Welcome to the second part of the Brussels exploration. I was talking about how my Brussels trip turned around after I started visiting the touristy places.
Just when I thought that the city didn’t have much to offer, I got to the most touristy area Brussels had to offer, the Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. When I was planning for places to see in Brussels, this place came at the top of that list and I was glad that I got to visit it. Before my visit to the place, I read all about it and was glad to find that the place didn’t disappoint what I read. I explored all the shops that the building had to offer, but, as I was on a budget, I didn’t shop for anything. They were slightly expensive than I thought. Once I explored everything the place had to offer, I got out from the other side of the building and saw a flock of Indian parents touring the city of Brussels wearing Kesari Tours’ raincoats. I found it fascinating that people in their late 50s-60s are opting for Europe tours.
As soon as I got out, I saw a row of small shops selling “authentic” Belgium dishes. I am not a sweet guy, so I stayed away from the Belgium waffles and Chocolates, but I couldn’t stay away from the fries a.k.a. Belgium Frites. They were looking enticing and delicious from so far away, and I was naturally drawn to them and started walking towards the shop. This saved me from getting drenched in heavy rain and gave me some relief from all the walking. I loved the shape of the box in which they gave me the frites. It was triangular shape, which was ideal to hold and pour some ketchup and mustard, and also kept the fries crispy hot until you reach the bottom. I loved every bite of it, and it was just what I needed to continue with my Brussels exploration.
The next step on my list was Chocopolis. My first sister, Minu Tai, was getting married in a couple weeks and she had requested me to get some Belgium chocolates for her and her future husband. Upon my research, I found Chocopolis to have diverse collection of chocolates and they had nice reviews too. All my doubts were cleared when I visited this place in person and the employees came across really good. I video called my sister from the store and tasted some of the chocolates too. Those were so delicious, we ended up buying at least a dozen of different varieties of chocolates. I was glad that it turned out the way I wanted.
After a little sugar, it was time to visit the rest of the places that I had on my list. Grand Place was the must-visit spot for me during my time at Brussels. I had heard about it before I even knew where Belgium was. The idea of surrounding yourselves by all the sides with tall historical buildings sounded so exciting, but, it was more thrilling to witness this sight in person. I didn’t know I had been missing such an intricate architecture till today. I loved the immense care that went into sculpturing this mammoth phenomenon and I seemed to not get enough of it. I was handful of those odd balls who were enjoying themselves under constant rain just to get a feel of standing at the Grand Place. The strong pillars and the magnificent facade of the Grand Place was simply amazing and breathtaking. I remember, I couldn’t take a picture in a single frame.
Just after Grand Place, it was time to see the statue of Sir Everard t`Serclaes. This was one more thing that I really wanted to see in Brussels. I had been fascinated with the story behind this statue and the fading color of it. It was absolutely bewildering to see whatever I read was true about this statue. I was looking at people touching the statue from its head to the toe and I observed that the mostly touched area was turning yellow-gold whereas the rest of the statue was still rusty in color. If I hadn’t read that, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to it, I can tell you. There were many people at this spot as it provided a shelter to avoid the rain. I couldn’t stay there for long as I had to cover more places and it was getting darker by the hour.
The last place to checkout in this surrounding was the Manneken Pis. You can read about all the legends behind this statue in the link that I shared above, but, the most fascinating legend for me is of a boy pissing on a set of explosives to save the city of Brussels from its invaders. This simple legend sparked my interest in visiting this monument, and it doesn’t hurt that it was just a couple minutes away from the Grand Place.
After exploring all these places, I knew I was getting tired, so, I decided to head back to my AirBnb, get some rest, freshen up and then head out again at night to explore what Brussels had to offer at night.
It was a long walk from Manneken Pis to my AirBnb. Once I got there, I just crashed on the bed and slept for a good hour. By the time I woke up, it was dark outside and I checked the time. My tummy was growling, so I knew, I had to go out and get something to eat and drink. The last spot that I really wanted to check out was the Delirium Cafe.
The walk from my AirBnb to the Delirium Cafe wasn’t that long and I really enjoyed it. It was dark and the weather was not too cold and hot either. Enjoying a nice and slow walk on my way to get some food and drinks was the perfect way to spend an evening in Brussels. Delirium Cafe caught my eye when I saw that this cafe held the Guinness World Record for having the most number of beers on tap. I was a beer connoisseur back then and this place was something I couldn’t miss.
When I got to the cafe, the vibe and the ambience of the place was really enticing. I knew I wouldn’t get a table all by myself, so, I just sat at the bar near the bartender and got to talking. The people at the bar came across quite cool and initially, I felt like I didn’t belong there as I was all by myself. But, once I got a beer or two, I started enjoying a bit. I remember ordering 3-4 beers of different types and tried ordering those which I couldn’t get in India or the states. I liked a couple of them and detested one. I thought I would get some action sitting at the bar and chitchatting with the girls, but that wasn’t the case and after spending a couple hours, I was heading back to my AirBnb. Fortunately, I got some food and drinks in me, which helped me get through the night.
Tomorrow is going to be an another busy day. I am heading to Paris, France, which is going to be the last destination of this Europe trip and it just feels like it is getting over too soon!
Next stop: Paris, France.
stochasticity 