Originally, when I thought about how I would blog about my time in Brussels, I thought I would focus on having fries for breakfast and waffles for dinner, with an aside on chilling with Manneken Pis and standing under a giant atom. Now, when I sit to write this blog post, I can’t help thinking about how close my friends I were to what seems to be the new center of ISIS activity in Western Europe.
When I first found out about the Paris attacks I was enjoying a quiet weekend in Tuscany, eating some really amazing food (that truffle oil lasagna though) and drinking lots of great wine (I think I’ve had enough Chianti for a lifetime). A couple of days later, as police started to learn more about the attackers and their connections to Brussels, I started to realize how quickly a place I visited, and loved, can be twisted by the media to feel completely unfamiliar and scary. This feeling is why I want to write this blog post, now more than ever – to remind myself of all the reasons I find Brussels to be one of the most enchanting cities I have visited in my lifetime. So here we go:
Day 1 – September 25, 2015
We arrived at the airport at about 6:39 am. I was nervous (and excited) for my first trip outside of Italy and apparently, so were my parents. They called me as soon as they saw my snapchat about being in the airport, to frantically ask me to send every form of information I could regarding my boarding pass, flight, airbnb, etc. Mind you, I was in airport security (which now that I think about it, is kind of nonexistent in Italy) and very crabby because it was 6 IN THE MORNING. So anyway, after all that was out of the way, my friends and I proceeded to the airport waiting area (is there an actual name for this place) where I bought, what I thought at the time, was the best cappuccino in all of Italy. Annik never fails to remind me of this mistake and yes, since then, I have had many a better cappuccino.
We arrived in Brussels at 10-ish in the morning fresh and ready to rumble. After a quick train ride from the airport we were in the center of the city and I was immediately struck by the charm of it. I cannot tell you how much I miss one euro waffles on every corner and the smell of chocolate in the warm fall air. On our way to our airbnb, which TY Clementine (the owner) for living right in the center of the city, we stopped for photosesh at the Grand Place and noticed that there was actually a music festival happening that evening to commemorate La Fête de la Fédération. Of course, we checked out the music scene in Brussels that night, but not before geeking over how cute our airbnb was, and eating amazing sandwiches at a restaurant called Fromagerie-Sandwicherie Tonton Garby. The owner, Tonton, is truly a man who loves cheese and people. His philosophy is “if you’re happy, I’m happy.” His fantastic sandwiches and the sheer happiness and kindness with which he approaches life, was the perfect start to our time in Brussels and is something I will never forget.
The rest of the day was mostly spent eating. We had Belgium fries (an experience not to be missed), waffles, and basically every form of chocolate you can imagine. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to spend a ridiculous amount of money on chocolate from five different chocolate shops. I think at the time, I was thinking I would be bringing it back to share with my family. Unfortunately, late nights spent working on Ricci have destroyed most of the stash I had accrued from Belgium. Sorry, family.
The only real downside to the evening was when my good friend, fellow Ricci, and sometimes blogger Molly Frank’s phone was stolen/lost – we are still not sure which it was. Fear not, she has used this experience to disassociate herself from the constant need to be checking cellphones. Cheers to her for turning a stinky situation into a great learning experience. I cannot say I am so strong
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Early morning airport vibes.
The view we were treated to as soon as we arrived to city center.
The Grand Place
Where they were setting up the music festival.
The gang in our airbnb!
A picture of Tonton that someone has drawn into his guest book at the restaurant.
One of our many Belgian fries meals.
Friends and the streets of Brussels.
Getting ready to go to the La Fête de la Fédération music festival.
The glory that was the music festival.
Day 2 – September 26, 2015
It did not take more than a couple hours the first day for my friends and I to fall head-over-heels in love with Brussels. So the next day, we set out with full, happy hearts to explore the city once more. After a delicious breakfast, where the only disappointment was spending more than a euro on a cappuccino (Italy you have spoiled me and I can never go back to Starbucks), we set off to find the infamous Peeing Boy. Turns out he was right around the corner from where we lived. Naturally, we paid him a visit and took all the necessary tourist pictures. Then, we spent some lovely hours walking in and out of the many bookstores lining the street where the statue is situated. Anyone who knows me, knows I am absolutely OBSESSED with books. The English major in me was in book heaven as I flipped through all the books I know, and love, written in various languages including French, Italian, German, Flemish and even Arabic!
After our tour of bookstores, we took a short train ride to the the Atomium, which is a giant atom statue magnified 165 billion times. This was such a surreal experience and a great way to satisfy the Biology major in me. So, as you can see, I was having a pretty fantastic day as far as interests go. The crepes we had for dinner were a great end to the day, especially because we were once more treated to the kindness of Belgians. The lady who was working the restaurant was the only waitress there and was completely over-swapped with people, yet she never failed to pop by every couple of minutes to share a couple jokes with us and ask us about our meal. Her happy attitude is yet another way I remember Brussels and it people.
Manneken Pis (aka the Peeing Boy)!
Aforementioned touristy pictures with Manneken Pis!
Standing next to a giant atom is possibly the coolest experience ever.
Day 3 – September 27, 2015
There is not much to say about this day, since we only had a few short hours, in the morning before we needed to get on a plane back to Roma. Still, we made quick visits to the Notre-Dame cathedral and indulged in more waffles and fries (Food was the major-overarching theme of this weekend). We also, stopped by this one garden that had a fountain in the middle where we took many-a-picture laughing and pointing at rainbows.
With Molly on our last day in Brussels.
Selfies with rainbows.
Because we actually were this happy.
Walking back to the train station to jet off to Rome and reminiscing about our time in Brussels.
Conclusion
So there, not even ISIS can take away the Brussels I love and remember. Not so long as I can look back at the hours I spent laughing, eating, and exploring and smile.
Until next time all.
Ciao!
-Em