Brussels. March 2008.

Day 1.


Brussels is this tiny little town kind of teetering between modernity and ages old. Very quirky and cute and full of
secretive side streets at the end of which you discover a really beautiful building or a garden bursting at the seams with spring flowers. I just had two days in the city which leaves one with limited time. Wish I'd got a chance to travel around more.


As I was a poor student in the UK, I was of course flying Easyjet, so I landed in an airport that was outlandishly far away from the city centre. Incidentally, the friend I was staying worked in a building that looked like it was right opposite the airport but apparently it's an easier proposition to meet in the city which is about an hour away than to cross that road.


Being a first time visitor to Belgium and a first time solo traveler, I was a bit apprehensive about traveling into the city myself. I had already had an experience in the past of travelling to a place where no one knew any English and had come off the worse of it. I knew that not many people in Brussels spoke English so when I landed, I was sort of contemplating on whether to find my way to the shuttle bus stand or scream for help. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. In the next couple of days I realised that Brussels is one of the most traveler friendly cities I have ever been to and people always seem willing to help. 


So I got in at about 3 in the afternoon and took the shuttle bus into the city. The bus stops at Brussel Centraal which is the main railway station that has links to the subway, trams and buses. There followed a most interesting series of events where I randomly jumped on trains and off trains, on trams and off trams, in an effort to get to this area called Bourse where I was supposed to meet my friend. He had told me that just next to Bourse was a square called Grand Place which was supposed to be one of the main things to see in Brussels, so I had decided to take a look at it before meeting him. As spring was just around the corner, it was starting to get dark already but I thought that I would just about be able to make it.


I stepped out of the subway station at Bourse and realised that it was pouring. However, I thought maybe I could still make it to Grand Place, it is a square after all, there must be some place where I could take shelter. By the time I reached the square, it was raining harder and the realisation that I was carrying a bag and wearing a pair of not-very-comfortable boots kicked in. I caught a glimpse of the handsome baroque/gothic type architecture but alas, it would have to wait for another day to be fully explored. I did manage to get these pictures.

Grand Place filled with people hurrying home on a Sunday evening taking shelter under their umbrellas

A more detailed look at Brussels town hall in Grand Place

The tiny lane leading up to the square

Clearly the dog has his priorities right!

So I made my way to Bourse again and almost ran into the first bar I saw. I texted V telling him where to meet me and settled myself down in the warmth with a book and a beer, feeling all European. I was dying for a smoke but was politely told that I couldn't light up, a fact that surprised me as when I'd been to Europe 3 months ago we were smoking like chimneys in every bar in sight. Still, I thought, this is Belgium. People seem more polite than in neighbouring countries. Maybe this was the norm. 

See the Artois/Hoegaarden signon the left? That's the bar I was first sitting at till V came and fished me out.

Finally V walked in and cursed me roundly as apparently not smoking wasn't the norm. My bad. He hauled me out of there and took me to another bar and proceeded to feed me many different types of beer. By the time I was about 6 down, I started to feel a bit light headed and the rest of the night was a bit of a blur for me. Not a bad start to a holiday, I thought.

Me post six!