What they think about Brussels

So the one thing I haven't said here is that we all absolutely LOVE Brussels!! It came as a complete surprise to us. We had no real expectations, but Christie had been told and read that Brussels wasn't worth spending more than a day...how wrong could that have been! We all hope to be able to return some day and spend more time, as we have loved what we've seen, found the people to be extremely friendly, and we think the shopping, the night life and the historic district is awesome! So fun to discover these gems as we do our wandering!! As I read back over this I realize that we really did a lot today....so fun!! I hope I remember how fun it all was when I have to get up in a few short hours!

Andrea Morey 

Hello from Tulsa!
I am so glad that you enjoyed Brussels so much. What a nice suprise.
I wanted to check in and say that all is well back at your homefront. I am enjoying the home and my own bathroom and bed. So nice! The kitty is doing well, I have grown quite fond of her. Becky has picked up your bills and paid them. She paid some last week and then the rest came in on Monday. I hope that you guys are having the time of your life. Rest assured I am taking good care of your home. Thank you again for trusting me.
Also, I am willing to stay until you and John return from Europe if that is still okay.
Thanks Debbie, be safe!
Andrea

Yorkshire Evening Post

IT’S clear, flying over the flatlands around Brussels, why they call this under-estimated part of Europe the Low Countries.

This is good news for tourists; it means that Brussels, with all those lobbyists to feed and water, is packed with excellent cafes, bars and restaurants – and it’s not just frites and beer; it was in Brussels that I ate the most perfectly-cooked Brussels sprouts I’ve ever encountered.

And all those well-dressed lobbyists on their best behaviour, combined with the naturally polite and friendly natives, make Brussels a very civilised place to be.

Another plus-point for Brussels is its astonishing range of museums, covering, for example, bookbinding, pharmaceuticals, trams, police, medicines, musical instruments, toys, costumes, lace, industry and labour, the Resistance, beer (of course), ‘fantastic’ art and, new on the scene, a museum of old technologies...the list, including a ‘clockarium’, is as long as any curious person could want.

It’s near-impossible to walk around Brussels without noticing the giant, beautifully-executed murals based on comic-strip characters, which decorate gable walls and other prominent sites.

It’s worth glancing around every corner you come to in the city centre, just to make sure you don’t miss one of them.

The Belgian Comic Strip Centre in Rue des Sables/Zandstaat is a gem of a building – a 1906 Art Nouveau former textile warehouse which is flooded in natural light, making it an ideal showcase for Belgium’s huge range of comic book artists, including Peyo, who was responsible for (I was tempted to write ‘guilty of’) The Smurfs.

Brussels is, in any case, a marvellous place for a short break (made shorter by the fact that it’s only a little over an hour away from Leeds-Bradford airport on conveniently-timed BMI flights).

There are grand squares to rival anything in Europe and, as a bonus, a street that smells entirely of chocolate.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/lifestyle/travel-reviews/travel_review_brussels_1_3992611

Even if you had no clue what Chez Leon, a Brussels culinary institution for more than a century, serves up, it wouldn't be too hard to work it out once you step through the door.Then the heart-warming aroma of steaming shellfish hits you and it's pretty obvious -- Chez Leon serves mussels, cooked not just one way but 15 different ways, with Belgian frites on the side, and has been selling the succulent little molluscs almost uninterruptedly for 110 years, closing for only 16 days during World War I and two months in World War II.In that time, it has become a virtual pilgrimage site for anyone who has ever enjoyed tucking in to a bowl of bivalves.

One great thing about Transport for tourists in Brussels is that regardless of your destination, you will easily be able to travel around Brussels, and indeed the rest of Belgium with little difficulty. The transport itself is reliable, well organized and convenient. You will find it to be very tourist-friendly and even locals living in the Brussels holiday apartments use the public transport systems.

Between 6 AM and 11 PM, the public transport system runs regularly. You will be able to catch frequently timetabled buses, trains and metro lines very easily between these times of the day. At night time however, you will find that many of the lines close for business, apart from maybe a few train line services and some bus routes. They will not run often, and you may find that you need to wait up to an hour between transport departures.

Traveling by bus within Brussels itself is pretty simple. The most popular bus route in Brussels is a double deck route called the line 71. This will take you through the busy city centre and travels by the university buildings too so you can see why it is so important for the locals. If you need to get to the train station from your hotel, you may be able to catch the line 71 bus if there is a stop nearby and this will take you directly to the central train station. The route will also take you past the museum of fine arts and also the Instruments Museum too, so if you want to visit any of the museums, then you should use this route. There are also several bars on this route, as well as the Ixelles ponds, which is an idyllic spot for an afternoon picnic if the weather is nice.

www.cafeprima.net

Brussels: from Christmas cribs to concrete

Brussels is a class above so many other European cities. While spots from Strasbourg to Stuttgart clutter their main squares with standard-issue Christmas markets, Brussels takes an altogether more sensible approach to Advent.