By Joe Bowden
In Part 1, we toured the sights, sounds and tastes of Amsterdam, one of Europe’s biggest cities for tourism. We next ventured to Brussels, Belgium – the “Capital of Europe”, with charm and beauty all its own.
Belgium, like The Netherlands, is a small country, so it’s relatively easy to explore in a short period of time. While Brussels is its capital, and it hosts the European Union and NATO (among other institutions), I’m told that the true essence of Belgium is found in Bruges or elsewhere. Even so, Brussels has some amazing attractions, food and drink waiting for you. Belgium is one of 26 countries making up the Schengen Area, so there are no border controls or checks when traveling from Amsterdam to Brussels. (It’s similar to taking the train from Boston to New York.)
We took the Eurostar train from Amsterdam to Brussels. We rode in the first-class car, which (to our surprise) included breakfast! The service was polite and friendly, and the ride was comfortable. We’d booked in advance, so it’s entirely possible that we paid the same for first class than we would have paid for standard just by that fact alone. The train ride took just under two hours. We then rode the Brussels Metro to Grand-Place, where our Marriott hotel is located. (Once again, tap your credit card to enter and exit – why can’t every city do this?)
Grand-Place and surroundings
Grand-Place is often dubbed the world’s most beautiful square. The buildings are huge, ornate, and extremely clean. There are many tourist attractions to visit within the main square itself, and several smaller alleyway-style streets open only to pedestrians branch off from the center. There’s even a large glass-ceilinged arcade where we stopped for coffee. My brother’s family and I took photos with a famous, albeit humorous, statue (photo of me included below). It’s a pleasant place to spend a few hours people-watching and window-shopping.
Priorities in Grand-Place include three of Belgium’s most famous products – waffles, chocolate, and beer. Our first snack in Brussels was a pair of freshly-made Belgian waffles – one sugary (Liege-style), and the other more fluffy. Both were excellent – a step above what you’re likely to find at Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival. Chocolate shops are everywhere, and you can buy from internationally known brands (like Godiva) or from local chocolatiers (such as Mary’s). Nearly every side street has a chocolate shop. If you have a sweet tooth, then this is your town.
I’ve long enjoyed craft beer, and Brussels gave me the opportunity to drink a “bucket list” beer – Trappist Westvleteren 12. For a long time, it held the top spot on BeerAdvocate’s “World’s Best Beers” list. You can try it at a 400 year-old pub, Au Bon Vieux Temps, for 17 EUR (!). It’s brewed by Trappist monks solely to support their monastic lifestyle, it’s only made in limited quantities, and it’s not commercialized nor sold outside of the monastery. The occasional thread online is “Where can I buy Westy 12?”, and the answer is, “You can’t, unless you do a private purchase from someone who brought it back with them from Belgium.” (I’m not sure how this pub got its hands on some, as people can only buy it from the monastery in limited quantities and by actually going there to pick it up.)
My verdict? It’s definitely a world-class beer. It comes in at over 10% ABV, so it’s one to enjoy and savor. It’s highly complex with rich notes of plum, as you would expect from the Belgian Quad style. It’s a memorable beer, for sure – some might even call it a dessert beer. All that said, I would like to have blind-tasted it against two other Belgian beers of the same style – Chimay Bleu and St. Bernardus Abt 12 (long my personal favorite beer, which is available at most good liquor stores in the US). I’m sure there are nuances that some people can use to tell them apart, but I’m not certain that my own palate is refined enough to differentiate them. All told, I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Belgium, so I am very happy that I took the opportunity when it presented itself.
The pub itself had a very cool vibe – dark wood, stained glass, cramped space, and Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” playing over the radio. We ordered a simple snack of cheese and potato chips (Lay’s, as it turned out) to go with the beers for my brother and me and the waters for my sister-in-law and nephew. In contrast to the Westvleteren 12, most other beers on the menu were between 6 and 7 EUR, but many were known to me as good Belgian Abbey and Trappist ales that are available in the US. (You’re probably paying less in Brussels than you are back home.)
Dinner was also in the neighborhood, at a Belgian French-style restaurant called Aux Armes de Bruxelles. (I say Belgian French because there’s also Dutch, Flemish, and German subcultures in the country, among others.) While my nephew and I speak some French (he more than I), they were more than happy to serve us in English. French fries reputedly cooked in beef tallow (the only way to cook them), a big steaming pot of mussels, and authentic flambé made for a memorable dinner. (When the chef fires up the flaming pan in front of everyone, it probably sells a half-dozen more desserts just for the sake of novelty.)
Museums, odds, and ends
We visited several unique exhibits in Brussels. First, we went to the Banksy Museum, which was only about three blocks away from our hotel. Banksy is a world-famous anonymous guerrilla artist whose work, despite his desire to not commercialize, often fetches millions at auction. Often political, sometimes bracing, but always thought-provoking, the Banksy Museum provided a great collection of his work over the years as originally displayed in various places around the world. This museum can comfortably be visited in an hour’s time.
Second, we visited the Atomium, built for the 1958 Expo (that year’s World’s Fair). This was an absolutely fascinating building – there’s really nothing like it anywhere else. You travel from one subatomic particle to the next in escalators or stairwells, and there’s an elevator all the way to the top. There are amazing views of the city and the fairgrounds surrounding the Atomium at all levels, and there’s usually something going on in the surrounding park. Included with our tickets was a small design museum a short distance from the Atomium. Budget two and a half hours for the experience, including transportation from central Brussels there and back. It’s well outside of the city center, and while there is Metro service nearby, that could be significantly more time-consuming than taking an Uber.
Finally, we visited the museum of the European Parliament. It’s centrally located with the headquarters of the European Union. It was free, but unless you’re familiar with intra-European politics or are fascinated by the history of the Common Market, then I would recommend skipping this exhibition. We completed the attraction in less than 30 minutes, though others who are more interested in the subject matter may spend up to an hour or more. Do note that to enter, you must pass through an airport-style security checkpoint, so you may wish to leave bags at your hotel in order to expedite screening.
Making your way around town
English is commonly spoken in Brussels. Knowing some French, Dutch, or Flemish will also be very helpful in navigating. (Having taken Duolingo French for three years, it was comforting at this point in the European adventure to see street signs that I could actually read.)
Contactless credit and debit cards are the norm here as they are in much of Europe. You can use the Metro here as you can in Amsterdam, tapping in and out of the system. However, some smaller places will happily accept cash. My first French-language interaction at the café consisted of one word: “Especes?” (Cash, when I brought the bill inside to pay.)
Returning to Amsterdam, then heading home
The train ride back to Amsterdam was an adventure. We’d been warned of weekend track construction, and it necessitated two train transfers and three and a half hours’ travel time. We first rode from Brussels to Breda, The Netherlands. Next, we connected in Breda to Rotterdam. From Rotterdam, we went into Amsterdam, but not into Centraal. It was a good opportunity to look out the windows and see parts of Europe that I would ordinarily not pay much attention to. Rotterdam caught my attention – if I go back, then I am definitely spending a day in town. It’s reputed to be a great university town with a rich history.
Dinner Saturday night was at The Cottage, a small sidewalk-style restaurant with big picnic tables under umbrellas. They specialize in comfort food. It was only a short walk from the train station at which we arrived. I had the best duck confit I’ve ever had, and it was only 23 EUR! There was also an amazing table beer brewed in the Dutch city of Haarlem that was available on tap.
Sunday, we took the 397 bus back from Leidseplein to Schiphol. My brother’s family departed for Edinburgh, and I returned home. Using Mobile Passport Control, I cleared immigration in Boston in about 30 seconds, but I still had to wait for my checked bag to come out.
Overall? I would go back to both cities, though I think I’d want to spend more time just walking the neighborhoods and taking in the uniqueness of each place than I would going back to museums I’ve already seen. Travel from Boston is a snap. Plan three days for Amsterdam, and a day and a half for Brussels. There are many other places to visit surrounding these cities, and they’re pretty centrally located for hopping from one European country to another.
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