MKNonline Blog

After one of the most memorable New Year’s I’ve had, it was time to head off to Brussels.

And another train station, another debacle. You see, it doesn’t matter that we got there a full hour before the train departed at 8AM (quite an accomplishment after last night’s New Year’s). Why? Because I had forgotten to pick up our tickets in France. You know, when we nearly missed the train to Amsterdam.

I pre-ordered our tickets in France, which meant we could only pick it up there. This dawned on me as the ticket machine failed on me once again. The lady manning the ticket counter expressed her sympathies, but I still had to purchase three new tickets at full price. Ouch. She offered to book tickets to the train leaving in two minutes. The thought bubbles rose from my head of the last time we tried to catch a train with only two minutes and I refused. I didn’t tell Alan or Ezeibe of this oversight until a good week after the trip out of shame.

Brussels got off to a bad start, when the three of us spent a good half an hour trying to figure out how to get to the hotel. Alan believed we could walk. I thought a metro would be more fitting. Ezeibe wanted to get a cab. Ezeibe won out, and it was a good decision, as the hotel was miles away from the train station. In the process, Ezeibe accused Alan of being a racist while cab driver and I stared at each other uncomfortably.

We stayed at a Starwood Le Meridien hotel in the heart of the tourist area. Great location, fancy hotel, except I booked the room for two instead of three (I actually had no choice). I was too chicken to ask for an extra cot because of our reservation thinking that I might get charged more. I volunteered to sleep on the floor the remainder of the trip because the other two were too diva about their sleeping arrangements.

Unfortunately, almost everything was closed because it was the day after New Year’s. Hungry from traveling, we basically chose the first restaurant that sold food. It ended being a big but cramped cafe that served delicious Belgian waffles and frites. The Belgians, much like the Dutch, know how to make fries. I can’t stress how much I miss them.

The streets were definitely quieter, and that silence had its own charms. We saw Royal Palais, the big plaza with these insanely ornate facades surrounding it. Behind those facades, nothing really struck our fancy or was closed.

Alan snaps a few picks of Royal-Palais. This square is the definition of ornate.

And therein lies our issue. After seeing two amazing cities with spectacular scenic views and cultural museums, Brussels really couldn’t measure up. I think we would have been more impressed if we started off here, but by Day 15, it was simply charming, not really cathartic.

If you ever go to Brussels, you will inevitably go to the pissing statue, Mannekin-Pis. I can tell you to no end that it is a huge disappointment, but you will still go. It happened to me, it will happen to you. The issue is that Brussels markets Mannekin-Pis to all get out, that you’re brainwashed into believing that this tiny fountain is a must-see. Only in Brussels can a statue smaller than a bedside lamp of a little boy peeing can be a major tourist draw. It’s an interesting case study on how to attract stupid tourists, I’m sure.

Unofficial slogan: No, really, that's it. Now go buy a keychain.

Really, that’s all we saw. We chilled in a cool bookstore/record shop for a bit, thought about going to a beer museum, but otherwise, we were scratching our heads what to do next. Ezeibe’s answer was charging my hotel room with 20€ internet. My and Alan’s answer was to drink at the local Irish pub a few blocks away. That pub was awesome because of their strong Belgian beers, European football matches, and the fact that karaoke happens most evenings. No, we didn’t go to karaoke. Yes, I regret it.

For dinner, we ate at Le Cap, on the recommendation of the concierge. Apparently, it was a pretty trendy restaurant that served local Belgian cuisine at a very reasonable price. We all walked out of dinner fairly pleased with the recommendation. Ezeibe even tried a mojito.