Beautifully Blue Bruges, the most romantic & picturesque city in Belgium.
The Blitzkrieg continued rolling north through the "low countries," entering the country of Belgium on our second afternoon. We had scheduled to hit to two different cities, each with their own charm: the cosmopolitan and modern city of Brussels, the capital of both the European Union and NATO, and Bruges, a northern counterpart to Venice with quiet canals and post-card perfect streets. It promised to offer a great sample of the country.
Entering the fine country of Belgique (Belgium.)
BRUSSELS
The city of Brussels has come a long way since being founded as a fortress in the 10th century by Charlemagne's grandson. The sprawling urban area now boasts 2.7 million inhabitants, a mix of many different cultures, the third highest per capita GDP in the EU, and serves as the headquarters for the European Union and for NATO. This gives the city an upbeat vibe, closer to what you would experience in a city like Milan or Vienna. Unfortunately, as Brussels became the capital city of a new country in the 19th century, much of the old town was destroyed to make way for brand new government buildings, palaces, schools, and offices. This is why the city has become an afterthought for many travelers (only one square and four adjacent old town streets were preserved) - but what we found was an awesome mix of food, fun, and most importantly, CHOCOLATE!!!
Gonzalo being sucked into the tractor beam of "Chocopolis." The city boasts over 2,000 places to buy (or in our case, sample) chocolate.
Most famous are the filled truffles, found in hundreds of flavors.
It is funny to me that such a small country boasts a number of things named after it: Belgium Chocolates, Belgium Beer, Belgium Waffles, Brussels Sprouts... although to be honest, we sort of skipped looking for the last item on that list. Instead, we spent the morning skipping from chocolate shop to chocolate shop, sampling to our hearts (and stomach's) content!
For upscale dining and fresh fish, the RUE DES BOUCHERS just off the Grand Place offers many characteristic options. Beware of aggressive waiters trying to lure you into their restaurant, though!
Matt enjoying some strawberries and bananas dipped in Belgium Chocolate.
The Grote Markt or Grand Place (depending on if you are French or Dutch) is one of the finest squares in all of Europe.
I was blissfully enjoying my morning until I came around a corner and found myself staring at one of the most impressive sights in Europe: The Grand Place. This square, filled with 300 year old buildings and the city tour, has incredible ambiance, bright cafés, and gold-plated buildings. It is an interesting note that the city boasts TWO official languages - French and Dutch - so each street and square has an official name in each. That is why some people call it the Grote Markt and others call it the Grand Place... I call it AMAZING!!!
You know what time it is... JUMP PICTURE!
It's the flying chipmunk, Alex Hoad!
OK... I had to get a little artsy. (Click for a full size image - awesome detail!)
Afterwards, we got off the beaten path for lunch. We found a great little place for lunch that truly illustrated the melting pot of Belgium: A group of AMERICANS and CANADIANS eating at a GREEK restaurant ran by a TURKISH man, reading a menu in DUTCH and FRENCH but ordering in a mix of ENGLISH and ITALIAN while instinctively saying thank you in GERMAN.
A multi-cultural lunch.
Mr. Alex
Our funny waiter turned the camera on himself, doing his best CYCLOPS impression.
Tourist stop: THE MANEKIN PIS
This little statue stands for the "irreverence" of Brussels.
Yes, it takes little translation skills to know that the above title mean "PISSING MANNEQUIN" and the statue, depicting a little boy doing nature's business, is a quirky little tourist spot in the city. There are a number of different stories as to why the statue came to be (the most common is that a father was missing his little boy and promised to make a statue of him when he found him, no matter what he was doing... hence the pee!) but we found the spot to be worth our five minute stroll into the area. There is also a retaliatory small girl statue, but we found it a little underwhelming.
Christie wishing she was a little boy...
... along with every tourist to the city. Note in the background the "Godiva Chocolate" store - their world headquarters are here, and to me that is a VERY good thing!
BELGIUM WAFFLES
"Waffles are pancakes, with a syrup trap." -- Comedian Mitch Hedberg
Everyone has heard the term 'belgium waffles,' but to be there, in BELGIUM, eating WAFFLES, is a fantastic thing. Before leaving the city, we made a stop at one of the numerous street shops selling Belgium Waffles. They are made with a special (secret) batter, topped with sugar and anything else you can imagine. And yes, it tasted BETTER than the pictures!!!
Belgium Waffles offer a lot more than just syrup! This one has vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce.
I LIKE...
It's great to be a lineman...
BRUGES
The beautiful canals of Bruges. Here, Alex sits on a bridge and contemplates how he just dropped his camera into the water. (Video to come!)
An hour west of Brussels, just minutes from the North Sea & across the channel from London, is the fascinating little city of Bruges. It is one of travel guide Rick Steves' favorite cities, and still feels as if it is the 18th century. Flowers sit in windows, the streets are clean enough to eat off, and quiet canals reflect the colorful palettes of cookie-cutter buildings. It recently gained fame with Colin Farrel's movie In Bruges, but still remains a great place to catch your breathe on a European vacation.
In front of the many different colored buildings and warm cafês that line the main square.
A postcard perfect corner in Bruges.
While having an incredible day, my only regret about Belgium is that we didn't have more time. On a longer trip (or if you are coming to Europe for more than three weeks) I would recommend two nights in Bruges, and at least a night in bustling Brussels.
~ J. Twice
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