Brussels and Brugge: Our Belgian Adventure!

My husband Bill and I are determined to see as much of Europe as we can while we're living in Germany. As the long Labor Day weekend approached, we conferred about what we wanted to do to celebrate it. This is the first year in our marriage that we could conceivably take a quick trip without a lot of planning and saving. One day, my husband was having a particularly bad day at work and he sent me a message that basically said, "I think we should go drink beer, eat chocolate, and see Manneken Pis." That meant we were going to Brussels, Belgium!

I started to get to work on finding us a hotel. That's where Expedia.com really came in handy! I managed to find a deal for three nights at one of Brussels' newest hotels, The Dominican. One weekend night at The Dominican was going for $220, but Expedia was offering a third night free! I had read about the hotel on TripAdvisor and it mostly got great reviews. I decided to take a chance and paid upfront for three nights.

That done, Bill booked first class train tickets for us from Stuttgart to Cologne, Germany on the Inter City Express (ICE) train. Then from Cologne, we boarded Thalys, a French high speed train that took us from Cologne to Brussels. First class tickets were a bit more expensive than second class tickets, but not outrageously so. And it turned out that the extra expense was definitely worth it. We were allowed free use of the ICE lounge in the Stuttgart station, which really came in handy. First class on Thalys was also very nice, with comfortable seats and less crowding than in second class. The trip each way took about four hours from start to finish, but we had a very short break between trains. Next time, I think we'll consider more of a time gap because we almost missed a train on the way back.

We made it to Brussels by early afternoon and took a cab from the Midi train station to The Dominican. There is a metro station at the Midi train station, but we decided it was best not to try to haul our luggage through there. That turned out to be a smart decision, since the metro tends to be very crowded and a bit inconvenient. Our cab driver had to ask directions to The Dominican. The hotel has only been in operation since late last year. I guess he doesn't get a lot of fares there!

We were extremely pleased with The Dominican. The hotel is at a site that used to be a monastery. The tasteful decor reflects that fact, with stark a black and white color scheme accented with jewel tones, high ceilings, and the soft sounds of chanting monks on the elevator. When we entered our hotel room, we could still hear the music. It turned out the flatscreen television had been set to the hotel's channel, which flashed serene pictures as soothing music played. It was definitely a great touch. The room also sported a huge, comfortable bed with plenty of feather pillows, a well-stocked minibar, free wireless Internet access, and best of all, a rainfall shower! The Dominican is located on a quiet street, but it's very close to the Grand Place.

The Grand Place

Brussels' aptly named centerpiece is The Grand Place, a huge, bustling square with incredibly ornate, gilded buildings and cobblestone roads. There's always something going on in The Grand Square. It was always teeming with people sitting at cafes, taking pictures, or in one couple's case, getting married! Bill and I strolled around this square and its side streets several times over the course of our stay, taking in the sights and smells and keeping a close eye on our valuables. It seems The Grand Place is prime pickpocketing territory!

A La Mort Subite

Our first stop was at A La Mort Subite, a bar that has been a Brussels institution since 1928. Bill and I had seen this bar featured on Three Sheets a travel and drinking show on the MOJO network and iTunes. The inside of the bar has the same decor it did at its inception and it features some wonderful homemade brews as well as other well known Belgian beers. The place also serves other beverages besides beer as well as light snacks. Since we were in the mood for something a little more substantial, we headed back toward the Grand Place, where we found a charming Greek restaurant and ate dinner. That's where I got my first taste of Belgium's famous frites. Once you've had them, you'll never think of French fries in the same way!

Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis

Brussels is a beautiful but irreverent city. That may have something to do with one of Brussels' most famous monuments, Manneken Pis, which is located just a quick walk from The Grand Place. There are several legends surrounding this small bronze statue depicting a little boy peeing, but according to most of them, the little boy somehow saved the city by taking a leak. We got there in mid morning and there were several other folks getting pictures of the little guy. As we walked east of the site, I couldn't help but notice that perhaps other people had also tried to save the city with their pee. I could smell a heavy aroma of it in certain neighborhoods.

In 1987, Brussels got another peeing statue, this time of a little girl. Jeanneke Pis squats very happily in her own spot, located at Impasse de la Fidélité / Getrouwheidsgang (Faith Alley), a short street that also hosts the world famous Delirium Cafe!

Delirium Cafe

Before we moved to Germany, my husband and I used to drink Belgian beers at Fort Belvoir's officer's club. We had enjoyed Delirium Tremens and Delirium Nocturne many times. But when we saw Delirium Cafe featured on our favorite travel show, Three Sheets, we knew we had to pay a visit! Delirium Cafe is listed in the Guiness Book of Records for having over 2000 beers available. There are beers from sixty different countries as well as a huge range of Belgian beers. I was surprised to find Kotayk Beer, a lager from the Republic of Armenia, listed in the catalog and priced at 8 euros. Kotayk Beer, as I remember it, was never worth anywhere near 8 euros, but I still wanted Bill to try it. Unfortunately, they didn't have it in stock, so Bill ended up drinking a Ukranian brew.

Brugge

The next day, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast of coffee, croissants, an omelet, and orange juice. Then we hopped a train to Brugge, which is a mere 55 minute ride away. Brugge has been called the Venice of the North. It's a beautifully preserved town with canals, cobblestone, horses and carriages, and trees. The place was teeming with tourists, but it was still a lot of fun to walk around and enjoy the beautiful scenery. I was surprised by how full the city was, even on a Sunday. We had lunch at a restaurant called De Stoepa, which is on the way into town from the train station. We ended up eating outside in a lovely garden, where we enjoyed wonderful beer and innovative dishes. I had a chicken and shrimp salad with fruit and Bill had a delicious wrap filled with shrimp, ricotta, bean sprouts, and other vegetables. Afterwards, I went shopping and bought abalone earrings from a very persistant shop owner. Brugge was definitely cleaner and quieter than Brussels and made for an appealing side trip. I found myself wishing we had time to explore Antwerp and Ghent as well.

Maison de Toone

We very nearly missed this place, right off the Impasse Schuddeveld and the Impasse Sainte-Pétronille. The Maison de Toone is a puppet theater as well as an awesome watering hole, complete with a pretty tree lined outdoor area. We walked in and sat down, where we were immediately tended to by a kindly older gentleman who brought me a very refreshing glass of kriek (cherry) beer. My husband enjoyed a delicious draft Kwak, which came to him in a special glass held upright by a wooden stand. The was wonderful jazz music and the spectacle of puppets hanging from the ceiling. I could have sat there all day, except for the smoking. I wished we could have been around to see one of the puppet shows.

Restaurant Alley (Rue des Bouchers-Beenhouwersstraat)

Brussels has many fine restaurants to choose from when it comes time to eat. But there's one street in particular where diners are aggressively pursued by young men hoping to fill seats with tourists. Bill and I chose to eat at two of these places. I decided to try my hand at mussels and fries at the first one. Unfortunately, I was still a bit tipsy from our time in the Delirium Cafe and that made eating mussels a challenge. If I had it to do over again, I might have chosen a place that wasn't in such a touristy area, but it was a fun experience just the same.

Time to go home

Bill and I were sad to leave Brussels. We did manage to pick up some things to bring home, though. We got a nice big box of chocolates, beer, t-shirts from the Delirium Cafe, mugs, and magnets. I was sorry I didn't manage to get any Belgian lace, though opportunities were plentiful. We'll definitely have to go back to see some of the things we missed the first time!

In any case, we definitely loved Brussels. It was just the thing to cure my husband's Labor Day blues.