One of my dreams came true this year; Christmas in Central Europe! The truth is that Belgium is really beautiful with picturesque landscapes, BUT unfortunately, Brussels weren't that Christmassy this year. Maybe the frightness of the citizens is one reason that can explain this atmosphere and how I came up with this title for the article; ''VACATION IN THE CITY THAT SCARES ME''. Personally, I haven't felt scared and maybe because of the existence of many guards strolling around the streets (the metro, the mall etc.). In this article, I will tell you my experience in the European capital and I will stress some must-sees in Brussels. Are you ready for a short trip?
DAY 1: My flight was from Athens to Brussels and I was really proud of myself because I've chosen this day and time (17.00-20.30 Greek time), because I had the chance to enjoy beautiful colours either natural in the sunset or artificial in the night. I landed, I took my suitcase (after 15 minutes walking in the airport, because it's huge) and when the exit door opened, I immediately spotted my best friend M. that she was waiting for me with a teddy bear that was welcoming me in Belgium. Hugs, tears (classical girls' stuff)...because I had to meet her almost 2 years!!! After that, we met her parents and we all went to their home. If you think it deeply, this ride from the airport to the place that you'll be staying is the first taste that you take from the new country that you're visiting. So that's why I'm stuck on the window... The house was located in a tranquil neighborhood with classical Belgian buildings.
DAY 2: On Tuesday morning I went to my friend's school as long as this was their last day of mid-term exams (for the greek class). The first picture from the left is the place that they were writing exams. So this is one of the European Schools of Brussels and it is literally awesome; there are students from all over Europe and even though they can't speak each other's language they still exist in the same school. Students of the same nationality, apparently, consist a class and its class follows the schedule of the lessons that they have in the country of origin. In order to be allowed to enter the school, I had to put on my jacket a sticker that confirmed that I'm a ''visiteur'', visiter, just because the rules there especially that period of time were really strict. My friend after introduces me to her friends, she showed me around her school. That was the moment when I felt that that was my school and I live in this city for the past few years! After this mini-tour, I think that I lived the everyday life of my friend... After the school, we rode the metro and went to the mall for shopping and food. I noticed that comparing Greece with Belgium, people eat really light and healthy. So, we had our lunch in EXKI a shop with bio sandwiches, salads and pasta. In the night, we went at a party (celebrating the end of mid-term exams) and after that we went in Grand Place to eat a ''souvlaki'' and to stroll down. We took the last metro at 00.30 which was full of young people...after an adventure-night, we finally arrived home.
DAY 3: We rode the metro (1 ride ticket costs 2.10 euros) once again, this time heading downtown and to more precise, heading to Rue Neuve. Since I wanted to live the local life, I decided to follow my friend's program. This is why we stayed 7 hours on that street. After this exhausting day, I had the chance to visit one of the European Union's Buildings, where my friend's father was working. There, in the skyscrapers area, I had the same procedure with the school; a sticker on my jacket confirming that I am a visitor. This time, I had to sign a paper, write my telephone, my country etc. While enjoying the ''green'' entry of the building, we headed to the elevator and after this to the 21st floor in just 21 seconds. Wonderful view all over the city and generally really nice atmosphere... |
DAY 4: On that day we really didn't know what to do. I proposed to go alone downtown, in Grand Place and simply stroll around without reason... In other words; get lost in Brussels. Our first stop was a block full of fast-food restaurants for french fries. Of course, we couldn't resist and we bought one cone of french fries with mayonnaise.
We headed to the Grand Place, where we enjoyed the Christmas tree (and our fries!). After that, we decided to start the ADVENTURE. We chose one of the streets all over the Grand Place and we started walking. Firstly, we saw the most narrow street in Brussels and that was the place where we met a group of English tourists, which thought that we were part of the team and that we got lost. We burst out laughing while we kept on walking. So, this street ended in an old brewery from 1600, Poechenellekelder. This brewery is full of old and (frightening) puppets and a small amphitheatre in which the clients could watch a puppet-show while drinking their beer.
Rue des Bouchers was next. A street full of ethnic restaurants, you could find every country in there; Argentina, China, Turkey, Italy etc. In each restaurant, there was a man outside the shop, who invited people in his own language to come and eat.
Before I come to Belgium, I created a to-do-list for Brussels. Of course, this list involved Manneken Pis, the little boy that was peeing. As long as it was Christmas, the boy was dressed up Santa Claus and he was surrounded by tourists. That area could also be described as the WAFFLE- paradise...We couldn't miss once again Belgium's traditional sweet and we bought one waffle with Nutella and strawberries.
We started going back to the metro station when something stopped us. A musician was singing popular songs in his own unique way and he made us listen to him for 30 minutes (until the show was off). We couldn't miss the chance and we decided to go and talk him...He and his assistant have visited Greece and were really happy that we went to talk them. We were ready to enter the metro station, when a group of Thai tourists asked for our help, to show them where is Manneken Pis on the map. My friend started explaining and as we saw that they didn't understand, Ι proposed to lead them ourselves at their destination. That was a really good decision because we made new friends and we learned some basic things about them (and about their language...saouadika!). Finally, after having led them to their destination, we had the chance to enjoy the Grand place by night while listening to Christmas songs by a choir...The best day of my trip, I'm never gonna forget it.