Brussels / Bruxelles

It only took me 3 months, but I finally went to Brussels on Sunday, May 1st. I have no idea why it took me so long, since the city is only 20 minutes out of Leuven by train, but better late than never! Enjoy this look at the 'capital' of the European Union.

 Mont des Arts Garden

 The Kunstberg or Mont des Arts is a historic site in the center of Brussels

 Royal Square

 Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg, an 18th. ce. neoclassical church

Brussels Park

 The Royal Palace of Brussels

 The Royal Palace is the official palace of the King and Queen of Belgium 

Église Notre-Dame du Sablon

The Grand Sablon antiques and flea market on the Place du Grand Sablon

The famous, slightly underwhelming, sailor-dressed Manneken Pis

No words can do this justice

I of course had to stop and fuel up with a healthy and energizing treat: a Liege waffle loaded with strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle. I choose to focus on the strawberries part. 

One of the areas Brussels is most famous for is the Grand Place - a square in the heart of the city encircled by elegant historic buildings dating back to the 14th century.

 La Grand-Place, Brussels: a UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Brussels Town Hall

Brussels City Museum

All of this gold detail makes the square look so ornate and luxurious 

St. Nicholas Church

One of the main reasons why I chose to go to Brussels on that particular day was because of a vintage street clothing market that I heard about on Facebook. Unfortunately, the market was a lot smaller than I'd thought it would be; so it's a good thing I enjoyed the city so much.

I had some time to kill before meeting up with my friend at Brussels Central Station, so I headed for a nearby church to have a look around and a sit in the park. 

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula 

After round 2 of touring the Royal Palace, Grand Place, and vintage market with my friend, we headed for dinner and waffles. The perfect way to end any trip, in my opinion.  

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, a glass-roofed shopping area

Our waffle stop of choice 

I know, I know, two waffles in one day. I have to make up for all the waffles I won't be eating back in Canada, right? I'm just planning ahead...

And there's a taste of Brussels! I've gone back once since then to enjoy the European Food Truck festival, which was the following Saturday (May 7th). It was incredible. I didn't eat a single thing that wasn't absolutely delicious. Without the double negative: everything I ate was delicious. I can imagine that Brussels has so much more to offer than what I saw in my two short trips - and unfortunately my free time is quickly running on short supply with exams coming up - but from what I did see, I sure did love it! Thanks for looking and reading :)

- Alexandra

A Saturday in Ghent

On April 30th I took a short day trip to Ghent, a canal city much like Bruges but bigger and less touristy. I did enjoy Ghent, but Bruges still wins for me - can't beat the Old Chocolate Factory's hot chocolate. Ghent is most definitely worth the trip, but if you have to be choosey with your Belgian cities, then you'd best go with Bruges. 

Belfry (bell tower) of Ghent  

Werregarenstraat: Ghent's graffiti street 

Clark Kent went to Ghent

Unfortunately I did't keep track of the name of this church... but there was a really cool flea/antiques market going on inside. I'm going to miss having markets of all kinds around every corner when I leave Belgium.

Clock tower of the former post office 

St. Bavo’s Cathedral

The crypt of the church houses the famous Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painting - I didn't see it, but what would this post be without an educational fun fact?

Some artsy exhibit set up in one of the Cathedral's rooms. No name to report, again, my bad. 

The Gravensteen: a castle originating from the Middle Ages

 You know you're in Belgium when ^

Amsterdam or Ghent? 

Not a lot of "tourist talk" this time around. This post was more for sharing pictures. Ghent was very pretty and I really enjoyed my time there. Two different antique/flea markets were going on that Saturday in the city - so I was a happy camper even with the grey skies. Hope you enjoyed this peek at Ghent; thanks for reading :)

- Alexandra