When my nephew Kevin mentioned that we were flying out of Brussels to Venice, I didn’t oppose the idea. After all, Brussels is one of my favorite cities in the world and I wouldn’t mind be back again after 8 years- the last time I have been.
The Grand Place looking south of the market place.
The Grand Place looking north of the market place.
We left Schiedam on a mid morning Wednesday, the fourth day of my vacation. Looking back, the last time I was in Brussels was with Bob- we spent only a day. And with such limited time, we only got to see the Grand-Place then. This time, I wanted to see more so I asked Kevin if leaving Merly’s place early was an option. So we did.
We arrived in Brussels around 2PM; about the right time to check in our hotel. The hotel parking was a bit of a challenge to find; it was located in an abandoned building which you need a code for to enter. Reminded me of some action/thriller movie- parked at the top, in an elusive spot, and no elevator but stairs to access. Fun😝. After checking in and getting settled, we headed out. Our hotel is about twenty minutes from the Grand-Place so it’s good to walk around and see parts of Brussels I have not seen before. When we got there, that familiar breathtaking feeling came to me like a spell. Once again, my admiration of this place is immeasurable. The excitement I had seeing this was the same like when I first witnessed it. The Grand-Place or Grote Market as the Belgiques call it, is the central square of Belgium. It features unique and one of a kind architectural ensembles showcasing intricate wood carvings, and some gold plated details. I was just in awe.
Top left: a street performer playing saxophone; Bottom Left: one of the chocolate stores we passed by and got some treats;
Right photo: one of the streets in the Grand Place.
I can’t remember the amount of people when I first saw this place, but I thought there was more this time. I walked around every corner of the place, and took as many shots I could. Then we decided to walk towards the Tuin van de Kunstberg Garden by passing through one of the narrow streets in the Grand Place. Even this part of Brussels was admirable; with quaint chocolate and novelty stores. The garden was also packed As we walked by, there was street performer playing his saxophone so we decided to watch him for a while then proceeded to cross the street to Eglise Saint Jacques-Sur-Coudenberg. This is my second time in Brussels, and once again, I did not get the opportunity to check what’s inside this beautiful building😢.
We continued walking towards the Royal Palace of Brussels. I didn’t think this place is open for public at this time of the year as I read from Lonely Planet that the palace is only open for a short period to the public during summer. The palace remains an active administrative residence and workplace of the King and Queen of Belgium mostly.
The Royal Palace of Belgium
Tuin van de Kunstberg Garden with the English Saint Jacques Sur Caudenburg on the horizon.
Across the Royal palace is the Parc de Bruxelles- the largest urban public park in the city. This park resembles Tuileries Garden near the Louvre in Paris, only in a smaller scale. The plants and trees arrange symmetrically; and somewhere in between are sculptures and monuments of popular figures in Greco-Roman mythology. We sat at one of the benches for a bit and enjoyed people and bird watching nearby the fountain. While the leaves on the the trees had became dry and had began changing their colors, this place must be beautiful during spring time, when all the flowers are in bloom.
When we exited the park, we navigated Rue de La Loi until it met Rue des Colonies where we discovered by chance St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral. This is my first time seeing this church so we explored inside before it closed. I was impressed by its neo-gothic decorative elements and the amount of religious artifacts displayed on its massive pillars. The antiquities were spot on. I can say that this one is for the books amongst old churches I have seen. And it’s free! Once done, we headed back to the Grand Place.
The pillars and the church pulpit of St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral are one of a kind.
Settled for just mussels and another Belgian beer while enjoying the Grand Place.
At this point we were tired and hungry and so we decided to have dinner at one of the restaurants in the Grand Place. I wanted two relive the first time Bob and I were in this place- I wanted to get a bottle of Chimay, a plate of Escargot and a bucket of Mussels. I got the mussels (in Brussels!🤣) but not the Chimay nor the Escargot. I settled for another Belgian beer instead.
I imagined taking photo of the Grand Place when it is dark and all lit up at blue hour. But the sun remained up at 835PM. At this time we were tired and thinking we need to wake up at 230AM the earliest for our red eye flight. So instead, I settled for shooting the buildings at sunset; where shadows covered the other part of the buildings and with the sunbeams on the others.
The biggest take away of this trip was going to the airport early in the morning. We arrived in Brussels Airport around 400AM. Not seeing our flight on the departure board, Kevin realized that Ryanair flies not at where we were but at Brussels/Charleroi- 55kms from Brussels International- An hour away. I already embraced the idea that we will miss the flight and we will just have to rebook another flight; but for some miracle, Kevin drove fast (and furious😂) and we all found ourselves checking in our luggage on time. WE made it to the gate after all.
Making the most of our time in Brussesls.
Bottom Right: WE made it to our red eye flight!