Post-conference wanderings in Brussels, Bruges and Amsterdam

A little bit of background

I've written posts on the Manchester conference that I presented at in 2011 and my post-conference London wanderings. I was away from home for two weeks on that trip, including a solo sojourn to Europe for three nights and four days. I'd bought a Eurostar package that included the return train trip from London to Brussels and hotel accommodation. The Eurostar packages are a good deal and you can set your spend limit by choosing hotels that align with your budget. I'd opted for a low-cost package, as is my modus operandi, as I resist paying a lot of money for accommodation for basically a bed and a shower.

There are travel tips throughout this post and I have summed up my experience of the three cities I visited at the end. I've also given my reflections on what the trip meant to me.

My first Eurostar experience

I was quite nervous about going to Belgium on my own as it was my first real solo sojourn, other than the few days I'd spent in Hawaii after the conference in 2010. It was also my first solo wanderings to places where English isn't the native language. I'd been to Brussels in 1996 but that was a long time ago. Despite mu anxiousness, I was looking forward to being able to wander around on my own and have more time in Brussels for my second go-around to take things in.

It was also my first time on the Eurostar and my first chance to have a good nosy around the beautiful St Pancras station that had recently had a facelift in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. I was expecting something more from The Eurostar experience (not sure what, though!) but it was really just a fast train, speeding out of London with a chunk of time in the Chunnel where there's nothing to see as it's quite dark. The train then comes out the other side and the landscape changes as the train enters France. It was somewhat of an anti-climax to come out of the Chunnel and be in Europe, but it's still a kind of cool thing to do.

Travel tip: You can travel on the Eurostar fairly cheaply if you book in advance. Off peak (meaning unsociable hours, basically) is usually cheaper, like all trains in the UK and Europe. Travelling by train a viable alternative to flying, as it saves the hassle of getting to and from airports and long check-in lead times. Train stations tend to be more centrally located than airports, too, and you can take all your stuff with you on board.

Brussels

I was a little anxious about finding the hotel once I arrived in Brussels, largely because I am woeful with directions and all I had was a print out from Google Maps, as one did back in the day. The Brussels train station is huge and I had no idea where to start. I was also desperate for the loo but had to find an ATM, withdraw some euros, and spend a little money on lunch to get some change for the public restroom. That was a mission in itself.

Unsurprisingly, I got lost trying to find the hotel. It transpired that I'd basically turned left when I came out of the station instead of turning right. I know I had a mobile phone at the time (this was 2011) and knew how to use Google Maps so I'm not sure why I didn't look up the directions. I remember having a print out from Maps of the directions, the old school way of doing things. Perhaps no international roaming back then?

Anyway, the hotel wasn't actually very far from the station. Gawd. I tried to ask for directions several times, but the language barrier defeated me. Ultimately I found a sales assistant who spoke enough English to help me in one of the train station shops after returning there for help. Again, gawd.

The hotel turned out to be in a bit of a dodgy part of town, about a 1.5 km walk from the Grand Place in the centre of Brussels. I know I'd paid for a cheap package. I wasn't expecting much and the hotel was pretty much as advertised. When I was checking in, however, other guests were complaining to the person on reception about the state of their room. I was a bit worried at that point but I think the hotel was being renovated and those guests had lucked out with their room allocation. Fortunately for me, I was assigned a newer room. It was was tidy and clean with a comfortable bed and a decent bathroom with breakfast included, and that's all I needed.

The interior shots of the hotel are from their website.

I was exhausted by the time I found my hotel so I rested up for a bit (and tried to dull my anxieties) then headed into the city centre, further realising that I was staying in a dodgy part of town. There were so many men out on the streets staring at me as I walked past the shops and businesses on my way into the Grand Place. I felt super uncomfortable but much better once I was in the city centre.

Brussels really is very pretty and the Grand Place is gorgeous with its gothic and baroque architecture. It was a lovely warm and sunny afternoon and I had a nice time, feeling calmer and just a little pleased with myself for getting around the city on my own after my morning navigational disasters.

When we were in Brussels in 1996 we were on a tour and we didn't have much time to see the city. This time, I had the luxury of being able to wander around at a leisurely pace. The centre of Brussels is compact and easy to get around and there is a lot to see within walking distance of the Grand Place.

The highlight of my afternoon wanderings was absolutely St Michael's cathedral, said to be one of the finest examples of Brabantian Gothic architecture, built in the 11th century (far right picture in the middle row).

I found a New York-style pizza place that offered a massive slice of pie and a drink for €10 so I ate that for an early dinner, and had headed back to my hotel (back down to the dodgy end of town) and had an early night.

My stay in Brussels formed the bookends of my four-day sojourn. The middle bits were spent in Amsterdam and Bruges (see further on in this post). The other end of my stay in Brussels was not quite a full day, as I I returned to London on the Eurostar in the late afternoon. I checked out of the hotel first up and stowed my bag in one of the paid lockers at the train station. Some more wandering around ensued, including getting scarily lost heading back to the city centre from my hotel.

Then I did something really brave (for me) and caught the train out to the Atomium. We'd only seen it from the bus on our previous visit in 1996 so it was way cool to go inside (and to make it there without getting lost was no mean feat for me). I was proud of myself for getting on the train and finding my way. This is back in the day when I wasn't using my phone as the font of all information as I do now so I went old school and used a tourist pamphlet. The train was easy to use even with the language barrier. I just followed the stops on the map inside the carriage until the one for the Atomium and then took the short walk from the train station.

The Atomium was built for the Brussels World Fair in 1958 (Expo 58) and was not intended for longevity. It ended up being restored in 2006 and is now a major tourist attraction and international symbol of Brussels. The Atomium stands 102 metres tall with nine 18-metre diameter stainless steel clad spheres that are connected to form the shape of a cube and represent an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Along with being architecturally unique, it's fun to go up into the spheres and the views of the city are spectacular.

Amsterdam

I'd always wanted to go to Amsterdam so I took the opportunity of being close to the city to do a pre-booked day tour on my second day in Brussels. I was picked up at my hotel first thing in the morning by the tour guide, an adorable Belgian man, Gabriel, who was a terrific host for the day. It was a long and exhausting trip and just a taster, really, but I still managed several bucket list experiences. It was also super hot in Amsterdam and I wasn't properly prepared food and drinks-wise.

Travel tip: Gabriel was a friendly and knowledgeable host. I did feel, however, that there could have been more information about what was going on. I may not have read the tour information properly, but I hadn't realised that the canal trip was an additional cost. I didn't mind the cost, but I had to pay on the bus in the exact amount in cash and I didn't have it. I took some money out at a service station pit stop and bought a sandwich to get the right change. Just as well I did, as there was no time for lunch or dinner, so the sandwich was the only thing I ate all day. Gabriel didn't tell us about the meal situation which I is think is kind of important when you're out all day in an unfamiliar place.

We drove into the city and did our first cool thing, the obligatory canal cruise. Yeah, it's touristy but the best way to see the city. Again, a "pinch me" moment, sitting on the canal boat taking in all the beautiful houses and bridges.

After the cruise we wandered around with Gabriel for a bit (including a short walk in the Red Light District which was weird to see during the day) before we had a few hours of free time. The one thing I wanted to do was visit Anne Frank House. Another of the solo travellers (a Canadian woman whose name I can't remember now) also wanted to go there, so Gabriel walked us to Prinsengracht Street and gave us directions for getting back to the meeting place.

The line up was long and it was a hot afternoon. I remember stepping out of the line to buy cold drinks for my companion and me and going into anxiety overdrive worrying about not having enough time to go through the museum before we had to meet the tour group. Fears unfounded in the end, we did have the time we needed.

The museum is well worth a visit if you have an interest in WW2 history and Anne's story. When I visited in 2011, the house was seemed pretty much the way it was in the 1940s, down to things left by Anne after her family was betrayed. It is possible to see the bookshelves that covered the family's hiding place and other artefacts from their time in hiding. The house is just a house, and quite nondescript, yet it holds such an important place in history. My visit was a very moving experience and I was glad I'd spent the few hours of free time on the tour there.

I visited Anne Frank House on the 2022 trip and it has been made 'more touristy' since my 2011 visit thus losing some of its authenticity, I think. It's kind of jazzed up these days, with a brand new modern building housing a café attached to the original Frank house.

My Canadian companion and I headed back to the meeting place and boarded the bus for the trip back to Brussels. I loved Amsterdam, even after only be there for a few hours, and I wish we'd had more time. We did manage a total touristy experience on the outskirts of the city: a windmill, some clogs, and cheese making. Sometimes you just have to do the touristy things!

It was really late when arrived back in Brussels and I was super hungry. It had been a long time since the sandwich on the way to Amsterdam in the morning. I chatted to my Anne Frank House companion, also a solo traveller, and we went together to the pizza place I had found on my first night in Brussels. As we ate dinner, we decided to visit Bruges the next day. We arranged to meet at my hotel and then head to the train station. I had read about how beautiful Bruges is and I was excited to visit.

Travel tip: You could go to Amsterdam from Brussels on your own easily for a day trip. The train takes anywhere between 2 and 3 and a half hours, depending on the service. Both city's train stations are not that far from the centre and there are loads of canal cruises you can do with last-minute tickets. The windmill, cheese factory, and clog-making place was on the outskirts of town.

Bruges

I took a chance and arranged to meet my companion from the Amsterdam trip at my hotel in the morning without having her contact details. She actually turned up as arranged! Cool. We walked to the train station where she used her Canadian French to arrange tickets to Bruges. We had a wonderful time together that day. All these years later I can't recall her name or anything much about her, and we didn't end up staying in touch. I guess it was just one of those random encounters when you travel, and travel alone, that turns into an awesome experience.

Bruges is like something out of a fairy tale. It is simply stunning. The pictures don't capture the true beauty of the city. It's one of the loveliest places I have ever been to and the day I spent there is up at the top of my 'best day ever' list.

The canal is the very pretty, different to Amsterdam as it's not lined with as many buildings. It has a very quaint feel to it. The beautiful day helped and I felt so happy wandering around the gorgeous streets. Bruges is a must-see for me!

After spending most of the day in Bruges, just wandering around and taking in the storybook vibes, we got back on the train and stopped at Ghent on our way back to Brussels. Ghent is not quite as lovely as Bruges, but still very picturesque.

Travel tip: The train journey from Brussels to Bruges is only an hour each way, and Ghent is about the mid-way point. There is plenty of time to see Bruges and Ghent in one day. Just make sure you sit in the correct part of the train. We were shooed out of our seats by a guard on the way from Brussels to Bruges as we'd inadvertently plonked ourselves in a first class carriage. Oops.

A tale of three cities

So that was Brussels, Amsterdam, and Bruges (and Ghent!). My solo sojourn on the Eurostar was a lovely addition to my two week trip overall that also included presenting at the first-year experience Manchester conference, and a wonderful week in London staying with my friend, KP.

I loved Brussels the second time around. I often see people commenting in travel content that the city is boring. I don't think so. It has beautiful architecture, the Grand Place is a gorgeous square, and the city is easy to walk around. Bruges has my heart, though. Its beautifully preserved medieval architecture, cobbled streets and pretty canals are stunning. It really feels like you've stepped into a painting!

All three cities (and Ghent) are spectacularly beautiful and I urge you to visit them if you have the chance. At the time of my first visit I was struck by how much I'd wanted to return to Amsterdam as I'd only had a taste of the city. The architecture and the canals and narrow cobbled streets left a lasting impression. It is a beautiful place and it would be so pretty in winter. The tour was a very rushed visit. I was lucky enough to return to Amsterdam in 2022. Post to come!