I chose to visit Belgium because it bordered The Netherlands, and I’m glad I did. I stayed at the Holiday Inn in the Shuman neighborhood. The hotel didn’t offer much by way of amenities but the staff were very friendly and went out of their way to assist you.
Near the hotel were 2 different grocery stores, restaurants and cafes, and there was even a laundromat within a 8-minute walk. These are the things I scout out when I first arrive in a city. I had been lucky that laundry facilities were in my past stays, but not this time.
On my first full day, I went on a 3 hour walking tour of the city. There was me and 3 ladies from Dublin, Ireland. Neither of them had ever visited Brussels before and thought the walking tour would be a good way to see the city… and it was.
I took this opportunity to pick their brains about their county since it’s on my list of European countries to visit. By the time the tour was over we had clicked so well that we continued hanging out. We stopped off for lunch at a place that was recommended. and we all had a good meal. I even tried mussels for the first time. We exchanged numbers with the promise of me calling them when I arrived in Dublin (they suggested May since it ‘s not so cold).
I spent a day walking through the streets of the hotel’s neighborhood and found my way to the Parlimentarium where member of the European Union (EU) meet to discuss the concerns or issues of the 27 countries in the union. On my way back to the hotel and in search for food I ran into a really nice park. There were a couple of GRAND (as in big and beautiful) buildings including the Arc de Cinquantenaire. I love finding these little gems while out walking. While on the subject of finding food, I’m having a tough time finding veggies. I know they have them because I see all sorts of vegetables in the grocery store. I got lucky one day while out walking, I found a restaurant that had a Cesar salad (I posted a pic below). I was so excited to have just a salad. I’m a fan of bread and potatoes, especially fries, but after a while you want some real food. I can’t believe how many cafes with pastries are within a 1/2 mile radius. And they pile on mayo with their fries… yuk!!! Ketchup please.
I took a day trip to Antwerp and Ghent. But before we got onto the highway we stopped at the Atomium. You can go up into the Atomium but that wasn’t part of our tour; it was a picture moment only. We had a guided tour around Antwerp’s Old Town, with one of the first stops at City Hall where several people were getting married. Their family and friends were waiting outside to cheer on the happy couples as they came out. I liked the sights around Antwerp. There were beautiful church buildings and a lot of nicely designed buildings.
Our visit to Ghent was not as pleasing, or it might have been my dwindling energy level. However, I wasn’t the only one who thought the same.
