Two weeks back I finally got a chance to visit Brussels – the capital city of Belgium and also the European Union. Though I was planning to visit the city from a long time but it always got low priority due to the fact that it was so near to Holland that I could visit it any weekend. But then I decided that it should be now or never and in order to make it a success I booked the tickets in advance so that postponing would not be an option. Since it was a one day trip so no planning (for hotels) and packing was to be done. We were only two people this time (no ladies :)) – I and Manish (my flat mate), so even if we had to stay overnight it wouldn’t have been a problem.
On Saturday we got ready by 6 as our train was @ 6:45 but to our bad luck that train was cancelled and it was frustrating as we had gotten up so early after a hectic Friday. The next train was @ 7:55 so we decided to take a nap. The train to Brussels was at 8:50 from Rotterdam. We reached Rotterdam from Utrecht at 8:30 and found the whole platform bustling with people dressed in peculiar clothes. It seemed they were going to some theme party. The train was due in 20 mins which gave us enough time to grab a croissant and coffee – a nice and easily available breakfast option :).
I was disappointed to see the train, which seemed very old and had compartments, but then “Old is Gold”. The seats were very comfortable and the entire journey was very relaxing. We got down at Brussels central at 10:30 amidst a foggy weather and it seemed that it was going to rain. I got so irritated at this because I had planned the trip only after checking the weather. Nevertheless we got out of the station and were awed by the buildings surrounding the central station. The buildings clearly had Parisian influence and for once it seemed we were in Paris. We had a tough time locating the Tourism center as nobody had any idea about that. The Tourism Center is located in the Grand Place, locating which won’t be a problem as it is one of the most famous place of Brussels and all the tourist will be seen going in that direction. It is the central market square of Brussels and is also known as Groet Market.
To our joy it was a beer weekend in Brussels and the Grand Place was more crowded than usual. There was a long queue for the beer coupons and in the drinking arena there were all kinds of Belgian beers and people of different ethnicity. We roamed around a while checking out the shops and buildings. Meanwhile the fog cleared and in few moments the central market was basking in the bright sunshine. The whole atmosphere was exuberant. But as somebody has truly said that पहले पेट पूजा फिर काम दूजा , so we applied breaks to our expedition and had a scrumptious and filling Italian meal consisting of different types of Pasta.
With our tummies full, we decided to go to Atomium, which was a bit far away from the Central Station and had to take a metro to reach there. I was really amazed to see the price of the ticket; compared to Holland it was so cheap. The Atomium is a marvelous structure consisting of metallic spheres attached with rods. It actually symbolizes a molecule of Iron, magnified 150 billion times. The topmost sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels (it can be termed as the Eifel of Brussels:)), which can be reached by an elevator, which was among the fastest at the time when it was built. You would be tempted to buy a ticket to go to the top but here is a word of caution, don’t ever plan to do that because firstly it’s not worth the money and time spent in the queue and secondly if you have already visited the top of Eifel then it would be a sheer disappointment (I did & was really frustrated). Just see the building from outside, click umpteen snaps from different angles and leave. If interested buy some souvenirs from the shop on the ground floor but again the prices would be high and it’s better to do that in the central market.
There are numerous cathedrals and palaces nearby the Grand place which can be covered on foot. You will also see a lot of Hop on Hop off busses, which can be good option if you don’t prefer walking. We visited a couple of churches and palaces and then returned to the Grand Place to check out one of the most important monument of Belgium – Manneken Pis. It is a small bronze statue of a urinating boy which has some historic significance but I was really pissed off seeing the statue as I had a lot of trouble locating the place and was expecting something spectacular considering the hoopla surrounding the monument. . It is located in one of the most crowded streets of the city. You will find hundreds of chocolate and souvenir shops around this place and it’s the right place for all the shopping.
After clicking some snaps, we decided to stop at some restaurant to try out some Belgian cuisine. We chose the one which was in the Grand Place just in front of the Beer arena, where Beer fest was going on. By this time, the hustle bustle had increased and people were doing all kinds of antics. Luckily nobody threw up ;). The Belgian people are really laid back people and they like to enjoy the life. They like to have a wholesome meal and probably this is why Belgium has been called a nation of Gourmands. We ordered chicken and Salmon and was amazed to see the quantity and we knew that we won’t be eating anything till the next morning.
Next, we went to a chocolate shop named Chocopolis which had some good quality and variety of chocolates. The shop has some very fine collection of dark chocolates and if you happen to be a lover of the same, then it is a highly recommended shop. We quickly bought whatever we liked and ran to the station as our train was due in some time. We boarded the train at 21:20 and reached Rotterdam at 23:00 sleeping all the way :). We caught the intercity to Utrecht and reached home post midnight. I was happy thay I had the whole Sunday to relax after a well spent Saturday :)
Suggestions: Do try out Belgian Chocolates, French fries, Waffles and Belgian beer.
Current Mood – Pissed off ;)
nice travalogue :)
ReplyDeleteawesome!!
ReplyDelete(no ladies :)) good to know you enjoyed it with gay abandon. Very nice coverage and tips.
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