Brussels

I made it to Brussels, my last stop on my European tour. I guess my final stop on my Around the World trip. It would be the end. I would be flying back home for the holidays in just a few days.

The train ride from Antwerp was pretty quick and was at my hostel before I knew it. My hostel was in a good spot, close to both the Central and North train stations, and not far from the Old City. I had to store my luggage since I was a bit early, but that allowed me time to explore the city in the afternoon. While I was charging my phone, I looked up the hours of Cantillon Brewery. Good thing I checked. I planned on a day trip the following day, and it was closed on Sunday. I would be long gone on Monday by the time it opened. So off I went.

I found some frites for lunch, saw some excitement with the police in the Old Town, and headed towards the brewery. But not before walking through the Grand Place and checking out the outfit of the day on Manneken Pis.

Grand Place.

Manneken Pis.

After a little bit of a walk in the rain outside the Old City, I arrived at Cantillon Brewery. It was a self-guided tour, so I took my time as I walked through. I then got to try 3 different beers, a Lambic which came straight out of the barrel, a kriek, and a rosé. They were all pretty tasty. While I was drinking, I met a nice couple from South America, the woman was from Argentina and the man was from Venezuela. We ended up walking back to town together and hanging out the next evening.

Tour of Cantillon Brewery.

Time to try some beer.

I walked around a bit more to explore the city and the Old Town was beautiful. Especially in the rain. Although it was cold. The Grand Place was definitely one of my favorite squares that I had seen on this trip. I only captured one side here, but all sides had beautiful architecture. 

The Grand Place lit up at night. 

The following day, I got a fairly early start on my day trip. Dinant, a small town south of Brussels kept coming up as a can't-miss in my research. However, just like with Halstatt, Austria, it was just too expensive to stay over. So I decided to dedicate a day to Dinant while I was in Brussels. I was able to do everything I wanted while I was there, so I was happy with my decision. The stunning town is set on the Meuse River, and I ended up picking a good day, so I got some great views. 

Dinant, Belgium.

After a break for lunch, and a short walk to get the lay of the land where the saxophone was born, I headed up to the citadel. The hike up offered some nice views of the river and town below. I learned a little bit of the history of the town, which included a lot of war and devastation. The town always persevered and came through on the other side. 

View from the Citadel.

Adolphe Sax's birth town. 

After I saw as much as I could of Dinant, I headed to Maison Leffe, which was on the other side of town. I was able to learn about the history of making Belgian beer, and specifically the history of Leffe. After my tour, I was able to choose whichever beer I wanted and enjoyed a full glass. I wanted to try something I may not be able to get elsewhere or in the store as easily. I landed on the Mount Hood. The hops actually come from Oregon, which I thought was cool. Once I was done, I grabbed another Leffe at the corner store for the road, and caught the train back to Brussels.

Maison Leffe.

After dinner, I ended up meeting up with the South American couple to try some new beer in a few new spots. They had a list of cool bars they were making their way through before leaving town. I was happy to participate for a few rounds. 

More beer. 

The following morning I headed out for a run. It was my last chance to run in Europe, and I wanted to also run at least once in Brussels. Like Antwerp, it was a little challenging to run around the city. I ended up on the sidewalks and most parks were further out of town. Luckily, the streets were quiet, so I didn't have to deal with too many cars. I made my way to Parc du Cinquantenaire. I arrived, but the gate was locked, which was a bummer. Instead I ran around the perimeter. On the other side, I was able to get in, so I was able to check it out. It was a nice little park, so I ran through it to head back. Of course, I couldn't find an exit. Remember that locked gate? Well I jumped it in order to escape. I ran off before anyone could stop me.

Parc du Cinquantenaire.

After my run, I found a seat at breakfast and met Emily, who was from Washington, DC. We hit it off and we spent my last day together. We explored some more of the Old Town, checked out the view from Palais de Justice, shopped a little, and visited Jeanneke Pis, Manneken's sister.

More of the Grand Place.

View of Brussels from Palais de Justice.

Jeanneke Pis.

After walking around the city, it was time for more beer. Emily and I went to Delirium Tremens to hang out for a bit. I wanted to check off another bar, and Emily was on board to visit the bar she frequented when she used to live there. We enjoyed some beer before heading back to the hostel for a bit.

Delirium Tremens.

While at the hostel, I packed up as much as I could while we enjoyed some drinks and tried to eat most of my remaining food. From there, we headed out and stayed out. Since it was my last night, I was content drinking more beer, and staying out later than normal. We had a great time chatting, meeting new people, and trying different Belgian beers. I didn't get a lot of sleep that night, but it was worth it.

One last rainy shot of the Grand Place.

My new friend Emily.

The next morning was definitely a blur as I got up, showered, finished packing, and headed to the airport. My flight to Dublin was quick. I had time to enjoy a Guinness before heading to NYC. 

And just like that, my trip was over. I was back in NYC, and then upstate for the holidays. 

Antwerp

My new friend Bri and I headed to the port city of Antwerp, and the next stop on my Belgian tour. Bri was accompanying me just for the day, but I had a couple of nights booked. We arrived in one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe. It was almost straight out of Harry Potter.

Antwerp Central train station. 

I checked into my hostel and we went looking for food (frites with steak sauce). Antwerp was a bit larger than I had expected, but as we explored, I found it wasn't as large as I initially thought. Just compared to Bruges, it seemed bigger. We went to check out the sights.

St. Paul's Church.

Town Hall.

I wanted to walk under the Schelde River through the Sint-Annatunnel. It looked like it went on forever, but was really only a quarter of a mile long. We walked to the other end and had some nice views of the city across the river.

Under the Schelde River. 

Antwerp.

We didn't stay for too long and went back through the tunnel to keep exploring the Old Town.

Art.

Flemish architecture in Grote Markt. 

Het Steen.

After all our walking, it was time to eat again. We had to get more waffles, and this time with ice cream. It was so good. Honestly, you could add ice cream to anything and I'm on board with it.

Waffles and ice cream. Yes, please.

Bri had to head back to Bruges, but before we said goodbye, we got to see a beautiful sunset.

Sun setting on Antwerp.

That evening, I hung out at the hostel to make dinner and plan out the next few days. The following morning, I headed out for a run. Antwerp isn't the most friendly running city. I found a park to get run in, but it wasn't very large, and was hassled by a few guys on my way. There is a great bike path, but due to construction, it was a little tricky to run on. Even with those challenges, it was good to see some more of the port side of the city. 

Port of Antwerp.

After my run, I spent the day wandering around Antwerp. And drinking beer. 

Inside Central Station.

Hidden alleys.

Doors and bikes.

Antwerp streets.

It was time to grab a beer, and I found a cute cafe bookstore to have one in. I hung out for a bit and tried a new beer recommended by the bartender.

Beer at a bookstore.

I caught Grote Markt at dusk with the lights reflecting off the rain before making another stop at a popular cozy bar for another drink before dinner. 

Nighttime scenes.

I went back to the hostel and met some people while I was making dinner. I drank the beer I had gotten at the grocery store, plus some other alcohol that my new friends were sharing. The next morning was a little rough. This is why you don't mix beer, bourbon, and wine. Fortunately, I didn't have very far to travel, and wasn't in a hurry, so I managed. I made my way to the train station in the rain, and was in Brussels in a very short amount of time. It was time make the most of the last stop on my trip. 

Bruges

My first stop in Belgium, my 37th country, was Bruges. I had about a week in Belgium and based on recommendations, Bruges was at the top of the list, so I went there first. I arrived pretty late due to the delay of my car share driver in Luxembourg City, but good thing for the bar in the hostel. I dropped my things off in my room, where fortunately my roommates were still awake, got settled a bit, and went back downstairs to enjoy my first Belgian beer in Belgium. And it was delicious. 

Belgian beer.

The following morning, after breakfast, I went to check out the city. But before I left the hostel, I signed up for a walking tour for later in the day. Because of this, I tried to avoid some of the main touristy stops. But some places I couldn't help but see.

Grote Markt Square.

Belfry Tower.

For lunch, I had my first real taste of Belgium, frites. Just as a heads up, I was planning on eating and drinking my way through Belgium. I had to get mayo and curry sauce since apparently that is the thing to do. I can now say that I tried it. But I will stick with regular ketchup for now. I'm not a fan of mayo to begin with, let alone having it with fries. I really only like it when it's mixed in egg salad.

Frites.

I walked further out of the center of town to explore a bit and see the windmills along the Gent-Bruges Canal.

Bruges doors.

Bonne Chiere. 

After seeing the 4 windmills along the canal, I hurried back to the hostel for the walking tour. I met the group and we spent the next few hours walking around the city. We saw various scenes from the movie Bruges (which is on my to-watch list), beautiful architecture, cool canals, and medieval churches. Bruges really is a pretty city and I can see what all the fuss is about. During the tour, I met an American from Hawaii, who lives in New Mexico. She was traveling on her own for the first time and was have a great time. We ended up spending the next few days together.

Belgian architecture.

Scenes from Bruges.

Beautiful canals.

Our last stop on the tour was the Beer Museum, where Bri and I shared a beer tasting. We had a good time chatting with our new friends from Brazil. Afterwards, we wandered for a bit, and made our way to the Beer Wall, where we tried some more Belgian beer.

The Beer Museum.

The Beer Wall. 

The next morning, I got a run in. Mostly because I love running. But also to fully enjoy all the beer, chocolate, waffles, frites, and other Belgian goodness I was planning on consuming. The run was really enjoyable, and reminds me of why I love running paths along water. 

Beautiful run along the canal.

My next food item to try were waffles. Now waffles is not at the top of my list for breakfast food (I'm more of a French toast girl). But true Belgian waffles, with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, that's another story. So good. I could eat them for dessert all the time. The next one I get will have ice cream on it.

Belgian waffles.

After a few errands, Bri and I hit up some new places as we walked around town, and revisited a few places from our tour so I could get better pictures.

Leaves falling on canals.

One of the prettiest spots in Bruges.

Houses on the canal.

After we saw everything we wanted to see, we went looking for chocolate and beer.

Chocolate.

Beer.

Brouwerij De Halve Maan.

We eventually headed back to the hostel to spend the rest of the evening. We met a local girl who works at the hostel, who shared her stash of beer with us. Which was amazing. She had so many different kinds that she opened up. It was a true Belgian tasting.

So much beer.

Even after all that beer, and unwarranted warnings from some guy at the hostel, we got up with no issue. I checked out, met up with Bri, and we headed to Antwerp.