This past weekend I took a little jaunt to Brussels, Belgium – my 10^th country visited! It was a very interesting city and much smaller that I had expected.

I took the Eurostar from St. Pancras Station, which was a beautiful site itself! The station is in the art-deco style and is fully decorated for Christmas (sponsored by Tiffany’s). Taking center stage is the St Pancras Champagne Bar by Searcys – Europe’s longest Champagne bar. Of course, I got the station a few minutes early to take advantage of this 98 meter gem (that 0.6 miles for my non-metric system counterparts).

Once on the train it was just a short 2 hours to Brussel’s station and a 10 minute cab to the hotel in Grand Place. The entire city was fully decorated for Christmas complete with lights and a sprawling Christmas Market in the center of town. The hotel was located directly across from the Brussels Stock Exchange, abbreviated to BSE, founded by decree of Napoleon in 1801.

I immediately went for a stroll through the Christmas markets and enjoyed some of the local fare – boudin blanc, Tartiflette (a dish from Savoy in the Alps made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions) and (of course!) mulled wine. There was a plethora of Belgian chocolate stalls, local crafts and local beers to choose from as well. The European Christmas Markets are probably my favorite thing about Christmas so far – what a fun tradition and the perfect way to spend an evening.

The next one and a half days were spent touring and seeing the sites around the city. Starting out, as one does, with a Belgian Waffle and some coffee. I went for a chocolate and strawberry option! Yum!

From there, the exploring tourist-mode kicked in. I started with the the Atomium, probably the most recognizable landmark building in Brussels. This 102m structure was originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair! It is a bit far from the center of town, but well worth the visit. It is actually near the Laeken Palace and grounds, where the King and his family spend most of their time (similar to the Queen of England spending time at Windsor Castle vs. Buckingham Palace).

After that, I walked around the entire city! I saw a variety of beautiful, old churches and even the Brussels Bontanique (a gorgeous green space in the middle of downtown!).

I venture onward to the Royale Palace. The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the center of the nation’s capital Brussels. However, as I noted above, it is actually not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Palace of Laeken on the outskirts!  The Congress Column was another site we made sure to see – this the Brussels version of Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, commemorating those lost in WWI. The first is re-lit every November 11^th.

In addition to these main sites, I also explored the Mont des Arts in central Brussels. This area in central Brussels is home to the Royal Library of Belgium, a lovely park and green space, and the Carillion. On this star-shaped clock, every hour is represented by a figurine representing a historical figure in Brussels. In clockwise and chronological order, you will see: a Galois, Godefroid of Bouillon, Jan Van Artvevelde, Philip the Good,

Charles Quint, Pierre Paul Rubens, the Count of Egmont, a soldier in 1790, Charlier a la Jambe de Bois, a tam-tam player, a soldier from WWI, and a worker. Also in Central Brussels is the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, one of first shopping arcades built in Europe (outdating the glass-ceiling malls in Milan!).

The last two sites I saw are two of Brussel’s most famous – the Manneken Pis and the Grand Place Market. The famous Manneken-Pis is an emblem of the rebellious spirit of the City of Brussels. His wardrobe counts more than 900 suits that rotate, and during my trip he was wearing one to commemorate the historical organization that sponsor and protects him. Truth be told, he was much smaller than I expected!

The Grand Place Market, a UNESCO world heritage site, was definitely one of my favorite sites to see. The Grand Place or Grote Markt is surrounded by opulent, gold guilded halls that include the City’s Town Hall and the building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. It is also considered as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

Scattered between walking around, shopping and the historic sites I had “the worlds best” beer (Westvleteren) at a local pub. Brouwerij Westvleteren is a brewery founded in 1838 at the Trappist Abbey of Saint Sixtus in Vleteren, Belgium. The beer has an international reputation for taste and quality, Westvleteren 12 being considered by some to be the best beer in the world. We also had a classic meal of Moules Frites. See below for my restaurant and bar recommendations!

A very quick trip, but I packed it in! For me, Brussels reminded me very much of New Orleans. Lots of gothic architecture and French influence! Love exploring another European capital city and checking off my 10^th country visited!

-MAL

Restaurants and Bars:

• Scheltema  – on the 2018 Michelin Guide, this brasserie is renowned for its seafood specialties and deserts. We had the Moules Frites and Belgian chocolate mousse!
• Au Bon Vieux Temps – One of the few places that serves the worlds best” beer (Westvleteren)
• Waffles- there a tons of open air shops around the BSE to grab a waffle! They all looked great (and very similar).

Hotel:

Our hotel, the Marriot Grand Place, was a good option and the location was ideal. We chose it because we were able to use our rewards points and capitalize on the status. It wasn’t overly glamorous but it was comfortable, clean, and central.

Sites to see:

• Atomium
• Laeken Palace
• Laeken Church
• Royal Palace
• Grand Place Market (“Grote Market”)
• Manneken Pis
• Mont des Arts
• Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
• Christmas Markets – if you are there in late Nov-December