Blogs from Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Europe - page 69

It was the semester break for our studies in Florence, Italy, so myself and my roomate, Lindsey, decided we would take advantage of the opportunity and head to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin for the week! Brussels was a stop-over for us because ultimately it did not cost much more at all to fly into the area (Charleroi airport) and then take a train into our intended destination of Amsterdam, than if we had just flown straight into Amsterdam. Who were we to complain about the opportunity to see an extra city/country! The arrival airport was a small one, and after a bus ride which took a little over an hour in the rain, we were in Brussels. We stayed at Hotel La Madeleine which, thanks to booking online, we only paid 25 euros each, as opposed ... read more

I AM OFF!!! This is it, the big day has finally arrived. I am leaving for the Far East, I am heading into numerous adventures and extraordinary experiences. I have just left my mother on the platform of the train in Brussels and anxiously await to see what the world has to throw at me. The first thing it does, to test me of course, is to stick me in a carriage full of giggly teenage americans from Texas, doing Europe in 10 days. Their main topic of conversion has so far been the cute european men and the the really fun way us europeans drive our cars. They have brought with them oversized bags, filled with gossip magazines and souvenirs from London. The american male companions of the giggly bunch make regular appearances at our ... read more

We arrived yesterday in Brussels and it has become, thus far, my favorite city. It is small and accessible with patisseries around every corner. I had the biggest and best eclair of my life yesterday afternoon. Words cannot describe. Andy and I were very excited to come here because they have three of our favorite beers: Stella Artois, Carlsberg and Tuborg....only the first is Belgian....oh well. The center of the city is littered with chocolate shops, lace shops and diamond retailers. Apparently while you are in Belgium you are supposed to purchase lace in Brussels and diamonds in Antwerp. Luckily for my checking account, we did not go to Antwerp. The boys and I went out last night and discovered the many bars and locales Brussels has to offer. The center is not a far walk ... read more

Due to an unexpected 4-day weekend, I had to come up with decent plans for maximizing the travel opportunity. I decided to do Belgium; hitting Brussels on one day, Antwerp the next. Brussel's main attraction (besides the beer in general) is Mannekken Pis, who is about 2 feet tall, naked, and peeing. What a great reason for everybody to congregate from around the globe! I also checked out some dinosaur bones at the natural science museum and soaked up some art by Rubens at the Fine Arts Museum. Still don't know what dinosaur bones have to do with affordable timepieces. Arfeo and Katherine would appreciate that I sat down to enjoy a massive Leffe beer in the Grand Place square, overlooking ornate gilded buildings, throngs of tourists, and the towering City Hall while listening to the ... read more

The rest of the day went alright. Not long after writing before we lost our seats on the train because we didn't have "reserved" seating. So we stood teh rest of the time and listened to our i-pods. We got off in Paris and took the subway to another station so that we could go to Brussels. This time we had to reserve a seat. We split a tuna sandwhich made on a baguette - it was very tasty. The trip to Brussels was quick and then we walked until we found a hotel. It has TV, free breakfust and a SHOWER! We dropped our bags off and walked around. We had dinner at the Brussells Grill and it was good to finally sit and enjoy a meal. Afterwards we found a place to use the ... read more