Belgian architectural wonders

Belgium has proven to be quite the surprise packet. The country is famed for the quality of the home made chocolates and beers, which guarantees a special place in the hearts of male and female travellers. The most impressive feature for us, however, is the beauty and elegance of the architecture as we strolled around the cities. It all adds up to a superb travel package, and Brussels is also the home of the European Union parliament ensuring the country is at the heart of what is happening within the EU. Belgium is a somewhat surprising detour, when the plan for this trip is to explore the UK and Ireland, but it's all good!

Let's recap briefly to bring the journal up to date... The journal left off in Cardiff, from where I returned to Bristol to catch an easyJet flight to Paris to pay another visit to my friend. I have to say the timing was exquisite, and my arrival was a day before her birthday. It also coincided with the first day of the annual Paris plage, where the main street along the Seine river is closed off for a month, and the Mayor has organised tonnes of sand, deck chairs and palm trees. The beach on the Seine has been running for seven years now, and is a phenomenal success that is being copied in other European capitals, and indeed in other cities within France. Strolling along the Seine during the Paris plage is an incredible experience, and the idea of a beach in this gorgeous setting just can't be beat. I treated my friend to a quality meal near the Louvre museum to celebrate her birthday, and we spent five days exploring the galleries and museums of Paris while enjoying spectacular summer days bathed in sunshine.

We also spent an excellent afternoon at the Cesar exhibition in the Cartier building in Paris. This legendary Parisian sculptor is famed for his compression technique, which he invented after he saw cars being crushed at Parisian junkyards. Western society is so obsessed with the car, and Cesar attracted a fair amount of controversy by crushing them in the name of art. A critic said that "Cesar demystified the mythical animal." He took his work very seriously though, and worked on fine tuning his compression technique for the better part of two decades. Paris is full of wonders, and a local host with an eye for culture can always unearth new and fascinating things to do in this wonderful city, even though I was in the French capital barely six months ago.

We enjoyed spectacular sunny days during my visit, and went to the movies every night. With wonderful food, a charming and gracious host, and lovely weather it was great to be in Paris again, but I managed to talk her into taking a weekend trip to Belgium for a change of scene. We looked into our options online, and the cheapest fare was with Eurolines, for a three and a half hour commute to the Belgian capital Brussels. The locals speak French, Flemish and English so it is no problem getting assistance for the vast majority of European travellers. The centre square and cathedral are spectacular and very grand, which is what surprised us more than anything else. The scale and ambition of the architecture does not pale in comparison to other European capitals, and Brussels really is up there as a quality travel destination. The city was absolutely heaving with tourists as it is the middle of summer.

We spent a great day strolling around the Belgian capital, which as I mentioned is also home to the 750 parliamentarians that make up the EU parliament. Brussels seems to be a capital city that punches well above it's weight. We caught a train at 6:00pm for the one hour commute to the most famous tourist attraction in Belgium, the gorgeous West Flanders city of Bruges. We had a room booked in the hostel, so after checking in and dumping the bags it was off to explore the city while there was still daylight, and the city centre was heaving on a saturday night. It doesn't take long to figure out why Bruges is so popular as a tourist attraction, without a doubt it is one of the most gorgeous cities I've visited. We had a great meal, then settled in at the bar for a few few local Belgian beers. What amazed me is that despite the very high alcohol content, the beers went down very smoothly and we had a very passionate end to the evening back at our hotel without experiencing a hangover the next morning. What a great combination for a (beer) lover!

The next day we were up and at 'em again, with so much to explore and make the most of during our weekend away in Belgium. The canals in the city are swarming with tourist boats, and the houses on display are truly out of this world. Some of them are so tiny you can hardly believe they are houses, but everything is built so exquisitely and with extraordinary good taste. We loved our time in Belgium and I was surprised just how much I enjoyed strolling around the beautiful streets, while constantly wondering at the beauty and style on display in this jewel of a European city. In fact my friend who is a born and bred Parisian mentioned to me that the Hotel de Ville is nicer than the one in Paris. Now that's some compliment coming from a Frenchwoman!

So at the end of an excellent weekend we returned to Paris on the Eurolines bus. Although it was only a brief visit to Belgium I can say with confidence that the country ranks up there with my favourite European cities. It really is a little jewel in the heart of Western Europe, and traditionally a wealthy country on the continent. I parted company with my wonderful host until next time, and thank her again for her great passion and hospitality. I have to get back to the UK and Ireland, but a brief stopover in Belgium with my lover leads me to believe,................... basically all of you should be here now!

"I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live." Socrates

Top 3 Hotels/Restaurants
Home cooking - Paris, France
Villalys restaurant - Paris, France
Lybeer travellers hostel - Bruges, Belgium

Top 3 Sights/Activities
Paris plage in summer
Cesar exhibition - Cartier building in Paris, France
Architectural wonders - Brussels and Bruges, Belgium

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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