No Amsterdam, No Problem: Our Day in Brussels

Regardless of our ear plugs, I think it is safe to say we all did not have the greatest sleep, as traffic outside our hotel window seemed to run on throughout the entire night. We had an early flight to catch to Amsterdam which saw our alarms firing off at 3:30 AM. We packed up our belongings and boarded the small ratty hotel shuttle to make our way back to London Gatwick airport.

A short wait later, we were soon on the tarmac climbing the large metal steps up into the plane still under the cover of the morning darkness.

Just as we began to settle into our seats, we soon found ourselves touching down in Amsterdam. We all began to mutter things of sorrow about us missing this great city the night before and vowed to come back sometime in our futures.

Adding a new stamp to our passports, we set off and waited on a train within the bottom level of the airport. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves now nestled on the plastic blue train seats roaring down the tracks through the Netherlands.

We spent much time just peering out the windows to the forever changing scenery before us. Fields, towns, and canals soared by (including the Van Nelle factory which is an UNESCO site) until we eventually found ourselves standing outside of the Breda train station, just in time to make it right back on original schedule. We took the next two hours walking through the city and crossing off places of interest we had earmarked months prior. We first set off to view the former colossal prison, followed by a small chapel, and finally finishing with the large Grote Kerk cathedral.

Though we didn’t have much of a strict itinerary in this city of Breda, it was such a surreal feeling being able to peruse down these countless foreign streets and knowing we were now in Holland. The time eventually came in which we had crossed out everything we had planned within Breda and set off to the train station to head to our next and final stop for the day, Brussels.

Within the dark corridors of the train station, some frustration and panic began to creep in as we quickly realized we could not book a straight fare to Brussels from Breda. Frantically clawing at the ticket kiosk, we decided to swallow our pride and made the short jaunt to a ticket office. While waiting in line for assistance, we happened to glance at a small map in the room that appeared to show the route we desperately needed. We sprinted back out into the train station and quickly purchased tickets to a small town of Roosendaal, intending to use this place to catch our intended train to Brussels. With tickets in hand, we made our way back to the surface and nestled into some cold wooden benches near the platform.

As it was now past noon, Austin and Matt decided to head over to the neighboring platform to purchase some small refreshments in the form of breaded sausages. A short 30 minute commute later, we soon found ourselves in the small town of Roosendaal. As we left the platform and entered the small connected “station”, we clamored up to the kiosk machine and were left with disbelief when we discovered that it wanted to reroute us back to Breda, exactly where we had just come from. Some frustration began to set into the group and I decided to head into the small convenience type store located within the small station lobby. Through broken English and several hand gestures, the female clerk was able to provide us with the much needed information on how to get to Brussels, and more importantly, without having to backtrack. It wasn’t much longer till we found ourselves in the city of Antwerp and within its massive and looming station. We quickly switched trains and found ourselves racing towards Brussels.

It was mid afternoon once we finally found ourselves within the boundaries of Brussels. As our hotel was just a stone's throw from the station, we made the extremely short walk and checked in, allowing us to drop off our bags to be able to explore the city without the heavy weight upon our shoulders. Though our walk to the hotel was only a few minutes, it took us even less time to realize that this area was not the most optimal. Stepping over bags of trash and dodging several shady individuals; we quickly realized we should not linger in this area for long.

We soon set off down the trash strewn streets heading to our first destination within Brussels’s city limits, the ornate Église Notre-Dame au Sablon cathedral. We speed under the stone archways, all the while glancing over the various historic artworks and relics of the past.

Several short minutes later, we were back out into the afternoon sun in a small lush garden overlooking the cathedral. With much life still left in our legs, we set back off and strolled through city streets (passing by their parliament building) before once again entering another looming cathedral.

We spent a short 10 minutes within the large hall of the St. Michael and St. Gudula cathedral before our hunger began to take control and back out into the streets we leapt. We merged ourselves with local crowds and wormed our way to streets lined with various shops and restaurants. It wasn’t long before we found ourselves in the dark and seemingly abandoned basement of one of Brussels’s largest beer providers, Delirium Beers. We all downed a local pint, surrounded by the soft sounds of Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon playing in the overhead speakers.

Still needing some true substance, we left our dim cave and ventured back out into the fleeting sunlight for some dinner. Being in Brussels, the birthplace of everyone’s favorite side dish, French fries, we decided we had to indulge. We all grabbed a cup of these steaming hot fries from Fritland and found a small table in which we enjoyed our simple meals (along with the included customary mayonnaise dipping sauce).

Just mere minutes after concluding our small dinner, Austin and Matt decided to grab dessert from a neighbor waffle stand; both receiving waffles overflowing with chocolate, fruits, and other sweet treats.

Standing in the large open square that is known as the Grand-Place, we tried to accept we were in the capital of this foreign country and remember this occasion.

Realizing our night was coming to a close, we decided to retrace our steps and head back to our hotel, meanwhile passing the most visited attraction in all of Belgium, the Manneken Pis statue (which was surrounded by a herd of tourists).

Eventually we found ourselves back in the hotel and crawling up to the hotel bar, as I was desperate to try some additional local beers. With a soccer game being displayed on the adjacent TV, I began to work my way through the drink menu trying several pints of the local fair. I believe this would have been my downfall as that night, I entered a deep and foreign state of sleepwalking and found myself outside of our hotel room, clad in only a small pair of athletic shorts, frantically banging on the door. If I recall correctly, the door was locked yet I was somehow able to gain access back into the room where I proceeded into the bathroom and threw up much of the drinks I had consumed just a few hours previously. The morning after was a rather scary one as I realized how dangerous my previous late night adventure had been. Matt later said he saw me leave the room during the night and was under the assumption I was just going to the hotel lobby to use the bathroom. Belgium beer 1, AJ 0.

To see the previous day’s adventure, click here.

To move onwards with us along our journey, click here.