In October 2012 I took a short 2 day trip to Belgium’s capital Brussels
and I must say I did have high hopes. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting
to see but hopefully nothing too far off the likes of Amsterdam. But it was
nothing of the sort ... ok there were nice parts but I was more disappointed than
filled with high hopes of coming back.
Travel
Being a student which means opting for the cheaper option, I took a
coach from Amsterdam all the way to Brussels which was about 2 hours 50 mins. At first this didn't appear to long as I was
excited, so I didn't really mind. But, it was quite long mainly
because there was nothing to look at but green land.
The trip on the way to Brussels was much more pleasant than the trip on
the way back, in which my friend and I had to literally hustle ourselves into
seats that were ‘supposedly not available’ . Anyways we did manage to get a seat and I slept most of the way back.
But hey when you opt for the cheaper option these things are
expected...
Brussels – First impressions:
My first impressions of Brussels were actually ok, well immediately
after stepping off the coach. We were
right in the center so there were quite a few stores and restaurants in sight.
However, after walking around for quite a while I began to notice the lack of
money that had been invested into just the general look of the city. The train
station was a bit run down, there were loads of empty shops that looked like
once upon a time had been up and running, very rundown buildings amongst established businesses . Basically there were
just quite a few things not quite going on in Brussels that I expected since it
was the capital of the EU.
So having forgot the details of how to get to our hotel, the street
name etc at home we began a long quest of trying to locate it with the only
thing I remembered being that it was located near to a botanical garden. As we were
searching we met about 3/4 little boys who couldn't have been no older than 12 who began shouting from the bridge above us ‘Black, Black, Black’ yes in
relation to the colour of our skin but that wasn't enough they began spitting
and to finish us off throwing stones. Now as you can imagine at the time we
were full of rage, upset but most of all surprised that these young boys at
such an early age had developed a character of what I could only describe as
racism and hate. At the time we felt victimized, but there was nothing we could
do, we let it go, we just thank God for grace.
 |
| Botanical Garden |
 |
| Botanical Garden |
Hotel
After our endless search, disappointment, victimization, the hotel was
AMAZING and to be fair actually made the trip!! Hotel BLOOM: from the outside
appears quite ordinary but once you step inside you step into the extraordinary!!!
The downstairs bar was of top class and the interior throughout the hotel was of
a very high standard. Every floor and room has its own theme and signature
style. For the price I was definitely not disappointed. We paid only £131 for
two nights (£65.50 each) and I would definitely recommend staying there if you’re
looking to visit Brussels.
The beds were comfy, the shower immaculate should I go on ... I
actually can’t think of anything to fault the place on. We didn't have
breakfast at the hotel so unfortunately I can’t comment on that aspect.
Food
On our first night we went to a restaurant called Brussels grill I had Spare
BBQ ribs with chips and salad. The meal was nice, the ribs however were not as
bbquie (if that’s a word) as I would have liked but nonetheless still enjoyable
with extra sauce. The meal cost only 13.90 so more than enough food for a good
price and enjoyable evening.
On our second evening we visited Arcadi a Belgian Brasserie which
serves a variety of food. The food there was very nice I had a fillet of salmon
with Pasta which tasted really good. However, we did go to the restaurant on a
busy night, although we were seated immediately some of the tables are quite
small and it can be a bit squashed.
For desert I had an apple tart
with a scoop of ice cream. It wasn't the best I've had could hardly taste any
apple.
However, overall great ambiance and friendly staff
Waffles
Things to do
There are quite a few things to do in Brussels which I didn't cover on
this trip. But I did make a trip to the Musical Instrument Museum which was interesting with several different floors. You are provided with
headphones so you can look and also listen to the instruments. There is also a lovely restaurant right at the top of the museum with nice food and lovely views.
Shopping
Shopping was no different to shopping in Amsterdam for me, as I was in
all the stores I would usually shop in. Unfortunately I didn't find any quirky boutiques maybe I missed those.
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