Blogs from Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Europe

In August and November 2022 and in April 2023, I had planned retreats and volunteering assignments in two retreat centres in the UK. Since I had a bit of time, I decided to travel by train, which was also the more environmentally friendly way of travelling. Doing the whole trip from Dortmund, Germany, to Colwall in Herefordshire or to Whitchurch in Shropshire, UK, in one go would have taken some 13 hours. So, I decided to have stopovers in Brussels on my outbound journeys and in London on my journeys back home. Brussels on the outbound journey was also a good idea because it allowed me to travel with a little less stress. Deutsche Bahn, the German train company, has become notoriously unreliable, and an overnight stop in Brussels would prevent me from missing the Eurostar ... read more

We have spent much of the last two days wandering aimlessly around Belgium. Poor decision making, inaccurate GPS and confusing signage have made our trip here an "adventure". Nevertheless, it has been fun and we learned a lot about travel here. After leaving Bruges, our idea was to visit Ypres, the site of some of the worst fighting of WWI, and then head to Brussels. However, we entered the wrong destination for our trip and ended up at the Flanders Field American cemetery about 40 km in the wrong direction. It was a serendipitous choice. The museum was modern and told the story of American involvement in this little corner of the war. It was touching and personal. The video literally brought tears to our eyes. We then headed for Ypres which is a lovely town ... read more

We started out today at Wasbar which is a restaurant/coffee house with washers and dryers (the machines have names like Xavier and Amelie). Had pleasant lunch while we waited. We even left for a while to get some Euros. There is an attendant who will move your wash into the dryer and then make you a latte. Last night we learned that there is a rail strike in the Netherlands and our train was cancelled. Had to scurry around for a solution. A one way car rental was $300 minimum so we settled on a a bus which leaves from the North Brussels train station at 1:00 pm. No idea how we are going to get to that station. I am working on that issue now. Obviously, we got a late start but wandered around the ... read more

WED, 20 JUL 2022 TRAIN TO BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: My only experience with the rail system in Europe thus far has been with the high-speed trains (save that last-minute hop aboard before it departs fiasco) and not with the local trains. All of those trains have been staged at the platform awaiting its passengers well before the departure time – in a couple of cases, over thirty minutes early. Retrospectively, all of those trains also have been staged because that particular station was the origin of the train’s journey. Even though the high-speed trains made stops along the way for from two to five minutes, that scenario never even entered my mind for the train that pulled in at my platform over ten minutes before my scheduled departure. I got aboard, found a seat and heard the ... read more

Belgians I’ve met have said Brussels is surprisingly sketchy and that’s certainly the impression I had venturing out from Midi Station. It didn’t seem fitting for the capital of the EU, though I suppose some would claim it is fitting. But once in the city center the scene shifts to a high concentration of waffle stands, chocolate shops and Delirium umbrellas. And architecture that rivals the other great capitals of Europe, in particular the incredible Grand Place: https://youtu.be/ZtXNropBqUM It’s been awhile since I’ve seen such ostentatious spoils of colonialism. I wonder what the second generation of recent immigrants will think of some of the statues around the city. In contrast, the EU diplomatic buildings are uninspiring. But it’s fun to walk around the area under the gaze of security and picture what big decisions the suits ... read more