. It is so funny to see how many people are drawn by that statue. Later on, I also went to a beer tasting event. Honestly, I won't really recommend anyone to pay around 20 euros for that. I feel like you enjoy it better by just sitting down in a local bar and ordering some special drinks. However, the pub crawl experience was fun. We went out in a small group and hopped on to different bars. So I would say it is a really good experience to visit bars in a short time and meet some new people. There is also one fun thing you could do is to count the comic painting on the walls. There are apparently plenty of them that you can see when you walk around the center.Leia mais

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    • ViajanteEurope 2023
      Dia 59

      Brussels

      2 de junho de 2023, Bélgica ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      The final full day of our eight and a half week tour! We spent the morning wandering around Brussels before catching the train to our final destination to make the 'Last Post' of our tour this evening.Leia mais

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