HANG ON A MINUTE...
I know what you're thinking... 'You dare devil- fancy you leaving the UK and hopping on the Euro Tunnel whilst we were midst of a GLOBAL PANDEMIC'. Well, well, well my friends whilst the country fled to Tesco's stocking up on Fusilli and toilet roll I was sipping on Leffe, soaking up the laidback landscape of Belgium. (DISCLAIMER- when I wrote this sarcy intro the Covid situation was in the early days of media madness -February time... In light of the current situation, as highlighted by wise man Matt Haig "Now is our time to be kind. To place our loved ones & vulnerable people first. The way out of fear is through other people". To summarise, "Wash your hands YOU DETTY PIG" -Eric. For those who are befuddled by the last reference, shame on you, check out the Binge Worthy Netflix series 'Sex Education' for a little bit of silliness and fun whilst you 'Self Isolate'.
ANYWAYS...Brussels & Brugge (some light escapism for you).
Look, I'm gonna be honest with you here... I'm not going to lie to you and pretend I toured many magnificent museums on this trip, journal in hand, filled to the brim with historical facts & figures of Belgium (thats what wikipedia is for). No my friends, this was not a school history trip, this was an adult trip... compromising of my three favourite hobbies. Walking, eating and drinking.
BEAUTIFUL BEER AND BUILDINGS
If I were to name my favourite naughty beverage prior to this trip, it would most definitely not be beer. No, in-fact I've always been more of a Prosecco, Cava, Gin & Eldeflower Tonic basic bitch kinda gal. I'll admit it. I was quite the Beer snob before the Belgium gang converted me, assuming beer was for pop-bellied males watching the football with the 'lads'. That's the wonderful thing about culture isn't it, it opens your eyes to other ways of life, other wondrous ways of living, how narrow our big heads are... Here's a fun fact for you, a great icebreaker if the convo ever goes awkwardly silent 'On average, Belgiums drink 84 litres of beer each year, down from around 200 each year in 1990' - (Wikipedia et al, 2020). Moral of the story, Belgian beer is bloody great and ye Belgians have become a bit healthier in 10 years... Not sure how long that shall last with the world on never-ending lockdown.
Turns out the pretty buildings in Brussels are a wonderful clash ranging from Art Nouveau to Gothic to Post-modern with very little medieval architecture left. In fact, the Art Nouveau movement began in Brussels in the 1890's, before France and the rest of Europe jumped on the band wagon. Before I lose your attention, Art Nouveau incorporates innovative materials of the time (for example...Glass & Iron) encouraging use of natural light, intricate details and a celebration of industrialisation. That was until.. 'Brusselization', and no I did not make that word up. In fact, those ugly but purposeful skyscrapers we have in London started popping up in ol' Brussels during the 60s and 70's. During this urban regeneration (to prepare for 'Expo 58'- I won't go into details on Expo 58' otherwise this short blog will turn into a short novel).. anyways long story short, those beautiful Art Nouveau buildings were being torn down willy nilly and the local townsfolk started getting rather pissed off. As a result, Brussels have now passed some handy legislation delaying the potentially uglifying urban regeneration of the beautiful, bustling city. BELGIUM WAFFLES, CHOCOLATE AND WILLIES
First stop on the magical mystery tour in Brussels was to seek out the towns iconic naked little urinating boy. Before you get worried, ‘Manneken Pis’ is indeed a bronze sculpture and landmark of Brussels. A rather random landmark indeed, representing many tales and tribulations of the city, best- known to symbolise the wonderful people of Belgium, encapsulating a culture of humour and independence. This fun, loving vibe was evident with the surprising amount of LGBT sex shops popping up amongst the Belgium waffle and choccy stands. Proudly standing as Belgiums LGBT Capital, Brussels highlights the inclusive nature of the city. Reminiscing on the success of legalising same-sex activity in 1965, whilst becoming the second country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage in 2003! (Fun fact to tell all your pals on face-time).
BED, BREAKFAST AND BROKEN ENGLISH
Fortunately both French & Flemish dialect is used in Brussels and Bruges. Therefore, the majority of our trip was spent trying to utilise my GCSE French, enabling me to (completely out of context) inform our Air B&B hosts of my love for croissants, chocolate and friends "Ah Bonjoir, Je maple Annabel Jey adore ley croissant, chocolaty et mes amis". Indeed, aside from the language barriers and lack of actual spoken word, a major highlight of the Belgian crusade was the most lovely, unique and welcoming Air B&B hosts and their historic homes! Our first stay was situated in a family run, boutique townhouse in the heart of Brussels, equipped with a lovely Grandma whom made us breakfast each morning (including, if I may, chocolate croissants). Situated next to an old Brewery (handy that), our second stay was at a wonderful guesthouse dating back to 1580 in the centre of Bruges. Our hosts Koos and Bernd were musicians as well as great hosts , and therefore proceeded to play their piano for the majority of our stay (would have been annoying if they weren't so talented). Being adopted by Belgian carers twice was truly a unique and wonderful experience, and has made me reconsider booking mass produced chain hotels in the future.
WHEN IN BRUGES
A short 58 minute train journey from Brussels you'll find yourself in the magical medieval land of Bruges. Forget action packed drama starring Collin Farrel, strolling round the cobbled streets of Bruges felt more like accidentally stepping onto the set of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (when all the locals hide away waiting upon the arrival of the creepy ass Child Catcher). The peace and tranquility of the beautifully preserved medieval town was the direct contrast of the hustle and bustle of Brussels. Thriving significantly on tourism (approx. 8 million a year), the theme of chocolate and waffles ( & significantly less willies) still runs strong in Bruges, but with a greater finesse. Unlike other scenic European cities, Bruges felt calm, cool and collected with minimal tourists queuing for photos against sacred landmarks, I myself tend to find completely irrelevant nice looking walls for mine...
Thank you for reading me lovers- stay safe X Annabel
Where we stayed:
- X2Brussels https://www.x2brussels.com/en-gb
- Galley GuestHouse in Bruges https://galleryguesthouse.be/galleryguesthouse/de
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