“Good things aren’t supposed to just fall in your lap. God is very generous, but He expects you to do your part first.’ So you have to make that effort. But at the end of a bad time or a huge effort, I’ve always had – how shall I say it? – the prize at the end. My whole life shows that.” – Audrey Hepburn (Belgian Hollywood Actress)
I’ve planned this month-long Europe trip when Basti was still with me in Singapore. He said he has to show me around Europe especially Germany to “repay” what I have shown him in Southeast Asia. I’ve been wanting to visit Europe, and I found this opportunity to pursue it for my next birthday, and of course, I also want to see Basti again. We promised with each other, whatever transpires with our lives in the next days that we are apart, we should still go together for this trip.
Since God is very generous, after one year, even if not so good things happened between us, we both have moved on. So here we are, finally going to see each other again! We put an effort to stick to our promise.
But I have to stop to Brussels before I meet him in Zurich 😉
Going to Brussels was never part of my plan for this trip, it was supposed to be London. But 10 days before my flight to Europe, i found out that UK is not a member of Schengen states, meaning i need to get a separate visa, i messed up with the application and had to cancel my hostel booking and wasted my return flights i booked for London.
Then i just chose to go to Zurich (as suggested by Basti) and from Paris, i have to go to Brussels by train and take the flight there going to Geneve. To cut the story short, I made it to Brussels even just for 2days, it was short yet so sweet! (as sweet as their chocolates hehe)
The city of waffles, chocolates, Hoegarden and french fries! (yes, French fries is Belgian!)
It is the administrative capital of the European Union (Schengen states) so when i got there, it was very business city like and look very progressive…I thought i’ll get bored (as other travellers often say, especially the French hehe) but in one day of seeing great places around it is very entertaining enough, places that you can only see in Brussels!
These are the places:
1. The Atomium – this is like Belgium’s Eiffel Tower, it is made up of 9 very huge metal balls which is an iron crystals, you can go inside and move from one ball to another. It was built during the World Exhibition in 1958 and said to believed that time that the atomic energy will save the world 😛
2. Laeken Palace
3. The Royal Palace
4. Mannekin Pis – it’s a pissing boy monument who is national icon for Belgium…for me it’s a tourist trap! haha! He is just so small and very typical art sculture…but i guess, he was the first pissing monument? he has to! 😀
5. The Grand Place – aaahhh, really grand! i love this place, i stayed here until the sun set in munching with my waffles of course hehe…it was so nice to see this gothic architecture buildings and how it is lighted during th night, it’s really awesome!
After pigging out with so much waffles and chocolates, i went back to my hostel (2go4) it was clean yet within the CBD so location is quite boring, I was supposed to go out that night and try some Belgian beers with two of my roomies, but they went out earlier…They are also Filipino travellers based in Doha, Nina and Nino…no, they are not the “kambal ng tadhana” (twins of fate) but just good friends 😛
I know (2) two days doesn’t justify anything of what I can see in Brussels, I know there are still much more it can offer than what I’ve seen. If it were in my plans to come here, I could have put more days to stay and explore more, but since I need to meet Basti in Zurich, I had to cut my days shorter. And for the first time during this whole trip, I am just that excited to leave the place. Not because I did not enjoy it, but because, finally, after one looong year, Basti and I will meet again 🙂
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