It had been sometime since we had gone on a holiday. The weekends were getting monotonous with movies and little trips around town. Besides we had pretty much covered most of the well known spots in Luxembourg. So we decided to spend a few days exploring the neighbouring country of Belgium.
Having four days at hand, the question was whether to spend each day in a new city or take a more relaxed approach to vacationing and spend two days per city, thus covering lesser cities but in a more thorough fashion.
We preferred the latter. Both hubby and I like to savour the beauty of a new place, amble along its streets and look for local delights rather than rush through carrying bags in a frenzy.
Day 1 and 2: Brussels
Accordingly, the first city that we visited in Belgium was Brussels. Our arrival at Brussels coincided with a beer fiesta on the streets of the city. Beer and (unfortunately) piss flowed freely along the streets, and so did inebriated early twenty-somethings who were only too happy to share a drink with the bemused tourists.
Hadn't we been unsuccessful in convincing a reluctant cab driver to drop us to our hotel through the cacophony or hadn't we ended up lugging our wobbly suitcases over long cobbled streets, we would have probably enjoyed the party as much as our inebriated hosts.
On following Google maps, we found our hotel located in a part of Brussels called Midi, which is about a twenty minute walk from the Central Station.
For one thing, I would advise all fellow travellers to avoid this locality, not because of the shady looking people around or the dilapidated buildings, rather because this locality does not match the splendour of the Brussels centre. And having just a little more than a day to spend in Brussels, it is important that you spend it as close to the centre as you can afford.
The (somewhat run down) building that hosted our Hotel
After a refreshing dinner and sleep, the next day we followed Google maps to the city centre and lo and behold what a transformation it was! The streets cleared out and the walk became pleasant. The architecture at the Central Place, dating to around six centuries back, is spell-binding.
Architecture at Central Place, Brussels
A good suggestion would be to spend some time at one of the several open-air cafes in the Centre Place and bask in the architecture as the aroma of the creamiest coffee, the pleasant warmth of the winter sun and the visual delights of the medieval buildings together titillate your senses.
The best cup of Cappuccino I've ever had. Observe the generous dollop of cream on top.
From there, we walked towards the Mannekin Pis, pausing awhile to admire some fine horses drawn carriages along the way.
There I am, gingerly petting a horse
After the rendezvous with the horses, in about ten minutes we reached the Mannekin Pis. I was initially struck by how small the statue was. I tried to understand what attracted thousands of tourists to look at this little boy pissing away freely. After a failed attempt to understand it's significance, I succumbed to social protocol and clicked snaps to keep as a souvenir of my visit.
The rest of the day we spent in exploring churches, shopping and eating. Overall I would say my experience of Brussels was only about satisfying. It does have some excellent architecture, but this effect is marred by places like Midi. The shopping is excellent and there were some major discounts in the shops, and I got a pair of boots much cheaper than I would have at Luxembourg.
Then the day waned and grew dark by about five, owing to the winter. Soon we were in a very crowded train to Bruges.
It was around 8 at night that we arrived in Bruges. We didn't get a chance to explore the city that day. Exhaustion got the better of us. After a wonderful meal of pan-fried sole fish followed by tiramisu for dessert, we slept well.
Day 3 and 4: Bruges
'To see Bruges is why we were born for' was the thought that occurred to me as the first rays of the early sun illuminated the beautiful land. It should be a Mecca, a shrine to the travellers of life. To stop here a while, on our way through life and bask in everything beautiful and pure that the world has to offer.
Undoubtedly, when you step into Bruges you would have stepped back a few centuries in time. It is replete with the most beautiful medieval buildings and dotted with trees of all colours. Charming canals wind their way along the city and no motor vehicle is permitted within the centre. Instead there abound horse carts that could transport you to the delightful places you would want to visit,
We then visited the 'Historium', a little place that gives you a taste of the life in medieval Bruges. Here are some snaps.
How much ever I praise Bruges, it would be insufficient, for how do I put into words the peace of travelling on a little boat along the canal, being transported back into worlds before our own, watching the multitude of swans that came to greet us.
There are lovely arched stone bridges, old convents and monasteries, sloping little ivy covered houses, horse carriages that travel with the frequency of cars in our modernised world and a pleasant chill in the air. On top of it all, we visited the Church of our Lady of Bruges and there saw the magnificent sculpture of the 'Madonna and the Child', sculpted by none other than the master - Michelangelo. I would have loved to get a closer look, however for security reasons tourists are not permitted within fifteen feet of it.
The boat trip along the canals of Bruges.
Reverence at the Master's work
We spent the rest of the day, walking around the colorful Christmas market in the city centre, tasting the famous Belgian chocolates. At one little shop, we indulged in a lovely drink called 'vin chaud' or hot wine, which was a delightful gustatory experience in the cold weather.
As the night dawned, and the moon rose and little golden lights lit up the old city, we sat at the edge of a stone bridge near a canal and let ourselves be transported by a musician who played his violin with much melancholy passion.
The only thing, if I must indeed be querulous, that I found a little disappointing in Bruges was the sheer amount of tourists. Although, here I am compelled to say that many of them were excellent companions. A lady for instance went out of her way to guide us to a little restaurant where she had had dinner the previous night and wanted to share the experience. Another lady, was far too happy to let us pet her little poodle.
I undoubtedly want to visit Bruges again, but I might even consider visiting Brussels again as well. For though one was a fairytale come true, the other deserves another chance to improve its reputation on me.
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