Blogs from Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Europe - page 3

The final day of our postcard from Brussels. Check out time was 11am but as our flight was not until 17:15 we had a full day to explore another part of the city. When Roisin and I visit a new place we like to check out any nearby UNESCO World Heritage sites if possible. We have already visited one UNESCO site during this trip; La Grande Place (Groote Markt by any other name!) There is one other UNESCO site in Brussels; The architecture of Victor Horta. I spoke to Wanda during our walking tour of the city (what a great and appropriate name for a walking tour guide, by the way!!) She mentioned that there are four or five buildings dotted around the city attributed to Horta that fall under the protection of UNSECO. However, the ... read more

I’m still seething from the events of yesterday although we both had a good night’s sleep so I guess the incident hadn’t played on my mind too much. Today we had planned to take a walking tour through the narrow and winding streets in the old town of Brussels. Our hotel is an aparthotel so whilst there is a small dining area behind the reception, at €14 per person per day for breakfast, it was much cheaper to visit the super market and stock up on provisions as our room comes fitted with a kitchenette - complete with hob, microwave, kettle and even a dishwasher. The downside is that there is no servicing of the rooms during our stay so we have to make do with the same rather small and tired looking towels in the ... read more

I. LOVE. BRUSSELS. It’s pretty much just Paris but specifically for young people. The copious amounts of Belgian beer and chocolate is balanced by the numerous organic restaurants and the people are so friendly!! We left our horrendous Airbnb in Montmartre (not sure if I mentioned all the issues with it, it’s too late now but it was not a great stay) at 6:50am, and walked all the way to Gare du Nord. Once there we had an hour before the train arrived (we left early to avoid problems that we seem to keep having with trains!), so we decided to actually have breakfast. We got pain au chocolats (our last one for a long time) and I also grabbed a peach smoothie. The train was only an hour and a half long, and after attempting ... read more

Today was relatively quiet compared to the past few days. Alex and I slept in til 1000, packed, and made our way from Amsterdam to Brussels. We continued to expertly navigate the train system, going from Sloterdijk to Schippol Airport to Brussels Midi without a hitch. The trip gave us a great view of the countryside - lush trees, farms, cattle, sheep, and the occasional windmill flying by as we sped south. The major train stations in Europe are like shopping centers, with tons of stores and restaurants along with hundreds or thousands of travelers. We stopped at Midi for a salad and just watched people coming and going. The Belgian military had a strong presence - soldiers in full gear armed with automatic weapons monitored the entrance, and there were several military vehicles parked in ... read more

Tag 341 – Im Bus nach Amsterdam Gegen halb sieben kamen wir nach London, und ich blinzelte immer wieder, um ein bisschen was von der Stadt zu sehen. Überall die hübschen alten weißgeputzten Hausfassaden entlang der Straße! Ja, das war England. Kurz nach sieben (anstatt von 8.15 Uhr) erreichten wir die Victoria Coach Station. Hier musste man erst mal die Straße überqueren, um von dem Arrival-Part in den Departure-Part zu gelangen. Auf der Anzeigetafel sah ich unter Amsterdam „8am“ und „Check-In“. Ob das ein anderer Bus war, oder die den Check-In hier noch früher machten? Naja, ich stellte mich zu den anderen vor das entsprechende Gate. Da sah ich, dass man irgendwie zum Check-in für Amsterdam zu einem anderen Gate musste. Wieso das denn jetzt? Ich erfuhr, dass man wohl sein ausgedrucktes E-Ticket gegen ein richtiges ... read more