Brussels, Belgium, a review
Sean and I in front of the famed Mannekin Pis statue in Brussels, Belgium on Oct. 11.
Brussels wasn’t the first city in its own country - Brughes, Ghent and Ypres were hopping by the 14th century - but at one million strong, it is the modern jewel of Belgium.
Still, it is often called a stop-over. It’s a major hub of transit lines destined north through Amsterdam and south through Paris. We were told that it is boring and without sights to be had. A handful of young, haggard Australian 20-something travelers had Brussels as a resting stop - a few nights of drinking beer and resting for more worthwhile adventure.
Bollox.
It is the most European city to which I have been, I’d say. Let your camera fall to the cobblestone of some unnamed Brussels thoroughfare and let it echo over four hundred years of history. Watch dour, stone-faced row homes - some five stories tall - crowd the winding paths you expect. Walk into big, beautiful cathedrals without the pretensions of tourist flow of others in the continent.
We got a comment recently from a new travel buddy - Ian from New Zealand, a hitchhiker whom we met in Brussels.
“Actually I found Brusselians really friendly and I found it seemed like everyone spoke English, Dutch and French…last night I had to draw a diagram to some guys taking me from the Belgian border to Germany, because I was having trouble telling them I didn’t care where in Germany they took me, as long as they dropped me off at the train station, as I was going to catch a train across Germany…they got it in the end, but they laughed at my picture of a train. It was pretty bad, in all honesty.”
Point is, folks in Brussels did seem friendlier than most Euro stereotypes, particularly of French speakers.
Brussels also has a great spot for young tourist info. Live it, love it. Don’t just pass through.
