Out of the mountains and into the city! After a hectic few weeks and having returned from Norway, I was pretty much straight back to the airport and off again. This time though, I wasn't dragging around a huge duffel bag full of climbing kit - I was travelling light and off to explore the city of Brussels. And what a fantastic place it is! Loads to see, do, eat and drink - and on this particular trip an amazing luxury apartment to stay in.
We've see and done way too much to document it properly, so that I'll let a photos show you around the city rather than me try and recall the whirlwind of events. Needless to say, as Belgium is quite famous for its waffles, soon after having arrived, we made sure that we got stuck straight in...
The main square is beyond ornate, with gold leaf carvings, galleries and other such fine buildings leading off in most directions. There literally is loads to see, but all very conveniently, all within easy walking distance. One of the great things about this trip was the lack of driving. A cheap bus transfer from the airport gets you directly to the city and from then on, you can travel easy only by foot.
My favourite place, was probably the Justice Building, which looked like a giant cathedral. I'm not sure if you're officially allowed to look around inside, but curiosity got the better of us, so we strolled in looking confident, didn't set any of the airport style security alarms off, then spent a while roaming the giant corridors of power!
The whole place is huge! Pillars, statues and long, dimly lit corridors, with ornate stone carvings everywhere. It felt kind of spooky as our footsteps echoed down the empty corridors. We even peered through a few open doors and could see court rooms in progress filled with gowned barristers!
The weather has been very kind to us - bright and beautiful. It was freezing cold, but the sun felt great. We've weaved our way around the city, taking in the sights. A friend had recommended this map to use as a guide, which was just our style. It's made by locals so has loads of quirky info and stuff that you wouldn't get from the tourist centre! If you're thinking of going, definitely pick up a copy (its free!).
Some of the buildings are so intricately ornate. This arch way must have taken a lifetime to create!
One day we visited the European Parliament, which was much more interesting than you might imagine! And it's a pretty amazing building as well. We didn't bump into Dave Cameron, but on the way there a police motorbike escort sped around the corner and shut off a junction and roundabout so that the Latvian Prime Minister could drive by uninterrupted. We were waiting to cross the road at the time, so gave him a wave. Was delighted that he smiled and waved back like an old friend! Before going inside the building we had to hand in the following items, but it seemed like a pretty reasonable request.
To prevent fatigue and maintain stamina and endurance, we made sure that we were always well topped up with regular stops for waffles and frites. We also made sure that we visited the odd cafe and sampled some Belgium Beers in some very cool bars along the way.
The 'locals' map, really did us proud! We did our very best to tick off all their recommendations and found plenty more excitement along the way..
As North Wales isn't really know for its late night party scene, we made sure we found our way into a few good clubs once the sun had set. As luck would have it, there was a Salsa Club quite literally opposite our front door. Another highlight was accidentally getting into an 'afterwork' club/party in a cool vaulted basement. Apart from not having a suit on, we blended right in. Made straight for the dance floor and got stuck in!
After hours, it's still pretty in the city...
And it's always nice to be able to pop back to 'the pad' after a long day in the hussle.
To maximise time and utilise the cheap flights option, we ended up having a very disorientating late night on the last day and flying back to the UK as the sun was rising.
After digging the car out of it's frosty car park, we headed west back before collapsing into the sanctuary of The Cottage.
What a whirl-wind... Great fun and a very memorable way to celebrate twelve years together...
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