Belgium

London to Brussels

Method of Travel: Plane

When we were in London, there was a big sporting event between Belgium and some other country. Honestly I didn't pay much attention. But I couldn't miss the hoards of people dressed in their team's colors and chanting across the street to fellow fans. The city was cRaZy.

On the flight to Belgium, I sat next to a man who was in London for the event. He didn't speak English at all but he was so sweet. Took my trash, made sure I had enough room, just super nice. I love when you meet kind strangers like that.

We landed in Brussels to possibly the most stunning sunset I've ever seen. It was a great welcome.

But things went south pretty quickly. We had to take the metro to our hostel. It was really late...like 11 pm late. We (again) didn't think that one through.

{Word of advice: Make sure you think about what time you will be arriving in a city. While it was great to have a full day in London before our flight left, it was also pretty dangerous for us once we got to Belgium.}

We saw a woman get pick pocketed and we had to walk in the dark down a quiet, sketchy street to our hostel. Not the best way to arrive in a new place.

I've already talked about my feelings for Brussels. 

And my love for Brugge.

The best thing about Belgium is their chocolate. Of which I bought a lot.

Brussels

Confession: I didn't like Brussels.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but what we saw was not it. I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words. Basically, the city was not very pretty, the people did not seem very happy, and I did not really feel safe. We were warned by locals heavily about pickpockets, enough to really scare us. However, we were talking today about how the same can be said for many cities, Atlanta included. There are areas you know that aren't safe and other areas that are beautiful. I know it didn't help that we can not speak the language. Fortunately, most people we asked for help spoke English. And they were pretty friendly for the most part.

Now to be fair, there are absolutely some gorgeous churches and nice squares. Grand Place was pretty cool. There were huge, medieval buildings surrounding the square, some with gold accents. All of them had gorgeous carvings and statues. We also got to visit the church in Sablon. The inside was just like any other church you'd expect in Europe: beautiful stained glass, immaculate carvings, a huge wooden pulpit, and neat rows of benches. It was very peaceful to sit in there for a few minutes to take a break from the city.

The highlight of the day, by far, was our stop at a little bakery in Sablon. We passed it on the way to the church and told ourselves we'd come back later. And come back we did. Rachel asked for a glass of red wine but they didn't have any. The man literally closed his shop, locked the door, and ran down the street to buy a bottle of wine. He came back two minutes later and let us back in. Talk about customer service! I got a delicious Vanille Brownie cheesecake. I really needed something sweet.

We got to sit for a while away from the rain and just enjoy a little break. The man brought us some free samples of some type of chocolate lollipop. Of course they were delicious. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the day.

Would I recommend Brussels to someone? Probably not. Am I glad I came? Yes. I think it's so important to travel and get out of your comfort zone. I know I am not going to love every place I visit. While I hope I do, I also realize that it's not realistic. But I'm still thankful for the opportunity to visit a new place. Today made me very thankful for my life and for the comfort I feel at home. I don't have to worry about someone stealing things out of my pocket or wonder if the parking lot is safe for me to walk through alone. Traveling teaches you lessons for sure. Today was just a great learning experience!

We're off to Amsterdam tomorrow. So excited for this city!

Brugge, Belgium

Dublin? Edinburgh? London?

Check. Check. Check.

Loved all three places. Full updates on those later.

Right now, we are in the lounge of our hostel in Brussels. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of this place.

The city just looks so old and unsafe. I just haven't really relaxed the entire time we've been here.

Brugge, on the other hand, was absolutely adorable. It is about an hour train ride out of Brussels. We went to the city yesterday just as a day trip. I am so so glad we did. 

{Confession: I'm not really sure how to spell the name of this city. There are so many different versions so I just went with one.}

Gorgeous churches. Lots of bikes. Pretty canals and parks.

 How cute is this old man tending his garden?!

There were chocolate shops on every corner. Heaven to this chocolate lover. We may or may not have walked into all of them. We only bought chocolate from three places, though. Excellent self-control if you ask me. We bought some chocolate and went to a park to enjoy the sunshine!

We definitely stopped for gelato on the way to the park. Just a little pre-chocolate snack.

If someone asked me, I think I would recommend staying in Brugge over Brussels. Brugge is not very big and there is not a whole lot to do, but it feels much safer and more peaceful. You can spend hours exploring little streets and resting in parks. And I quite like the smaller cities better than the large ones. I am definitely a country girl at heart.

Have any of you been to Brussels? Do you have a different opinion of the city?