An Expat In Italy: Brussels - Waffles, Chocolate, Beer, Oh my!

Half-term break came upon us quickly, no surprise to those in the teaching world as time seems to pass slowly yet quickly at the same time. What did that mean for me? HOLIDAYS!! Yep. The excursion I'd been looking forward to for weeks was finally here: trip to Belgium and Amsterdam.

First stop: Brussels!

A group of us had planned out the week with various activities and locales to discover in Belgium and Amsterdam. First we were heading to Brussels with our mouths watering for the delectable waffles we'd heard so much about.

Ready to roll!

Let me explain about our flights first off. In Europe there are many airlines, and two specifically that provide cheap flights: Ryanair and Easyjet. Now, cheap also means that they use low budget airports most of the time which are often an hour outside of the city you are going to. For travellers this means boarding a bus to or from the airport with a transport time of usually an hour. For those of us in Genoa, these airports are in Milan (as far as I know - I haven't found a flight using these airlines out of Genoa to where I want to go). So flying for us looked like this:

Bus: Home to Genova Brignole train station =15-20 min
Train: Genova to Milan Centrale = 2 hrs
Bus: Milan Centrale to Bergamo/Milpensa (either airport) = 1 hr (time may be rounded)
Flight: Milan to Brussels = 2 hrs
Bus: Brussels Charleroi to South Station = 1 hr
Tram: South Station to Boerse = 15 min

Boarding occurs at the front AND rear of the plane.

Now I know that for many of you who live outside major cities, travel times like these are likely normal. It was for me too, for the most part, if I was flying to Toronto. However, there was often an ease of access of having ones own vehicle at times and not nearly as many steps to get from a to b.

Upon arriving in Brussels, we got the key to the flat we were renting, found our way there, dropped our luggage, regrouped and then hit the city to find a place to eat. (We used accommodations found through Air BnB on this trip which was great for a group of four as we had a kitchen and costs were much better than had we stayed in hotels).

Our flat was centrally located in the heart of a bustling district that gave us access to a variety of restaurants and brasseries. It was clear that we had landed in an area where we would definitely get a great feel for Brussels.

First glimpse of Brussels

View from our flat

Biking stop lights

With skill, google and a friends tour book we found a quaint little place for supper: Le Villette. It was here that I got my first taste of guinea fowl in a cherry sauce and fruit beer. Yep, didn't even know that was a thing until this trip but has now become my new favourite beverage. A lovely glass of Jacobins Kreik cherry beer (not pictured) topped off my meal nicely and was the beginning of something special for this trip.

Guinea Fowl: first "new" meal for me of the trip

After supper we trekked the neighbourhoods to find our first Belgium waffle. Low and behold there was a waffle place or fry place on every other corner. In between you could find 4-5 chocolate shops per block as well. So for 5 euro I got to try my very first Belgium waffle with strawberries. It was to die for! I've never had a waffle so sweet, delicious, melt in your mouth scrumptious. Definitely a great evening dessert/treat when in Brussels.

The next day our party split up with two of us taking a WW1 - Flanders Fields bus tour and the others heading to Luxembourg for the day. The nice thing about Brussels is they offer tourists a variety of bus tours that can be taken as day trips which is great to explore other areas of Belgium or visit some other countries.

With my home country being part of the Commonwealth, I was headed to Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) on the WW1 tour to see and learn more about that which my country played a major part in.

Throughout the day we visited various war memorials and cemeteries, Tyne Cot cemetery and Memorial to the Missing, had lunch at a lovely Cheese Factory (where we met some other teachers on break and a few fellow Canadians on holidays), saw the countryside and former dykes, went to the Trench of Death, saw the Menin Gate and viewed various buildings that had been damaged (and some rebuilt) in the war. This was probably one of the most powerful things I've viewed first hand. To see numerous cemeteries scattered throughout Belgium (and especially historic Tyne Cot) really put to light the vast numbers of men whose lives ended here. It's one thing to hear about it in books, but it's a whole other feeling to be standing there observing it with your own two eyes and experiencing it in your heart. A few times we were actually standing where the front line in Belgium had been. At Tyne Cot, not only were there were rows upon rows of headstones but the walls had thousands of names of men who were lost in battle. It was very difficult at times to see as again it was not unknown that so many men died, but to have a glaring visual was that much more heart wrenching.

Cheese Factory for lunch

Music by Milk

Music: Terry Kelly "A Pittance of Time"

An interesting fact we learned from our tour guide was that they didn't dig trenches in that area of Belgium, because they would flood. Instead they built the trenches. While taking the bus to the area where our tour began, we had watched a video on the war with detailed descriptions/accounts of life in the trenches. To see these and actually be in them made for a very clear realization of where these men resided day in and day out hoping to have an end to that which was keeping them in horrendous conditions (ie warfare, trench foot, rats, lice).

One of my favourite sights was the Flanders Fields museum in Ypres. This was in a building that had withstood the war. Pictures inside showed depictions of parts of the building having been bombed but rebuilt in its entirety after the war. As you pass along the façade, one can still see mortar fragments and bullet holes in the stone.

Our tour ended with viewing a wreath laying ceremony at Menin Gate in Ypres. This was similar to that which our vets and students in Canada do on Remembrance Day but it is done in Ypres every night to pay tribute and always remember. The spirit of thankfulness, love and appreciation is deeply alive and shown every day here. It brought me to tears to experience this ceremony while standing alongside engraved names of men who gave their life for my freedom. The simple words "Thank You" will never be enough.

Music: Graham Trude "The Ones We Lost"

For more information:
Tyne Cot http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/memorial-tyne-cot.htm
Hill 60 http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/memorial-hill60.htm
Menin Gate Memorial http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/memorial-menin-gate.htm

We were only going to be in Brussels for the first 3 days of our trip so the third day was our typical tourist day.
The group of us decided to take a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour around the city. Since Brussels is such a large city they actually have two different lines you can take, so of course we did. :)

On the first line we hopped off at the Atomium. This grandiose "building" is massive and can be scene from many places in the city. One can actually go into it, and learn all about it and Dutch scientists who have made significant contributions to society. Each ball is connected by escalators and the tour mentioned that there is an elevator that can take you to the top in 22 seconds.

Before hopping on the second line, we made it a point to go and see the "important" Manneken-Pis that has become a mascot (?) for the city. Let's just say that for all the hoopla that's made about this guy (there are postcards, chocolate and souvenir trinkets of all sorts representing him) we were quite disappointed at his size. (Stature that is!)

(Yes, he is urinating into a pool of water)

Then we stopped for lunch and partook in devouring Stoemp. This is a traditional Belgian dish: a generous portion of mashed potatoes (with garlic, onions, bacon pieces and vegetables mixed in) with sausage on top. I have to say that I was slightly sceptical at first but WOW! Was it delicious!! After a cup of chai tea latte from Starbucks (yes, it just had to be done) and some more chocolate for dessert we were on our way for the second round of hop-on, hop-off.

Stoemp. Don't let its looks fool you. It was delicious!!

Let me pause to tell you that it was a frequent mode of ours to try out many different types of chocolates at various places during the trip. Usually we popped in, bought two or three different ones (you can buy individual chocolates that are displayed in cases) and then continued on our way. There was a little chocolate withdrawal by some of us upon returning home. :p

During the second line, we hopped off at the European Parliament. This building was one of three places that comprise the EP (Luxembourg and Salzburg are the other two). In the Parlementarium, guests can access a digital museum for free. This was really interesting as it told of the evolution of the parliament and gave pieces of history from various countries.

Our day ended with a quick shopping trip and then a Moroccan meal, complete with Tajines which I truly enjoyed. I've been able to experience a lot of different meals on this trip thanks to one of our groups members finding some neat restaurants. It's been nice having a break from pizza and pasta. ;)

We returned to our flat, with the decrepit old iron elevator that holds two people at a time and is a risky adventure to take each time, in anticipation of continuing our Belgium journey.