Although I have travelled through it en route to Amsterdam, Bruges and beyond, I had never managed a proper trip to Brussels or ventured far outside the Gare du Midi. I knew there was life beyond 'Sam's Café' so Emily and I stayed one night here and another night in my favorite, Bruges. This is a condensed version of Railbookers' Brussels and Bruges 4 night holiday, which is an easy way to see two different sides of the country. Eurostar tickets to Brussels are valid on to any station in Belgium within 24 hours, so we jumped straight on the Intercity train and arrived at Bruges 50 minutes later. The station sits just outside the city centre but as it wasn’t raining we walked into town for about 20 minutes through the Minnewater park while I got a bit arty with photos of swans, canals, bridges and autumn leaves. We spent the afternoon window shopping in chocolate shops, meandering along canals and trying to capture the belfry and the town hall on camera. It's about as pretty as a town can get and unfortunately the pictures don't do it justice. Tired of walking, we cheat a little and settle ourselves into a boat which takes us around the canal system for about £8, giving us an insight into the origins of the city and the opportunity to see one of the only wooden buildings left in Europe, although by the look of it only just! We stayed at the Best Western Premier Navarra, which thankfully has a cosy pool and sauna in the basement to warm us up before heading back out for a tasty dinner and some 'Brugse Zot', the local brew. The next day, after a great breakfast at the Navarra we retraced our steps back to the station, just as (sadly) my camera battery died! I have to console myself with a Belgian waffle on arrival in Brussels and polished it off on the way to our hotel for the night, the Crowne Plaza Le Palace. I’m not expecting the 'wow' factor really. I expected a modern, business oriented hotel with modern rooms but instead am extremely pleasantly surprised. The Palace is celebrating its 100 year anniversary as a hotel, and started life on the Place Rogier as this is where the main train station used to be when the great and good of Europe would arrive by train. It still has some interesting original features, but its new design has been inspired by the painter Gustav Klimt (think bold, geometric, 'Art Nouveau' patterns) and his art work adorns the walls and even the carpet. The rooms are large and tasteful, again with a touch of art nouveau design. I’m already looking forward to the 'international' breakfast as we set off for my first glimpse of the Grand Place. Grand it is, and when my neck can crane no more at the huge structures on every side, we move on to other sights; Mannekin Pis, parliament buildings and the Comic Strip museum taking in the hustle and bustle in the winding streets behind the Grand Place. As night falls we tackle a glass of ‘Kwak’ beer served in a bulbous glass in a wooden frame, at a street side cafe and do some people watching. Dinner is spent in the classy and decidedly affordable 'Nouveau Taste' restaurant, where a 3 course a la carte menu costs around €35 per person. After filling our boots with traditional rabbit stew we drag ourselves to the bar next door to try their home made beer. The breakfast doesn’t disappoint with original delights such as Nasi Goreng and the usual continental treats. Sadly we don’t have too much time to enjoy it before heading south 5 stops on the metro to the Gare du Midi and the Eurostar home.
