Waffling about Belgium

Belgium is a funny sort of place. Home of the European parliament, it's famous for simultaneously being gorgeous and captivating (Bruges) yet maintains a solid reputation as being dull, grey and bureaucratic (Brussels). For a Eurostar weekend getaway package with our fellow Aussies-in-London Beth and Dan, we thought we'd check out both towns and draw our own conclusions.

Sweeping out of the fabulous St. Pancras on Saturday morning, we were in central Brussels before we knew it. I suspect it took longer to get our bearings and actually walk to our hotel (the Hotel Metropole - well-located, massive rooms, with a charming faded grandeur befitting its way-too-cheap-to-be-five-stars price tag).

We took a turn around the centre of town, taking in the innumerable chocolate shops and the surprisingly attractive Grand'Place - here's Beth in front of her namesake choccy shop, the aforementioned square, and a mussel's-eye view of our lunch, taken in the rather cute Rue des Bouchers district (which our guide-book had recommended against), where restaurateurs vie to undersell each other for your business.

No trip to Brussels can (apparently) be complete without a visit to the Mannekin-Pis, the fountain of the "pissing-boy" which is supposed to perfectly capture the "irreverent and whimsical nature of the Bruxellois". Yeah whatever. It's a huge tourist-puller (try finding a restaurant or shop nearby that doesn't have a urinating toddler on the front of it) - but there are some hidden gems in the streets of Brussels - like the random bits of Tintin-esque graffiti-art that adorn the ends of some buildings:
Plenty of walking and a three-course lunch conspired against us on the Saturday afternoon though, and we all retired to "quiet time" in our rooms for a while, before heading out for a six (!) course dinner. These Belgians love to eat well, and it's important to try and get a feel for the culture, after all!

The following day we dragged our distended stomachs off to Bruges (via a waffle-shop, naturally) - and discovered that our Eurostar tickets included free train travel to/from any destination in Belgium! Bonus! We left the big city behind and headed into the lush, green, and incredibly flat Belgian countryside, arriving in Bruges just in time for lunch! Yes, this was definitely becoming a Flanders-food-fest, and none of us minded one bit. Bec even got into (quite a lot of) Belgian beer!

We liked Bruges a lot - a very attractive and historic little town, perhaps best observed from a canal boat - but before we knew it, it was time to go. We just had time to make some strategic "souvenir" purchases at one of the myriad chocolate shops before heading back to Brussels and then London. All in all, a sweet weekend!