Silent Saturday: Paris Running Tour
Bruges: A Storybook Flemish Capital
My favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast. There is no contest in my mind and for many years I knew the lyrics to every song. How can you not love a movie about a gorgeous, intelligent girl who loves books and has a huge heart, even for beasts? 
When friends and co-workers heard we were going to Belgium everyone said we needed to spend at least one night in Bruges, a storybook village in Belgium just an hour outside Brussels. They insisted it that it was a storybook village, much like the one Belle wandered in Beauty and the Beast. There was no further convincing needed and within a day of booking our flight to Belgium we decided to add 24 hours in Bruges to our itinerary. The Flemish capital, the small narrow streets and buildings dating back to the 1400’s did not disappoint and was perfect for a 24 hour addition to a Belgium itinerary!
Transportation: We were able to get to Bruges in just an hour from the main train station in Brussels. The train is only 18 Euros and allowed us to get a few minutes rest while also enjoying the views of the countryside.
Hotel: There aren’t very many moderately priced hotels in Bruges so we were lucky to have American Express recommend Hotel NH Bruges. The hotel earns 4 stars on TripAdvisor with over 673 reviews and rankings which reconfirmed the decision. The location was absolutely wonderful, just a 10 minute walk from the train station and a five minute walk to the heart of historic Bruges. The hotel is actually built within a 17th century monastery, featuring exposed wood beams, fireplaces and stained glass windows in the lobby and first floor area. The rooms were comfortable but nothing special. We did however sleep in the largest bed ever as our room featured two full size beds which we pushed together for our night stay! 
Drink: There were bars and beer shops around every corner in Bruges! We ended up bringing home multiple bottles of Delirium along with a few bar additions including Belgian beer glasses! We stumbled up on 2be Beer Bar & Wall Saturday evening and while it was a “beer tourist trap” we enjoyed the warm fire pits and amazing beer assortment for 3 solid hours. As soon as the sun set in Bruge the temperature dropped down in the 40s so a warm fire pit and beer flight seemed like the perfect way to spend happy hour before dinner. The number of beers they have both on tap and available in bottle was overwhelming for sure but we had fun tasting our way through the selections. 
Eat: Similar to Brussels, we had no reservations or plans in Bruges. Instead, we relied on our hotel for dinner reservations and enjoyed lunch the following day at a small restaurant on the main square. We made sure to enjoy as many mussels as possible while also sampling Flemish beef stew, spice “speculoos” cookies, beer, and mussels during our time in the small town.
See: We were only in Bruges for less than 24 hours, 8 of which were spent sleeping. This finite amount of time forced us to do research in advance so we would know where to spend our time. Known as the Venice of the North, Bruges gets its name from the multiple canals that surround the city center. There are more than 80 bridges! We started our visit and tour of the city with a 30 minute boat tour through the canals right at dusk. The tour was only 4 euros per person and well worth it based on the views and the history we learned.
The other historic places we toured while in town were as follows:
- Church of Our Lady – stunning basilica and unique use of white and black marble
- Belfry & Market Halls – Go early to avoid the 2-3 hour lines to climb the 366 steps to the top! Well worth the cost as the views are gorgeous and seeing the bell tower mechanics upclose is pretty incredible!
- Historic Centre of Brugges
- Bruges Markt
Belgium was such a surprise weekend joy for us as we went in not expecting much from the country and instead left amazed! We would go back in a heart beat and have recommended this itinerary to all our friends!
Brussels: Mussels, Architecture & Beer Oh My
I am back in Geneva after a quick weekend trip to Belgium. We spent the weekend exploring Brussels and Brugges, two very different cities in Begium. Arriving in Europe, Brussels as a whole seems like the ugly duckling. It’s rare to hear people talking about the beautiful architecture, delicious food, beer, or the convenient proximity to Geneva and London. But, after 48 hours in the country, our group of four people can’t recommend it enough to anyone who finds themselves in Europe!
Without further adieu, here are our recommendations for places to stay, eat, drink and see while in Brussels. Later this week I will share the same information for Brugges.
Transportation: When flying into Brussels, we suggest taking the train from the airport instead of a cab. The train is both faster and less expensive while being simple to navigate and very convenient. It took us 15 minutes to go from the airport to the Brussels-Central station. The train can be accessed from the bottom floor of the airport.
Hotel: We were able to snag a great deal at Hotel Amigo which is located in the heart of Brussels, just a few steps away from the Grand Place. The hotel staff was very accommodating the entire time, helping us find our way through the town, hold our luggage after checkout and provide suggestions. Our hotel rooms were quite large for European standards and included a queen size bed and large bathroom, complete with a range of toiletry items and blow dryer. In addition, the room came with complimentary water, wi-fi and a morning paper. This hotel came highly recommended via Trip Advisor as well.
Drink: Multiple co-workers from Brussels and the surrounding areas suggested we spend Friday evening at Delirium Cafe. We thought it may end up being too crowded or just a tourist trap but we were pleasantly surprised. The binder of beer will overwhelm and amaze any beer fan while the service is better than expected for a crowded bar. There are three large floors, each featuring a different atmosphere and feel but we found ourselves on the main floor for most of the time. The music they played was loud enough to hear but not overwhelming and the Friday night crowd was very friendly. The beer decor covering every wall and ceiling was a fun touch as well!
Eat: A woman of moderation, I had a very hard time maintaining moderation in Brussels. I wanted to try everything since we were only there a short time. Therefore, for the 18 hours we were in town we dined on nothing but mussels, waffles and fries. I mean really, how can you refuse when a country has established its reputation on these things? We didn’t do any formal research in advance so I thank Yelp for pointing us in the direction of Chez Leon. Other than that, we chose our waffles based on how delicious the waffle truck smelled and our fries based on the number of sauces and if there was a line. Like I said, there was no art to it but everything was delicious yet so simple! 
See: Our friend Renaud put together a great walking map of Brussels with suggested sites. We used this is as our guide and would recommend it to anyone else visiting the area. It was complete but not overwhelming and highlighted the key sites.
A. GRAND PLACE: the first logic stop is the Grand Place, amazing architecture and historical breweries there. You can have Belgian fries and Brussels waffles there – they are quite good.
B. MANNEKEN PIS: a little statue, very touristic of a boy peeing. Nothing crazy but quite emblematic of Belgium.
C. LE SABLON (GRAND SABLON & PETIT SABLON): very nice architecture, beautiful place for a drink on the terraces if the weather is nice. You should visit the best (IMO) chocolate maker in Belgium (maybe in the world) there: Pierre Marcolini.
D. LES MAROLLES: historical area with lots of little bars etc (e.g. Havana Club is nice by night). From there, this is the place where you can take a free open air elevator that will bring you to place Poelaert. Alternatively, there is a small street going up.
E. PLACE POELAERT: one of the best views on the city from the center. From there, if you look to the South, you can see the Atomium building. The Palais de Justice is also nice there.
F. PLACE ROYALE: nice area with the Palais de Bruxelles, the statue of the guy on his horse and the art museum. You also have the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) which has a very interesting architecture
If you are planning a trip to Brussels, feel free to send any questions my way! Also, let me know if you like this format as I have plenty of travel posts and am trying to find the best way to meet readers’ needs!
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