(Part 1) Belgium the Premium: Breezing Through Brussels

- July 15-16, 2019, Monday to Tuesday.

- Belgium isn't usually the first country that comes to mind when planning a trip to Europe - and I understand. There doesn't seem to be a single landmark that defines Belgium, like what the Eiffel Tower and Colosseum are to France and Italy. Worse, I have even come across some travel blogs and articles stating that Belgium is a bit underwhelming, and can be visited as a side trip from other more tourist-familiar countries. However, Belgium's significance in Europe cannot be denied - it is the "headquarters" of the European Union after all! After a week of staying in Belgium, I can also personally say that Belgium, especially its capital Brussels, is an underrated country in Europe that I honestly think should not be missed!

- From Amsterdam Centraal, my mom and I caught an Thalys train (click here for official website) to Brussels Midi/Zuid (Brussels' southern train station.) I cannot remember why I bought the first-class tickets when I'd normally buy the cheaper second-class tickets, but this is most likely because there was a promotion for the first class fare making it cheaper than the second-class train ticket; by the way, I bought my online tickets beforehand since reservations were necessary. We were served a nice breakfast at the first-class train, and the seats were a lot more spacious.

Fancy train breakfast.

- After the three-hour train trip - which was supposed to be a two-hour ride but there were delays along the way - we arrived in Brussels Midi/Zuid. In order to get to our hostel and go around, we had to buy a MoBIB card. One card may be used by multiple people, and it's quite practice that way too since the card itself (without starting balance) would already cost 5 euros! Since my mom and I won't be exploring too much of Brussels, we just got the 10-trip plan for each of us. Those who plan to go around more may opt to load a 24-hour unlimited-trip plan or 48-hour unlimited-trip plan in their cards. From Brussels Zuid, we took the train to De Brouckere metro station (lines 3 or 4) to check in to our hotel, Hotel Ibis City Centre.

One of the nearest historical places from my hotel: the Black Tower (Tour Noire/Zwarte Toren.) It was built in the 13th as part of the walls that surrounded early Brussels.

The other historical place near my hotel: St. Catherine's Church.

- As with most Ibis hotels, Hotel Ibis City Centre can be considered a "cheap" option compared to other more upscale hotels in the city. However, what I liked about this particular branch was that it was close to the city center. Another Ibis hotel can actually be found closer to the main square, Hotel Ibis Brussels off Grand Palace (though it was a bit more expensive when we checked the prices; there may be times that this would cost less than the one we stayed at.) I guess one thing I like about our hotel, though it is farther from the main square, is that it is a lot less overwhelming and a lot calmer in our area but not too far from where the fun is; there were also endless restaurant choices of all cuisines in our area, so it was fine. Our hotel was also close to another metro station, Sint-Katelijne/Sainte Catherine (lines 1 or 5.) Some stations have two names like the St. Catherine metro station  since Belgium has two official languages: French and Dutch, and some of these stations may have Dutch and French names that are equally recognized/used by the Belgians.

- Once we checked in and freshened up, my mom and I headed straight to the farthest in our Brussels itinerary, and one of the few attractions open on a Monday; as a rule of thumb, most museums and/or historical sites around the world are closed on Mondays (but to be sure, always do your research before traveling!) Stopping at Heysel/Heizel metro station (lines 6 or 7, but line 6 has a better connection from the downtown), we visited one of the most striking and mesmerizing structures in Brussels - the Atomium. This large steel structure depicting an iron crystal cell that was multiplied billions of times, was built in the 1958 when the World Expo was held in Brussels. Today, its spheres hold museums, temporary exhibition galleries, a restaurant, among other things. My mom and I decided not to go inside anymore since the Atomium can be better appreciated from outside (at least, for us.) We also just had lunch at the cafe right outside the Atomium.

What's hiding behind the trees?

The Atomium!! It doesn't look much in the photo, but that's because I took this from a distance. Its size will make your jaw drop, especially the moment you stand right beneath it.

If you enlarge the photo, you'll see tiny men on the sphere with the yellow S; they're removing the yellow S.

Under the Atomium.

It was incredible difficult to take an up-close photo of the Atomium, mainly because of the limited space around the Atomium. 

- Across the Atomium is a colorful and educational theme park that will give visitors a taste of Europe. Mini-Europe was opened in 1989 and shows miniatures of famed tourist spots from each member of the European Union (not sure what will happen to the UK part if the UK does officially leave the European Union.) Although I suppose the main target market of the park is children, adults can learn a lot about the history and culture of the EU countries in just an hour's or an hour and half's visit. It appealed to me too because it was a way to get ideas for future travels, in case I do get the chance to go back to Europe next time.

Low angles, I repeat, low angles does wonders at times. (View of the Atomium from the entrance of Mini-Europe.) 

Hello Mini-Europe!!

See landmarks you recognize??

Rarrrrrr. I'm a Viking Warrior rarrrr.

Ready to serve the Queen!!

I've never been to the UK. Maybe soon?

This takes me back to Greece!! And yes, official guards of Greece do wear this sort of clothing!!

Mini-Europe and the Atomium.

- From Mini-Europe, we rode the train to Simonis (Leopold III) (lines 2 or 6; only line 6 is coming from Heysel/Heizel) to visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. It is also called Basilique Nationale du Sacre-Coeur in French, and Nationale Basiliek van het Heilig-Hart in Dutch. The building of the church originally began in the early 1900s, but was only finished in 1970 due to financial troubles brought by the two World Wars. For those who have been to France, not only is the name identical to the Sacre Coeur in Montmarte in Paris, but its appearance also bears a certain resemblance too (click here to see the one in Paris.) These similarities are not mere coincidences; this is because former King Leopold II was inspired by Paris' Sacre Coeur during his visit to France, and decided to make a church inspired by the Sacre Coeur in Paris.

From across the street.

It's a really big church!!

Interior.

Facing the back.

From the side.

- We later went back to our hotel to rest. Soon, I left the hotel once more to meet a good friend for dinner, while my mom spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the hotel. My friend and former grad-school classmate Eka walked me around Grote Markt (also called "Grand Place" in French; "place" as read as "plahs.") Although I saved it for the day after, it was nice to see it beforehand to give me some ideas on how to take photos of the place in the morning. We also had dinner and some famed Belgian waffles to catch up.

The photos do not do justice!!

Guildhalls/guild houses.

Thanks for meeting me!!

We had a Greek dinner.

Belgian waffles - must not miss when going to Belgium!!

- The next morning, my mom and I had an early start. Since our hotel reservation included breakfast, as it did not have a no-breakfast option unlike our hotel in the Netherlands, we had to eat quickly in order to maximize our day. Fortunately, Ibis Brussels City Centre served breakfast around 6:30AM, which was early enough I suppose. After breakfast, we headed towards Grote Markt to take pictures before the tourist groups disrupt the early morning peace. The idea of the Grote Markt or "grand market" has appeared in documents as early as the 11th century. The center piece of the Grote Markt is the towering 15th-century town hall ("Stadhuis" in Dutch, "Hotel de Ville" in French.) By the way, the closest metro stations to Grote Markt are Bourse/Beurs (lines 3 and 4), or Centraal Station/Gare Centrale metro station (lines 1 and 5.)

I can't get the whole town hall (left) in the photo because of its height haha. It's more than 300 feet tall!!

With the guild houses of Grote Markt. These are some of the most ornate guild houses in all of Belgium.

Town hall.

See how tall and point it is!!

At the Maison Grand Place, a function hall. It was a city mansion several centuries ago, and today functions as a function hall. (Pun not intended.)

- A few blocks south of the Grote Markt, at the corner of Rue d'Etuve and Rue de Chene is perhaps Brussels' most well-known landmark, or so it seems - and I don't think it's the best landmark to represent the city because of what it looks like - the Manneken Pis. Though many people make a big deal out of this statue, which is of a pissing boy, it is quite underwhelming as the statue isn't that big. It is, however, historical as its origins date back to the mid-15th century, when an earlier version of a pissing-boy statue could be found in that exact same spot. It had quite a significance as it was not only an ornamental fountain, but did function as a water supplier, just like all fountains in early Europe. There are several legends surrounding the Mannekin Pis pertaining to why, of all things, it is of a urinating boy with the water coming out of its penis as the "urine"; the legends all sound absurd but it cannot be denied that it has become an icon of Brussels. It pissing boy has also caught the hearts of the citizens of Brussels that the statue is also dressed up in different costumes throughout the year, especially during special events or celebrations.

Peeing boy!!

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst.

- Feeling happy that I beat the crowd to the Mannekin Pis (again, waking up early when traveling is never a bad idea, trust me,) I went north of the Grote Markt to see the Mannekin Pis' lesser-known "sister," the Jeanneke Pis. It is located along an alley called Impasse de la Fidelite. It was made in 1987 as a counterpart to the peeing boy above. (I also heard that a third peeing statue - Zinneke Pis - is also somewhere in the downtown, and is a statue of a peeing dog. I didn't have time to find the peeing dog though; it is along Rue de Chartreux.)

Belgian alleys.

Jeanneke Pis!!

Peeing girl.

-  From the downtown, we walked east towards Parc de Bruxelles (near the Royal Palace) to see the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) (though we walked to the museum, the closest metro station is Parc/Park metro station, lines 1 and 5.) The museum was established in 1877, although the building that houses it was built 2 decades later. Called "Old England," it was a department store until the 1970s; the museum moved to this building in the 90s. It currently houses almost ten thousand instruments both old and new and from all over the world!!

Pyramid piano!!

This ornate piano was made in the 1800s.

Fiddles!!

A bag pipe made from a goat.

Instruments from India.

Old England.

- My mom and I had a Belgian waffle break before seeing the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (Centraal Station or Parc/Park metro station, both lines 1 or 5.) This cathedral has an unusual name as two saints are honored instead of the usual one. The reason for this was that a church for St. Michael was built first before relics of St. Gudula were brought to the church in the 11th century, two centuries after the church was built. The current Gothic structure was built in the 13th century. These two saints are Brussels' patron saints.

Yay for waffles.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral.

Inside.

This Baroque pulpit stole the show.

- We later had lunch near Grote Markt, and visited the Brussels City Museum, located across the city hall in Grote Markt. The 16th-century building where the museum is housed is called Maison du Roi ("King's House") although its Dutch name, "Broodhuis" ("Bread House") tells more about the history of the building. No king has ever lived here despite its French name, and was actually a building built on what used to be a bread market. The museum itself, however, was founded in the late 1800s, showing the history of Brussels and legends/folklore surrounding the city. I liked the museum a lot because its "medieval feel" was preserved. It did not make me feel that I was in a museum, but rather, a medieval Belgian treasury!!

Kissing statues.

With a knight.

What Brussels used to look like.

Enter not my castle.

Different seals of other European cities with relations with Brussels.

The real Mannekin Pis (the one in the street is just a replica.)

St. George killing a dragon.

Medieval.

- Seeing Brussels in one and a half days was barely enough to cover the whole city. However, I could say that Brussels was a good start to see the richness of Belgium as a melting pot of the Romance and Germanic cultures. Just like in the Netherlands, however, I knew that more faces of Belgium can be seen outside its flashy capital city of Brussles (which by the way reminded me of Naples or Paris.) So where do we start? - Ghent!! 

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Part 1, Amsterdam: here, and here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 3, The Hague/Den Haag: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here

Part 4, Antwerp: here

Part 5, Brussels: here


LUXEMBOURG: here