Note: All images that relate directly to this particular blog can be found via this link to the website page Belgium Images
Day 4 – 31/12/22
Well to be truthful, nothing much happened today. Today was more about travelling from England to start the European part of the trip (I know Britain is in Europe … well sort of, but this refers to the continent). First all, Helen and Iain were good enough to give me a lift back to Newbury Park so I could get to St Pancras. If I was to give a host rating, it would have to be 10/10 (even though they drove past me yesterday at the station haha). Couldn’t have asked for nicer day and nicer people to spend it with.
Once again, it was back on the Central line then Metropolitan line to St Pancras station and the Eurostar. Having flown from Paris to England once before, the train is definitely the best way to get to the continent from London. The old station is quite beautiful and the trip itself is very comfortable. A few more seats in the waiting area wouldn’t go astray though as they were few and far between. I ending up sitting on a foot railing, so apart from the permanent groove in my backside, I coped rather well ;-). The trip itself was quite comfortable as I had a seat free next to me (put it down to good management) and after 2 hours, the train pulled into Brussels Zuid at 6.30pm. After wandering around the station looking for the Pullman Hotel, I booked in and was upgraded to a superior room (being an Accor member does help at times). After getting myself sorted, I had a quick walk around the neighbourhood looking for something to eat but nothing was open. If I am being brutally honest, the area was a little sketchy so I ended up back in the room with some fruit and a drink. New Year’s Eve really isn’t that big a deal when you are travelling by yourself so it was easier to relax and watch the fireworks from the hotel window. Im still struggling a little with sleep so hopefully that will sort itself out. Anyways, tomorrow I am going for a quick walk around and then it’s off to Cologne. Goodbye 2022.
Day 5 – 1/1/23
Well a happy new year to you all. I had a couple of hours of exploring before the train would take me into the German part of my trip. The strangest thing to come to grips with was the lateness of the sunrise. I started out of the hotel at 8.30 and the sun hadn’t come up. Added to this was the fact that the whole of Brussels was still recovering from the night before, made the place seem like a veritable ghost town.
With the sunrise and the eerie light that was produced, the city came to life in a very unique way. Places such at the Halle Gate and the Royal Palace offset against an early morning sky created an image that I would find hard to replicate if I ever returned to Brussels. Probably the most impressive sight was the old town hall and guild halls in the “Grand Place”. I can imagine how crowded the square would normally be but seeing it sans the maddening crowds, was a treat. It is what you could imagine old Europe to be, when you try and conjure up that type of generic image in your head. A couple of other things stood out in my quick walk. One, the war memorials dedicated to (in the main) WWI and also the mention of WWII. I have seen this in other Belgium towns before but it still something that makes me stop and look as well as think. The first time I was in Paris, I had the image of German soldiers wandering the streets during the early 1940’s and the same applied here (as well as WWI). The memorials outside of the Hall of Justice (Palais de Justice) and even in the Central Rail Station emphasised the importance of that period of time to. the people of the city. Secondly, I loved the artwork on the walls of the buildings. I had already been made aware of the existence of this watching “Travel Man” on TV. To actually view these in real life said something about the quirky nature of the city, which is something I hope that is never lost about the place.
Overall my experience in Brussels, while brief, was interesting. Is it pretty? In parts yes and in other parts no. Would I come back again? To Belgium, absolutely. To Brussels I am not quite sure. I will admit I saw it at a “different” time but maybe it’s best to say it was nice and move on to the next stop.