In January 2018 me and some friends from work decided to go on a weekend trip to Brussels. The four of us came from such different countries, but we all enjoy the same things: belgium beer, chocolates and waffles.
Facts about the city:
About 27 percent of the residents in Brussels are not Belgium citizens.
Chips, also commonly known as French Fries were invented in Brussels. In fact, in almost all the eateries in the city, you will find a variation of French Fries being served.
It was my third time in Brussels. Me and some colleagues from work – Rina (from Japan), Florian (from France) and Sherif (from Egypt) – decided to buy a cheap weekend trip together with Ryanair. We left work on a Friday to go straight to the airport, to come back on a Sunday night, ready to work again the next day. We stayed for two nights in a nice hostel called Brxxl 5, located in Rue de Woeringen 5, 10 minutes away from the Grand-Place.
We arrived at night. We left our stuff at the hostel and went for a walk to see the Grand-Place at night. This is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city’s Town Hall, and the King’s House or Breadhouse, a building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square is the most memorable landmark in Brussels and it’s considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.
After that, we went for some typical frites (french fries, that were invented in Brussels) and for some beers in a nice pub. Brussels is a major trader of beer, waffles and chocolate. There are more than 800 brands of beer on sale in Brussels. We passed many walls on houses in Brussels that are covered with comic book references.
The next day we woke up early in the morning and had breakfast in a nice coffee place. At 10.30 am we started a free walking tour around Brussels, that started in Grand-Place, organized by Bravo Discovery.
The tour took us to many places like the Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert (Europe’s oldest shopping arcade), the Manneken Pis and the Jeanneke Pis, among others. The Manneken Pis is a landmark small bronze sculpture with 61 cm, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618. The statue embodies the sense of humor of people from Brussels and their independence of mind.
The Jeanneke Pis is similar, but it’s the statue of a girl peeing. They say that if you throw a coin there, she will make your partner be faithful to you. The guide also showed us a nice place to eat waffles, from 1829. After the tour, we went to have lunch at Quick and then we spent the afternoon shopping at Primark, Sports Direct, etc.
At night we went to have dinner in a really nice restaurant called Chez Leon, where we tried the famous mussels. After dinner, we tried to go to Delirium bar but it was packed so we ended up in two other pubs, once called Brasserie Lombard and the other one I don’t remember the name but it was amazing because the music selection was awesome (class rock hits). After that, we went to a famous chocolate shop to buy some famous Belgian chocolates for ourselves.
The next day we woke up went to take a look at a flea market close to our hostel and had an amazing breakfast there. For this last day we decided to have lunch in a Thai restaurant where the food was delicious.
In the afternoon we went to see Manneken Pis again and then we walked to the Petit Sablon garden (very beautifully decorated with some nice statues) and to Mont des Arts. This area, situated between the Royal Palace and the Grand Place, offers one of Brussels’ finest views. After that, we had some rest in a cosy coffee place called Les gens que j’aime.
We visited the Chocolate Museum, where a man explained us how they make the real Belgian chocolate. The chocolate demonstration is quite satisfactory as you watch the chocolate go from liquid to hard shell and then taste the result. It lasts for about 15 minutes and you are offered chocolate to taste throughout the routine – he speaks English and French throughout the demonstration.
After a last walk in the center, we went back to the airport. It was a nice weekend trip that allowed us to have a break from the routine and to get to know each other better.
BUDGET:
- Flights: 49€
- Accommodation: 50€
- Chocolate Museum: 6€
- Dinner at Chez Leon: 20€
Wanderlust World 