Days 2 & 3.
I woke up the next morning to find that V had gone out to get breakfast. Walked out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette. V lived in one of the old quarters of Brussels - narrow staircase, no elevator, view of other buildings. The kind of old world charm that you find across all European cities.
After eating a huge breakfast, V left for work and I set out to explore the city on my own. Over the next couple of days, of course I did the usual touristy stuff. Went to some museums, saw the Palace, Mannekin Pis, etc. But the highlights of my trip were really not the places that I saw. I think it was more about random interaction with random people. Like I was walking down Bourse looking all over for my lighter which was fairly impossible to find inside my sack of a bag, and this homeless guy asked me if he could have a cigarette as well. What surprised me is that he asked in English because its primarily a French/Dutch speaking country. I told him he could bum one if he gave me a lighter. Or there was this other time when I hopped on a bus and I had no idea when to get off.
V had given me this map the city which was of no use whatsoever considering I didn't know where I was going. Anyway, so I asked one of the passengers and handed him my map and he didn't have his glasses and his wife couldn't speak English so she was telling him what was on it in French and he was translating it to me. They had to get off a couple of stops before mine so he very sweetly went to the driver and told him there's this girl here and she doesn't know the place so you have to let her know when to get off. Those were the things that I carried away with me.
Must see: Grand Place, Mannekin Pis
Must do: People-watch at Grand Place, walk into some of the numerous bars and try different varieties of beer (Belgium is the beer capital. There are several bars that serve more than 2000 varieties. Sample Lambic, Chimay Triple, Faro, Orval and the delicious Trappist beers that come with a creamy white head. My favourite was Rochefort)
Must eat: Frites (French fries are originally a Belgian creation) and Belgian waffles off the street
Must buy: Beer and chocolate!
I woke up the next morning to find that V had gone out to get breakfast. Walked out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette. V lived in one of the old quarters of Brussels - narrow staircase, no elevator, view of other buildings. The kind of old world charm that you find across all European cities.
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| View from V's balcony |
V had given me this map the city which was of no use whatsoever considering I didn't know where I was going. Anyway, so I asked one of the passengers and handed him my map and he didn't have his glasses and his wife couldn't speak English so she was telling him what was on it in French and he was translating it to me. They had to get off a couple of stops before mine so he very sweetly went to the driver and told him there's this girl here and she doesn't know the place so you have to let her know when to get off. Those were the things that I carried away with me.
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| People-watching at Grand Place |
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| Market in front of the guildhalls at Grand Place. Each merchant guild had its own building which was named and decorated depending on the type of trade it was related to. The buildings were bombarded in 1695 and later rebuilt. |
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| The famous Mannekin Pis, considered to be a national symbol, almost. |
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| City view from Place Royale |
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| Spectacular 'Old England' building that houses the Museum of Musical Instruments. The building was built in 1899 and was originally a department store. The collection of musical instruments is pretty spectacular too. |
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| The Palais Royal |
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| The slightly bizarre Atomium which is a relic of a 1950's World Fair and now a city icon |
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| Belgium is divided into Wallonia (French-speaking) and Flanders (Dutch-speaking) regions. The Flemish flag is shown above. |
Must do: People-watch at Grand Place, walk into some of the numerous bars and try different varieties of beer (Belgium is the beer capital. There are several bars that serve more than 2000 varieties. Sample Lambic, Chimay Triple, Faro, Orval and the delicious Trappist beers that come with a creamy white head. My favourite was Rochefort)
Must eat: Frites (French fries are originally a Belgian creation) and Belgian waffles off the street
Must buy: Beer and chocolate!
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