The Adventure

I visited Bruxelles right after my morning in Luxembourg. The train ride was just a few hours, which I took to the end of the line in Bruxelles. I realized later that this was a mistake, as the Central Station in the Belgian capital was a few stops earlier, and closer to where everything I would have liked to see was. But the area where I got off was not all too bad. There were some shops and cafés, some old churches, the usual good vibes I found travelling around Europe. Just nothing like I eventually saw closer to the centre. When it started raining, I had to take cover and got back on the train. By the time I was in the city centre, the weather had cleared up.

I ended up in Grand Place, which was honestly where I spent the rest of my visit. The square really lives up to its name, “Grand”. The area is surrounded on all four sides by large, impressive buildings. I couldn’t get enough of the area, spending as long as I could soaking it all in and trying to capture its magnificence in photos. I did wander away only briefly just a block or so away to where I found a Christmas market. To my surprise, I came across a public exhibit all about Canada. Naturally, I was drawn to the familiar and spent a bit of time inside the exhibit, which focused on the Indigenous people of northern Quebec. They had some traditional carvings on display, Indigenous music playing, and some written information for guests. Even though it wasn’t a very Belgian thing, I quite enjoyed the small connection to home, especially since I’ve visited the Cree Nation of Mistissinni twice (an Indigenous community in Northern Quebec, as per the exhibit).

The only other place I visited in Bruxelles was just to travel to another train station and look around for a bit. I ended up in a more modern section of the city, with lots of lights, skyscrapers, and brand promotions. I wasn’t particularly interested in it, and it was already late at night, so I just bought a Belgian waffle and waited for my train back to Malmö. Bruxelles was my last stop in the first leg of my European travels.

Highlight

In case it wasn’t already obvious, the Grand Place was the highlight of my trip. I realized afterwards that I actually saw very little of Bruxelles, but I just couldn’t draw myself away from the ornate square. I haven’t even really looked into what else there is to see in the city. If I ever revisit, I will reluctantly draw myself away and hope that whatever else the city holds will live up to its highlight.

Cost

My costs for this stop in the trip were, again, minimal. I picked up a souvenir flag and a Belgian waffle for €5.90 ($8.94 CAD). What cost more was an additional €5.99 ($9.11 CAD) for dinner in Hamburg on the trip back home to Malmö. Once again, keeping costs low makes trips like these more accessible and possible to do again in the future.

Concluding Thoughts

I loved Bruxelles! For what I did there, I had enough time, but to be fair I didn’t do much. Though I would prioritize visiting elsewhere, I would not say no to revisiting Bruxelles and discovering more about it. And, if you’re ever there, make sure to visit Grand Place and take in the views that I couldn’t get enough of!