Finally! I'm in Europe! After two very uncomfortable flights (it really did look as if the plane is going to land in the ocean at one time...) I finally made it through passport control without any problems. And so, let the exploring begin!
Europe is often extremely overrated but to me it still remains such a romantic place, especially when you walk by ancient cathedrals that date back hundreds of years and which still looks as new as if it was built a few decades ago. And just to hear the sounds of footsteps on cobblestone roads or the excited chatter of people sitting in street cafes, enjoying their wine, beer or coffee. There is such a charm to Brussels - the same one I experienced in Paris several years ago.
Now, I'll quickly share the main attractions in the area where I am currently living - which is in Brussels' Lower Town (or literally the border between the Lower Town (which is where, historically, the poorer area where workers and immigrants lived) and the Upper Town(where the aristocracy lived)).
The nearest (and probably most beautiful) attraction to the apartment is the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudule (Cathedrale Sts Michel et Gudule). This Gothic cathedral is yet to be explored completely, but we took a quick tour to catch the last sunlight shimmering through the amazing stained-glass windows. More of this amazing church is still to come!
The Palais Royale is also nearby (as well as the park surrounding it). We also took a stroll down Kunstberg (Art Hill), where there were several art galleries (as can be assumed from the name...) The picture below depicts the last bit of sunlight splashing against the walls of the beautiful houses.
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| Night life at one of the side streets of Galeries St Hubert |
We continued with our walk to end at the Grande Place (where we tried to get away from extremely overeager students dressed as Frites, covered in shaving foam, trying to finish a scavenger hunt of sorts: "Do you speak french? No, not at this moment!". Let's just say that the tantalising window displays of the chocolateries in Galeries St Hubert (the popular shopping arcade, know to be the first shopping arcade in Europe) and the cold creeping up into our jackets made us so hungry that we weren't up for fun and games! But we quickly conquered our hunger by buying big and elaborately dressed waffles. Hmmm... Maybe not a 10Euro chocolate eclair, but it definitely was delicious!
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