Whereupon I meet a gang of Brussels Scouts....
- jill
- Oct 1, 2017
- 4 min read
I got up early to catch the bus to the Amsterdam Central train station to catch my train to Brussels...and realized I read the bus schedule wrong--on Sundays, service doesn't start until 715am. My train leaves at 710am. So I go back into the airbnb for wifi, and call my very first Uber. Yeah...I drove for them for 3 years, but I never actually took one. One is there in less than 10 minutes and I'm on my way!
Then, I waited on what I was hoping was the correct platform for my first train ride of the trip. Thankfully got onto the right train, and headed to Brussels. Stops in Rotterdam and Antwerp along the way...can only think of Tom Shane commercials. Something that will become the norm...I see so much good street art from the train...but can't take pictures fast enough! Also, just as we are about to pull into the Brussels train station, I see a row of full length windows along the street where the tracks run parallel. Yep, they've got a "red light" district here too!
It took me forever to find a ticket window with an actual person, but I now have that Vienna to Budapest ticket I worked so hard for back in Amsterdam!
Everything here is OLD...but cleaner and less crowded than Amsterdam. Took me several minutes to get my bearings coming out of the train station into the city...street signs are hard to find, it is much more hilly, and there was a marathon going on! Finally found the group of museums I was looking for, but the Modern Art one was closed for renovations...so I head to the one I really wanted to see--the Magritte museum. They didn't have any of his really famous paintings, but still pretty good. Who knew Magritte was into dick pics? Had lunch in the museum cafe there which was a nice place to rest my now screaming, aching feet :-) (Click the pictures to enlarge and see comments)
Then, I went in search of what Brussels is famous for. No, not sprouts or waffles. PEEING STATUES. The most famous is the Manneken Pis or "peeing boy." Surrounded by tourists taking pictures, I was surprised by how very tiny it is. They keep his over 900 costumes in a nearby building. Today, he was sporting what looked like a pope or king's robe...and apparently I was lucky because he only wears costumes on 130 days of the year. You can see all his outfits here: http://www.mannekenpis.brussels/en/app
Of course, every store surrounding the statue sells souvenirs...I picked up a bag of dark, milk, and white chocolate peeing boys. SCORE! Then, as I was heading to see the next one, I stumbled into this giant square--the Grand Place--which is surrounded by beautiful old guild buildings. I sat down to take them all in, when a group of little boys surrounded me. After my experience in Italy years ago, I was immediately on guard...but they started speaking in English and told me they were scouts after realizing I spoke English, not French. Yes, BRUSSELS SCOUTS. They told me they were working on a project, and they had to interview people about what they liked better...gorillas or bears. Of course I picked gorillas. Then they asked why and I went off on why they are clearly the superior animal. I think they liked my answer. They were so adorable and awesome!
I didn't take their picture, sadly :-(
Then I found the female version of the peeing boy, Jeanneke Pis. Strangely, she is surrounded by a cage at the end of a long alley. Not sure if this is a commentary on how women are like prisoners...or if tourists kept messing with her (she is closer to the ground). She just squats to pee.
I hit up Leonidas, the famous Belgian chocolate store, then found my final peeing statue...the Zinneke Pis, or peeing dog. This one isn't actually a fountain...just someone trying to be funny. While I was taking my picture, these other tourists had their kid sit on it. Weird.
I also took several street art photos while walking around...
Feeling very worn out from the past three days of walking and travelling, I decide to head to my airbnb a bit early. It is really cool. An artist owns this old building and lives in part and works in part. My room was this weird little room on its own floor. Very comfy bed, but had to walk up narrow stairs for shower/toilet. This one comes with breakfast!
After settling in, I decided to walk to the most famous fritte shop in Belgium/Europe--Maison Antoine. Famous politicians have eaten here, including Angela Merkel. The secret is they double fry them. There is a wide selection of toppings, but I don't know French, and don't want to look like a stupid American so I don't order ketchup. I go with what they do--mayo. There are several bars around it that let you bring your fries in, so I head into one and order a Stella Artois (Belgian brew), and enjoy a moment. Bought another beer on the way back--Duvel-- and settle in for the night...I have to get up at 3am to get to the airport in time for a 645am flight (Ubering again...public transit doesn't start that early).
Impressions of Brussels:
lots of English here, but mostly French (and German to a lesser degree)
public transit pretty good but not as expansive as Amsterdam
like Amsterdam, you have to validate your public transit ticket when you get on (also off in Amsterdam) but no one ever checks you. However, if you do get "carded" and you either don't have a card or you didn't validate it, it can cost you anywhere from 50-100 Euro (about 60-150 dollars).
compact but hilly walking terrain...most beautiful architecture along the way :-)
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