At 3am on a Saturday morning I am regularly waiting for a taxi home from a night out, not waiting for the National Express to kick off a 23 hour day that will see us visit the Belgian capital. The trip, a belated birthday gift which cost around £70 each meant that we would only have seven hours in the City so a few hours revision looking at what we wanted to do, when and how we are getting to places was vital.
We got in to Victoria coach station at 6am, three hours before our Eurostar departure. So, full of energy we decided to jump on the tube and head down to the London Eye, for a photo more than anything. I did think about the disappointment on people’s faces when they see Big Ben masked in scaffolding destroying the perfect selfie opportunity. We’ve had a few scaffolding related disappointments ourselves mind, the Capitol in Washington and the Prague Astronomical clock just two weeks prior standing out.
A quiet walk (I have never seen London so vacant) around parliament square, then up Whitehall including two fingers to Theresa May walking past Downing Street to Trafalgar Square and we were ready to head to St Pancras to lose my Eurostar virginity. The security and customs processes were quick and straight-forward (we’re getting used to this!) and caught up on some Netflix whilst we waiting to board the train.
TOP TIP: Whilst security looks like that in an airport, you are free to take liquids through security, so take a big bottle of your favourite refreshment along with you and avoid the expected high prices.
Unfortunately on both Eurostar journeys I slept most of the way, appreciating the sufficient leg room and comfortable seats. From London to Brussels via Ebbsfleet, Calais and Lille took a little over two hours and we arrived in Brussels just after lunch time.
Most of our day would be spent in the central area of the city but our first destination was to visit the Atomium, a unique building based on… you guessed it – an atom. This meant catching the Metro blue line to the end of the tracks to Heysel, but we decided to go one further to Roi Baudouin where I knew was near to the national football stadium.
If you’re a football fan you have probably put 2 + 2 together and worked out this stadium was the location of the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, where 39 people died during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. Since then the stadium has had a few additional safety concerns but today, whilst it won’t make any top 100 lists for architecture, it’s deemed safe and hosts the Belgian football team as many of my Welsh supporting pals will know. The name change in the nineties to King Baudouin Stadium probably helps its reputation.
Unfortunately the ground was fenced off about 200m around the perimeter so I couldn’t take a closer look so we continued down the road to the Atomium, certainly one of the tourist hotspots in Belgium. You can go inside the structure; it’s a museum with a viewpoint up top. Whilst I would have liked to get to the top the museum was of little interest – and the clock was ticking.
From here we jumped on the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus, which at €25 was a bit expensive (a day public transport card was €6) although it did give us the opportunity to visit other places of interest on the outskirts of the centre we wouldn’t have otherwise chosen or have been able to see. The trip in to town went past the impressive Basilica of Sacred Heart and stopped just outside the narrow streets of the city centre.
Next on the agenda was to see the Manneken Pis, a statue of a boy having a wee. I know, right? As we fought our way through the crowds we were treated to a walk through a bustling shopping arcade with countless chocolatiers and waffle outlets, finally caving in and purchasing a chocolate-topped waffle a few yards before we got the statue.
The statue itself was slightly disappointing, standing at around 18 inches high it wasn’t as grand as was advertised and the sheer volume of people blocking any through traffic was annoying. There is always someone who thinks it’s a good idea to force a push chair through these mass congregations. Today the statue was dressed in a uniform with singers in the same attire at the front of the railings that surround it. I couldn’t really tell who they were, probably a charitable group – we didn’t bother to find out more as we departed for oxygen.
Shuffling with the crowds away from the statue led us to the main square, or “Grand Place” that did live up to expectation. Every side of the square stood grandiose buildings with golden highlights focusing on the town hall with a spire that can be seen from practically anywhere we visited during our time there. Thankfully we timed our trip in line with a flower carpet adorning most of the squares surface area, the remainder jam packed with tourists. The flower carpet takes place every other August in which volunteers from around Belgium convene at the Grand Place to weave a carpet-like tapestry. Nearly a million flowers are required to create the ephemeral 1,800 square meter carpet. Good timing.
Moving on along many more narrow streets with the realisation that time was already against us, we emerged out at the Central train station and walked to the hop-on hop-off bus to complete the second route included in the price. I have to admit this coincided with the County kicking off in Exeter so I was paying attention to my phone as much as the surroundings. You can take the boy out of Newport etc… This journey took us past sights such as the Royal Theatre, Federal Parliament and numerous EU buildings but it was the Arcade du Cinquantenaire based in the European quarter that was the highlight, especially the sight of the triumphal arch at the end of the Avenue de Tervuren.
Once travelled full circle we departed the bus to visit some of the sights in more detail, first stopping off at the Palace which was closed off for an impending music concert, can’t imagine Queen Lizzie allowing us common type on the Buckingham Palace forecourt any time soon but hey ho. From here we headed past Place Royale and the Notre-Dame du Sablon church and garden to get back to the federal building where there was a viewpoint across the city, with the Atomium, Basilica and town hall all being prominent. A lift took as back down to city-centre level and once we had walked around to pick up the customary fridge magnet and some chocolates it was time to get the train back to the Eurostar and begin the long journey home.
We returned home at 2am the next morning, with an understanding that for most people, seven hours isn’t nearly enough time to see all what Brussels has to offer. We gave it a very good go and managed to see everything we wanted to without feeling rushed. As we very rarely stop for a sit-down meal and a beer, or explore the contents of most museums and churches, this does give us more time to wander around, albeit after a few hours planning before we go. Ultimately we had an enjoyable day and can confidently tick Brussels off the never-ending list.
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