Tag Archives: belgium

in english

How have I changed in a year

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Being back in other familiar surroundings I have noticed about how I have changed during this past year.  Some bits and snippets below:

  • I automatically say Merci or Dank u instead of Kiitos.  Furthermore, I read French words such as "entrecote" in French (and with the circumflex accent even when there's none written).
  • I kept on wondering about the large expanse used by Finnish cities, which is needed given that people really like being surrounded by forests.  In Belgian standards, living in western Espoo is like doing the Mechelen-Brussels commute every day.
  • Life without Central European TV is not the same.  That's why I got the cable package that includes it.
  • I understand business issues much, much better, but now have to get up to speed with what happened at work during my absence.
  • I understand even less the Nordic attitude towards alcohol, summed up as: let's drink until we're not constrained by social rules, and then drink even more. Finding a bunch of absolutely wasted teenagers on my first day here made it even more painfully clear.
  • I appreciate the purity of Finnish water and the cleanliness of Finnish streets (except for the occasional saturday morning vomit – see above) even more.
  • I'm even more of a cultural mess, for good or bad.  My home here feels more like my home not really because it is in Finland, but because all our furniture, our clothes and, most important, our stories are with us again.
in english

Nowhere’s perfect, neither am I

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So, after a year in Belgium, I came back to Finland.  I started noticing certain things about the place that I had already gotten used to and don't really like, such as the amount of drunken teenagers on weekends, the fact that public transportatio, although good, is rather sparse (which is fine in summer, but in winter is no laughing matter) or the relative scepticism of most public officials.  This all reminded me of when I arrived in Brussels, as I was not used to the dirt and the beggars in the streets.  Don't get me talking about Mexico City, which is sadly renowned for its insecurity and pollution.

However, I remembered that it all depends on how much you make out of things yourself, and whether the pros outweigh the cons.  There's always two sides of a story, and there is always something good that can be found.  In Brussels it's multiculturality, in Helsinki it is nature and safety, in Mexico City its vibrance and cultural life, to give just a few strong points.

It's all a matter of making do with what is there, what you have and be determined to have a good time wherever you are.

in english

Brussels for beginners

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After Beco posted about travelling in Europe and good ol' Ceronne about visiting Paris, I just feel compelled to contribute.  However, as many of my readers aren't that proficent in Spanish, English is the language of choice.

Brussels, being between Paris and Amsterdam, can be easily missed when touring Europe.  It is frankly a mistake.  Sometimes berated as a city with no character of its own, the truth is that it has many, as it sits right at the border between Latin & Germanic Europe and is rather appropriately a mix of both.  As such, be aware that even though the city is mostly French-speaking, Dutch is also common and English is widely understood.  Furthermore, don't be surprised if somebody speaks Spanish.

City hall
City hall

When to arrive?
Preferrably before the weekend.  Pack an umbrella, it tends to rain very often.

How to arrive?

From the airport to the city
Quite easy.  Coming from Zaventem there is a train every 20 minutes, which costs 2.8 EUR.  From Charleroi is a little more difficult, there are hourly buses as that airport is quite far away and only serves budget airlines.

Transport within the city
Brussels has two metro lines, buses, trains & trams.  I would recommend buying a 10 trip ticket at the vending machines at the metro stations, since the city is comfortable enough to walk to most places.

  • Don't try to take the public transport without a ticket.  Even though It is possible, the fines are quite steep.
  • There are only night buses during weekends, so I recommend staying at a hotel within walking distance of downtown.

Accomodation
If you're on a budget, I can recommend Hostel Van Gogh and Sleep Well hostel.  Otherwise, there are plenty of nice little hotels in Avenue / Adolphe Max / Laan or Place Rogier / Rogierplein.

Basic tourist information
Preparing yourself

  • Map of Brussels.
  • Map of the public transportation system (includes bus and metro)

What to see?
Basics

  • The Grande Place, one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. 
  • The Manneken Pis, the renowned statue of the peeing kid.
  • Just walk around downtown.

Further away

  • The Laeken Gardens, including the Japanese Pagoda and the Chinese Pavillion.
  • The European Quarter, with the buildings for the Commission, the Parliament and the European institutions.
  • The Belgian Comic Museum (Centre Belge de la Bande Desinée).  Required if you're a fan of Tin Tin or Lucky Luke.
  • The Parc du Cinquentennaire with the Royal Museums of Art & History and the Military Museum.
  • The Atomium and the Mini Europe amusement park.
  • The Bois du Cambre Park.  More like a mini-forest, really.

Within 3 hours of the city centre

  • Tervuren and its Museum of Central African Cultures
  • Antwerp, the centre of Flemish culture.
  • Ghent, another nice Flemish City.
  • Brugge, the best preserved city in Flanders.  Going there is like being back in the high middle ages.
  • The Adrennes forest.

Where to eat, drink & shop in Brussels?
Eat

  • One of my favourite places is, without a doubt, De Ultieme Hallucinatie in Rue Royale / Koningsstraat.  Typical Belgian fare in an art déco building.  Not exactly in downtown, though.  Try the Carbonnade á la Flamande.
  • If you don't mind eating with other tourists, Rue des Bouchers is a typical haunt offering Belgian & international cuisine, next to the Grande Place.  I recommend the first restaurant to the right, next to an art gallery, but can't remember the name.
  • In Rue / Jules van Praet / straat there is plenty of good restaurants.  Le Chat Noir is nice for mussels (only in season), Réves d'Asie has excellent Thai food and there is plenty others.
  • Nearby, at Arteveldestraat (I think), there is an excellent Vietnamese haunt called Da Kao II.  Very affordable prices as well.
  • If you're in a budget and its lunch time during a weekday, you can have a baguette at a sandwicherie.  There's plenty in the business district around the Gare Centrale / Centraalstation.
  • Furthermore, some of the best things in Belgium are edibles: French fries (known here as frites / frieten) and chocolate.  For the fries, the best ones are supposedly at the Maison Antoine at Place Jourdain, whereas the best chocolates are Neuhaus and Pier Marcolini (although Leonidas are also quite OK and much cheaper).

Drink

  • Unless you're a teetotaller, a visit to Brussels is not complete without trying the beers.  You can check the Belgian beer review for a wider selection, but if you're in a hurry I'd recommend the following:
    If you like dark ales, nothing I've tasted beats Chimay Brune.  If you're more into clearer brews, I'd say Brigand Blonde or Ciney Blonde are quite good
    (but you'll probably find Leffe Blonde or Duvel more easily).  If you would like to taste fruity beers, Special St. Louis Kriek or Timmermans Kriek are quite nice.  On the other hand, if the taste of Brussels is what you have in mind, Timmermans Gueuze Lambic is what you seek.  And for white wheat beer, I still prefer Hoegaarden.
  • Different bars will have different beers, so don't be disheartened if you don't find your favourite one immedately.
  • As for the bars themselves, I like Delirium Café, where you find over 2000 beers from all over the world, Celtica for some fun and dancing, Le Corbeau for dancing on tables and Á la Bécasse for a relaxed, typically Belgian atmosphere.  There is also a nice chicha bar in Greepstraat, but I can't remember the name.  It's easy to find as it is the only one with arabic decor and nice sofas in dark red hues.

Shop

  • If you like expensive brands, the area around Avenue Louise / Louizalaan is what you're looking for.
  • If you like antiques and African handcrafts, you will find them in the Sablon / Zavel neighbourhood.
  • Rue Neuve / Nieuwestraat is also lined up with shops, especially clothes.
  • Souvenirs are sold in downtown, especially around the Grande Place. There is also a couple of stores that specialise in European-themed goods, one of them near the Manneken Pis.
  • There's also the City 2 shopping centre in case you're still missing something.

Important to know

  • Tipping is not needed.
  • Avoid theareas around the Gare du Nord / Noordstation and Gare du Midi / Zuidstation at night, or preferrably altogether.
  • Be careful with pickpockets.  Even thought the problem is not as extended as in Italy, you can still find them.

References

You can also check my pictures about Brussels in Flickr.