Brussels, Belgium

So the end of Week 1 ended with my truck being slightly delayed, which was ok since I built in a buffer before the ferry. I left Antwerp and got settled into Brussels after I checked into the hotel. Dana booked a hotel way fancier than I expected and i definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. I spent the day just getting familiar with the area again and just walked aimlessly around. For dinner, i decided to change things up and get some Thai food. What surprise me the most about Belgium so far on this trip was the amount of Asian food there was in both cities. I don’t remember seeing so many Asian places when i was here 14 years ago.

Delays were in the air because Dana’s flight was delayed by 3 hours, so she had to stay overnight in Poland before we saw each other in Brussels. Finally, after 5 weeks apart, I met her up at the airport.

Luckily for Dana and I, we have learned how to be independent and separate from each other. When people hear about our trip, they think it is crazy that I’m separated from Dana for almost 3 months total (5 weeks in the beginning and almost 7 weeks toward the end). To us, it was like a mini deployment. From me being gone a cumulative 3 of the 4 years in the Marine Corps even when stationed close to home to her travel assignment in San Francsico for 3 months, we are used to it at this point. It’s also one of the reason I love her is that she is independent and we can operate on our own with no issue.

Anyways it was a great reunion with her again and I missed making fun of her for random things, like 2 roll on suitcases we had to lug around on the cobblestones. After dropping off the suitcases, we were ready to explore. Of course, the first stop had to be food. Dana got some mussels and frites while I got the steak tartare and frites. Both were delicious but the portions were much larger than I remember.

Next was the exploration of historical Brussels. We first went through the Grote Markt, which is pretty much the center point of the historical area. Also known as the Grand Place, this square houses Baroque guildhalls, the town hall, and the King’s House, which is a museum today. The site is also a UNESCO World’s Heritage Site since 1998.

After walking through the old Brussels Stock Exchange, we arrived at the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries, a giant long area of shopping underneath a large glass roof. Built between 1846 and 1847, this hall holds many shops down the hallway. This is where Dana went on a chocolate overload. We had 10 pieces of chocolate from two different stores in less than 10 minutes. From Nehaus, the inventor of the Belgium Praline, to Mary, hand made chocolate and founded by the first Belgium woman chocalteur, Dana definitely got her chocolate fix.

We then walked to see the famous Mannequin Pis, one of Brussel’s most famous statues. Seen in every gift shop, Mannequin Pis is 1 21.9 inch bronze statue of a boy pissing into a fountain. The original statue was built in 1619 and is now stored in a museum. The one that everyone sees on the street is a replica built in 1965 since it’s been stolen multiple times. Honestly, I don’t understand the obsession with it, but its an iconic thing in Brussels.Finally at the end of the day, we ended with some Lebanese food and then headed to Vertigo for a few cocktails.

The following day, we started off eight he hotel breakfast, which was actually an amazing breakfast with a great omelette. We then took the metro and headed to Brussels famous site, the Atomium. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Atomium was supposed to be a temporary building for the World Expo, but it became so symbolic that it has remained to this day. Built in 1958 and renovated in 2006 (replaced the aluminum side with stainless steel), the Atomium sits at 335ft tall with 9 59ft balls attached in a shape of a unit cell. You start off going up in a fast elevator and walking through the historical history of the building. The last two floors is an awesome light show that they put together.

Once done, we took a nice stroll through the park. We split a burger at a little cafe in the middle before continuing our walk through the area. We walked to the Royal Botanical gardens, which are only opened 1-2 times a year, and the Chinese and Japanese Pavilion. Of course, the afternoon would not be complete without finding some chocolate and waffles.

After a short break, we headed to get some dinner. We’ve come to notice that Belgium cuisine does not have many vegetables, and Dana loves her vegetables. So, we decided to grab some Greek food for dinner. While waiting for the darkness to come, i had to take Dana to Delirium Tap Room. This place is famous for having the most selection of beer in the world. They actually hold the Guinness World Record for it in 2004. After a beer, we had a cocktail at another bar and finally went back i to the market to see the lights on.

We ended the night with of course another waffle. This is where we found out there were two different styles of Belgian waffles: one sweet and soft and the other less sweet and crunchier. Both are delicious, but I preferred the soft and sweet one.

The next day, we checked out of the hotel and hopped onto the train to get to our next stop: Brugge.

Brugge, Belgium & Hamburg, Germany

Iceland 2024 Antwerp-Belgium