Brussels, Belgium
Today started as a productive self-guided walking tour of the city but by lunch time I had switched over to full on beer drinking mode. There are definitely more interesting beers to drink than sights to see in Brussels and that is fine by me.
I slept in again today, mostly to stay out of the way of the other people staying in the hostel room with me. In the room of 8, there were 6 people who seemed to be traveling together and were therefore all on the same schedule. With 1 bathroom and 1 shower for 8 people I found it best to just stay in bed and wait for everyone to clear out. I didn’t have any plans for the day and was in no rush.
I was out of the hostel around 9:30 and began an aimless walk around the city. I am staying in the center of the city, just steps away from Grand Place which is the cover photo for today’s blog. The square is home to the town hall which was built in the 1400s. It is a beautiful square but also crowded with tourists. I decided I would walk from Grand Place south to one end of the city and then turn around and head north to the other end. Before I did any walking, I first needed breakfast, and grabbed a waffle to start my day. I went with a plain waffle and it was still incredible. I will definitely be eating many more waffles before I leave Brussels on Tuesday morning.
The first stop on my walk south was the Manneken Pis statue. This is perhaps the most famous statue in Brussels but stands at just 61 cm tall. It dates back to the early 1600s, but the current is a replica. The original is now kept in a museum. I understand the humor but can’t understand how this tiny little peeing child has become such a tourist sight. It is described as the best known symbol of the people of Brussels. I’m not sure what that says about the people of Brussels.
My walk to the south end of Brussels came up empty otherwise in terms of landmarks or sights to see. It was a nice walk, but there wasn’t much other than restaurants and cafes. I turned around and headed north but didn’t find much to see until I got north of Grand Place. I did find the square which will be the start of the Tour de France next month. The tour is almost entirely in France, but the first stage will start in the center of Brussels. The giant yellow jersey was in full display alongside some major Coca-Cola branding.
I continued walking and stumbled upon the Place Des Martyrs where Belgian Revolution soldiers are buried under the cobblestone which is marked by a monument. I wish I knew more about European history to talk more about this. It’s amazing that with all the education I’ve received, 1 year of AP European History in high school is the full extent of my knowledge.
I continued walking and found the Colonne du Congrès which commemorates the 1830 congress which established Belgium’s first constitution. It was near the north end of the city which has a totally different feel from being in the city center. Brussels is the de facto capital of the EU and the north end of the city has large buildings and offices that look like a modern political and financial center.
At this point in the day it was getting close to 1:00 and I was ready to shift from sightseeing to food and beer. I stopped in at The Sisters Café which serves only local ingredients and has a large selection of beers. I went with a Belgian meatball sandwich and an apple infused whit beer. It was a nice lunch and right around the corner from the hostel so I may stop back in.
After lunch I headed back to the hostel to get some work done on planning the rest of the trip. I also had no idea what else to do with myself. I am happy being occupied with a 5 to 7 hour bicycle ride but thrown into a major city I am clueless other than finding things to eat and drink. I did need to do some planning though. I have an Airbnb booked in Amsterdam for 4 nights but hadn’t fully filled in the gap from Brussels to Amsterdam. I filled that gap in today by booking 4 nights in hostels and mapping out a route from Brussels to Amsterdam passing through Bergen op Zoom, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
After my break for planning I left the hostel again to walk around. The town felt dead and empty in the morning but was now filled with tourists making it a little difficult to walk around. I do enjoy walking around Brussels even with the congestion because the smell of freshly made waffles fills the air. I stopped in at a bar and got a sampling of 3 Belgian beers and then headed to a bottle shop to pick up a couple bottles to enjoy back at the hostel while I did some photo editing and writing.
My friend Evan had informed me that if I found Westvleteren 12 in Belgium, I had to try it. Evan is a cicerone, so I trust him as a great source on beer. It just so happened that the bottle shop right outside the hostel had bottles of the Westvleteren 12. This beer has consistently been rated one of the best in the world and is very hard to get. I will avoid plagiarizing Wikipedia but suggest reading the article on how the beer is made and distributed. Even though I could find it right outside my door, it is a very rare find and a single bottle cost €14. The beer was indeed worth the price. The Westvleteren 12 is a 10.2% Belgian ale. I sometimes find Belgian ales of that alcohol content to be too alcohol forward, which diminishes the actual flavor of the beer. The Westvleteren 12 had no hints of a high alcohol taste. I could taste vanilla, toffee, and spice. It definitely lived up to the hype I’ve read about in the last couple days.
I will likely find a cheap spot for dinner tonight and then head back to the hostel to hang out. I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring as most things seemed to be closed for the holiday. Hopefully I will find something to fill the day. I’m looking forward to getting back on my bike on Tuesday.
Musings:
It is incredible how long the days feel here. Today will include 16 hours and 24 minutes of daylight. I’m realizing that Brussels is the farthest north I’ve ever been, and I’ve still got a couple hundred miles north to go before I hit Amsterdam. New York City is currently getting a full hour and a half less of daylight compared to Brussels. It does feel weird to be walking around close to 10:00 PM with it still being bright out. By the time I hit Amsterdam I will be getting almost 17 hours of daylight.
Ramblin' Dan: Bike Touring Adventures 
nice description of the beer
LikeLike