It was only
an hour on the train to Brussels,
and I managed to negotiate the subway easily enough to my next hostel. Hello Hostel is a nice change from the
last one – big, open, light room with a small kitchen but nice dining area and
an outside courtyard. The area it’s in seems a little dodgy with a lot of guys
hanging around in the street or sitting outside cafes, but I felt relatively
safe wandering around (just not at night!). It also helps when you can’t
understand what their smart remarks when you walk past! I had a lazy day as I
had three days to explore the city.
Finally
awoke to blue sky! I decided to make use of the good weather to take photos of
the city and any outside tourist areas before hitting any museums. I headed up
to the top floor of Parking 58 (just
a carpark) for a good view of the city (which is really just a city, not very
pretty), before walking to the Grand Place (main square) to look at all the old
buildings/palaces/museums surrounding the square, and fight my way through the
hundreds of tourists towards the tiny “Mannekin Pis” statue. I bought a
postcard as there was no way I was going to get a nice photo unless I headed
down there at 6am (and I’ve had enough of that). I walked about 5min down the
road and found myself by a section of the first city wall built in the 13th
century which was practically
deserted and so a great place for a peaceful picnic. After lunch I walked past
the “Kapellekerk” and skatepark to the “Plais de Justice” and then up towards
the “Royal Palace”, stopping at the pretty little “Egmont Park” where the grass
is jealously guarded by angry park wardens with very loud whistles. First time
I’ve ever come across active policing of the “Keep off the Grass” signs! I’m
over visiting palaces, but walked through the palace gardens, with the massive
fountain at one end, and towards the huge cathedral. From the cathedral I
walked through the marketplace and more expensive shopping area towards “Gare
Centrale” where I caught the tube back to the hostel.
After one semi-sunny day the rain was back, so after catching the tube to “Gare Midi”
to pick up my Eurostar ticket, I visited the massive fleamarket near the
station. It is really just a huge car boot sale though with a lot of crap, and
one man’s trash is not always another man’s treasure. I couldn’t really be
bothered bargaining but did get a nice metal bracelet for 1 euro. After a
coffee at a nice little café near the market I walked back to the “Plais de
Justice” and caught the glass elevator that passes between the lower and upper
town. I then walked the long way through a lovely garden towards the Music Museum,
where you walk around with a set of earphones to listen to samples of music
while checking out the different instrument displays. I then walked a little further to the Museum Area, where I
chose to visit the “Coudenberg” – spectacular underground ruins of 15th
century Brussels (including streets that are now
covered by the current streets) and the palace of Emperor Charles
the 5th. After that I was done wandering around in the crappy
weather, so I headed back towards the metro though the Grand Place, stopping to
buy a box of hand-made praline chocolates for a friend.
The following day I had a bit
of a later start and headed back to the market ready look for some good
bargains. I bought a couple of bracelets, only to discover a link missing in
one after I’d paid for it. Fortunately I found a lovely little bead shop in a
side-street so I was able to buy a few links to repair the bracelet, as well as
some bits and pieces to make Christmas presents. After that I headed over to the Comic Museum,
where I learnt about the creators of Tintin (originally called “Kuifie”), Lucky
Luke and the Smurfs. The rest of the dreary day was spent in coffee shops
staying out of the rain.
On my final day in Europe I had some
time to kill before my 4pm train back to London, so I left my luggage in
storage at the hostel and caught the tube into town where I ate an over-priced
waffle and wandered through the now-familiar tourist-packed streets in search
of a coffee shop where I could shelter from the drizzle and catch up on my
journal. I found a lovely alternative café with amazing coffee and opera music
filling the room to create a nice warm atmosphere. After picking up my bags I
caught the tube to Gare Midi, where I went through customs and boarded the
Eurostar. After nearly three and a half months my big trip through Europe was finally over and I only wish it didn't have to end. But it was time to get back to work and start planning my final trips before heading home.
