OCEANS AWAY

When in Brussels…

Filed under Travel

… take your time and let the city surprise you! My parents came to Maastricht for a few days and we finally made that one-hour drive over to the Belgian capital of Brussels. And I cannot tell you how truly positively surprised I was by this city; this City Of EU Institutions that I always expected to be grey and boring. It was so much more than I could have imagined it would be!

Brussels, to me, seemed like the perfect mix of beautiful, historic buildings and impressive, modern architecture. While it has many big city elements, there are also small pockets of calm and idyll that let you take a deep breath before you venture on to discover another street. There was much more green than I expected to find in a major capital: so many picturesque parks and avenues. — I guess, I don’t really know how to describe what exactly made me fall in love with this city instantly. I felt completely comfortable and I liked the atmosphere and the energy. I want to come back and learn more about its history and present struggles; see as much of it as I can.

Some places are fun places to visit and check off on a list, some places I don’t like at all, and some places – cities like Brussels – somehow draw me in to the point where I begin to feel emotionally connected and want to explore them forever.

We made sure to stop at all the major tourist attractions, too, because I always assume they’re probably so popular for a reason, right? We saw the tiny Manneken-Pis statue, the Grand Place, the Royal Palace, the Atomium, the Parc du Cinquantenaire, the St. Michel Cathedral, the Brussels Stock Exchange, the Palace of Justice (gorgeous, ginormous building!), and the European Quarter with all the buildings of different EU institutions.

The cherry on top was that I got to see an old friend from high school who now lives and studies (in French!) in Brussels. We walked around and chatted, had ice cream, strolled through the Moroccan district, and bought incredibly delicious Belgian chocolate.

What a great day in an unexpectedly wonderful city!
I will come back for sure.