Day 7: Sept. 8, 2015 –
In the morning, we took the ferry back across the river to the Amsterdam Central station and boarded the train to Brussels. It was a direct train on the intercity line, that took about 3 and a half hours. It was about half the price of the bullet train, which would only have gotten us there an hour or so sooner. This train wasn’t the nicest one that we had rode on up until then, but it served the purpose of getting us to where we needed to go. We weren’t in a big hurry, so we were okay, since it was so cheap.
The train was a very boxy design compared to the more aerodynamic looking ones, that we had seen at the station. It had a faded yellow interior that was looking more tan than yellow at this point. Although, it looked like it might have been white, when it was built. Similar to our other train trips, we saw lots of farms, cows, and corn fields the further we got from the center of the city.
When we arrived in Brussels, we were very confused. As soon as we got off the train, we began looking around the train station to see what cell phone/SIM card options were available. Meanwhile, we were looking for a place to get exchange our Euro bills for 1 Euro coins to use to purchase subway passes.
A strange difference between the US and Europe is that they have done away with the €1 and €2 bills and made them coins. When you pull money out of your pocket, you typically have more coins than you would in the US. Although, if the ticket machine doesn’t accept bills and you don’t have any coins, you might be in a position where you have to find someone selling something for a small amount that will give you change or find a currency exchange. This was our struggle.
After some delay we were on our way to Jeremie’s. I meet Jeremie through our mutual friend Emily, who met him in Belgium, a few years earlier. Jeremie had come to San Diego to visit her in 2011, during a time when I was being especially outgoing and social with lots of different people. I had became Facebook friends with him. If we become Facebook friends, chances are I will probably ask to crash on your couch at some point in your life, but by the same token, you can always sleep on my couch in San Diego.
Jeremie only gave us directions to the subway stop and his address. I didn’t think to write the directions down from one place to the other while we still had internet access in Amsterdam. I guess that I thought that his apartment was going to be really close to the subway, or I would be able to use a GPS to give me directions, but neither was the case. The boulevards in his area of Brussels are long and expansive, and it felt like forever for us to try to navigate ourselves down the curved roads that seemed to change their name at every veer in the road.
In my best French, I tried asking for directions from a few random strangers, but it was no use. No one knew the street that he lived on, well enough that they could give us exact directions and we didn’t have a phone with service, so we couldn’t call Jeremie to direct us.
We walked into a sandwich shop called St. Michel Snack Shop to ask for directions. There were two women standing behind the corner, whom only spoke French, so I asked them “Ou est (Jeremie’s street)?” I don’t know, if they didn’t know the name of the street or were just not sure what I was asking, but they just looked at me blankly. I excused myself and walked to the door. As soon as we walked out to the sidewalk, however, there was Jeremie coming to find us. It was perfect timing, because Elizabeth and I felt completely defeated in our quest.
We walked the few blocks down the road to his apartment and complained about having to walk so far with our packs. As selfish and spoiled as we are, in that we have a car and drive even short distances, moments earlier, we were complaining about how Jeremie hadn’t offered to drive to pick us up. Meanwhile, Jeremie doesn’t own a car. He explained to us that he doesn’t need one. I felt like a jerk.
Jeremie is a graphic designer and works mostly from his home office. The grocery store is only a few streets away and he can stop off at the sandwich shop for lunch, if he wants to mix things up a little. He lives close enough to a Metro (subway) station that he can walk there in 10 minutes. Then the Metro drops him off close to his office in the city center or anywhere else that he wanted to go, and that might only take 10-20 minutes.. He said, sometimes he just walks the few miles to work, so that he doesn’t have to wait for the trains to arrive at the station.
After passing a statue of a flock of flying cranes, in the middle of a roundabout in the road, we turned left and on the right was Jeremie’s building, less than a half mile from the sandwich shop. Like most of the houses and apartments in the neighborhood, this place looked like a mansion. He told us that the larger buildings on his street were divided into apartments. Jeremie had sort of happened upon his apartment through someone that he met, who was looking for a person to take care of the building in exchange for living there. He didn’t explain whether or not he still paid rent or what sort of duties that he did around the building, but he said that it was “a pretty good deal” and I agreed.
We walked through the side door and took our off packs in his kitchen. It was nice to have the weight off our shoulders. We sat down at the table for a little while and Jeremie talked to us about his life and his work. He explained that he was just about to pop out to the snack shop for lunch, when he saw us walking out of there. He said, that if we wanted to grab some food and bring it back, then he recommends going that place.
We grabbed our jackets and headed out the door and down his driveway. We walked down the long boulevard towards the roundabout with the flying cranes and took a right. When we arrived at the sandwich shop, Jeremie took the lead. I would soon find out that his taste in food was amazing and anything that he recommended, I would be more than satisfied with.
Jeremie approached the counter and spoke in French to the two women, whom we had talked to earlier, when we were asking about directions. There was something that he wanted to order, which they had run out of, so he recommended that I get the tuna salad sandwich. This is a small independent business that caters to a small local crowd, so they only prepare what they think they will need for the day, so they run out of things if you don’t get there early. Behind the glass, you could see a few different kids of salads, cheeses, and meats. The woman making the sandwich asked Jeremie something in French, and then he asked me if I wanted shredded carrots on my sandwich. I had never had shredded carrots on a tuna sandwich, but something told me that I wouldn’t be disappointed. So, I told him that I did.
We walked back to his apartment, ate our lunches, and talked about what sort of things he thought we should see, while we were there in Brussels. Jeremie knew exactly what we needed to see, in order to get the most out of the city in one afternoon. He helped us map out a route and then excused himself, so that he could get back to work. He had to finish some designs up that afternoon, but said that he would meet us in the city somewhere in a few hours.
We took a wrong turn somewhere on our journey and saw a grocery store that was connected to a mini-mall. Continuing our quest for connectivity and the use of a toilet, we went in. I wandered the mall looking for a restroom, while Elizabeth bought a SIM card that came in a package that was only in French. Why did she buy this when we don’t even know how to activate it, I inquired? She sort of shrugged it off and after giving up on finding a restroom, we continued on.
We eventually made it back to the main road, where we walked past countless beautiful fountains. We stopped in a cell phone store which sold us a new SIM card for use in Belgium. At this point, we had purchased 3 different SIM cards of questionable quality and service and spent over $100 for only 8 days of phone and data. Surely, there was a better way to stay connected in Europe. With all the countries so close together, people had to be racking up roaming charges like crazy, anytime they travelled.
We continued down the main road to the Museum of War. Part of the museum was visible from at least a half of a mile away. It was a giant arc with horsemen on top similar to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. During certain hours, you can take an elevator to the top of the arc and see a 360 degree view of the city from above. We walked into the entrance and went to the front desk, but unfortunately we were 5 minutes late. The guard said that the museum was closed for the night at 4:45, and people were no longer able to enter the building. So we continued on.
Jeremie recommended that we walk from there to the metro station, but we didn’t end up seeing a sign for the station, and just continued walking. We were confident that we could make it to the impressively, large, EU headquarters by walking. Although, as per usual we took a wrong turn, and ended up walking right past it on another block. We did see a building which was labeled European Commission, which was pretty impressive, but the way that Jeremie described the headquarters, we were probably missing something spectacular. There was also a tall building that we saw, which was under construction, that looked like it was made of random sized wooden frames.
We came upon the Brussels Palace and took some photos, then took a walk through Parc de Bruxelles Warandepark, which was built to look like a large illuminati symbol. It is laid out and structured, so that if you are seeing it from above, it is reminiscent of the pyramid and all seeing eye. It is guarded by lions and lined with statues and walls.
The park was a nice little diversion from the city. As we walked through, we saw multiple people walking their dogs without a leash and a man was shouting in French to keep his dog close by. At one point, the dog jumped into a wooded area and the man shouted for him, and a few feet down the path, the dog popped out. This dog and a smaller dog that was also off leash encountered one another and luckily with the man’s shouting the dogs were separated.
We continued walking and in the distance we saw the St. Michael and St. Gudule Cathedral. We took some time to walk around the church, and strangely we saw what looked like a designated spot for public urination. There wasn’t anyone currently used the latrine, but it was unique to see a place for the homeless to relieve themselves in public. Around the front, we took a few minutes to examine the details of the relief sculpture and statues.
It was fun looking for the twelve apostles and Jesus and Mary. We also tried to guess who some of the other statues represented. Nobles, who helped pay for the church, perhaps the king and queen, the architect that designed the cathedral?
From the steps of the Cathedral, we took a few photos and then we headed towards the Grand Place. On our way, we stopped at a chocolate shop to get a gram of amazing Belgian chocolate. There are candy shops everywhere in Brussels and they all have amazing chocolate. We chose to pick out a few pieces of various types, which we could share bites of, to get a sugar rush, and rush of richness to awaken our taste buds, if we desired a treat. We also stopped in a small shop and tried on some hats. The shop keeper was polite enough to let us goof around a little, but eventually it was time to move on.
We arrived at the Grand Place and I turned the iPhone on and saw that Jeremie had been messaging me. I texted him our new number earlier and he texted me back. He said that he was at the Grand Place as well, in front of the house with a swan on it. We found the swan and under it was Jeremie waiting patiently. It is said that when Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto, he was living in that house.
Jeremie pointed out the house that Victor Hugo lived in facing the Grand Place. Across the plaza was the Brussels town hall, where Jeremie pointed out the window in the tower that faced the wrong way. The hall was built in two phases. When it was extended in the second phase, there wasn’t enough space to mirror the current structure to make it completely symmetrical. The windows and trim on the extension were a bit different, but the style was mostly similar. However, on the north tower, a window that was supposed to be facing toward the plaza, was built with the window facing the south wing of the building. The architect was so upset about the mishap, that he is rumored to have jumped off the tower and killed himself.
Jeremie was the best tour guide that you could ever end up with in Brussels. From the Grand Place, we were whisked away to Jeremie’s favorite restaurant, Fin de Siècle. As soon as we walked through the doors, Jeremie’s charm got us seated instantly. Moments later, 25 or 30 people came in looking for tables. The host and waiters seemed to know Jeremie and it almost felt like with were characters in a movie.
I tried to use my limited French to read the menu and order, but I needed Jeremie to explain some of the items on the menu. I let him order for the three of us. I decided on this delicious Beef stew with potatoes and a 9% tripel beer. Which happened to be a great pairing and Jeremie helped Elizabeth find a vegatarian dish.
After dinner, we followed Jeremie through the narrow streets of Brussels. We dashed down quick alleys on cobbled roads, a right down this walk way, and a left around this corner. Instantly, we were at the Delirium Cafe, a bar so popular, that it bought every bar on the street. It is like a beer archive, with over 2000 beers available for purchase. On certain lists, it is ranked the best bar in the world. Across the sidewalk, we saw the pissing girl statue, who according to Jeremie, is the sister of the famous Manneken Pis.
While still in the Delirium Cafe, Jeremie told us that we could drink the best beer in the world, in a bar a few minutes away. Trappist Westvleteren is very rare outside of Belgium and outside of a few bars, there isn’t much in Belgium either, so we headed to a place that stocked it. We dashed through a few alley ways, then came to a small archway and down some stairs to a bar called Au Bon Vieux Temps. We found a little table in a corner and Jeremie went up to the bar to place our order.
For housing one of the rarest beers in the world, the place seemed pretty empty. We felt like we were in some exclusive club. The type of place that you needed a password to get in the front door. The beer was € 15, so Elizabeth and I split it. It’s hard to describe its deliciousness, except to say that every beer that you drink afterwards might taste worse.
After we left Au Bon Vieux Temps, Jeremie took us on another trip through the streets. Even after just two beers, I was starting to feel a bit tipsy. When you are talking and walking around without paying attention, it is real easy to have no idea what is around the next corner. Jeremie stopped us and pointed. We looked to the left and saw the 18 inch tall, Manneken Pis. It’s a small boy, made of bronze and pissing into a fountain.
When special dignitaries are in town, the statue is dressed in different little suits based on their nationality. It was blocked off with an iron fence, supposedly because people were getting drunk and messing around with it. There were quite a few people around taking photos and laughing. It’s one of those things that tourists love, if they can find it, but it’s so small that if you live there you might just shrug your shoulders.
We walked back to Jeremie’s and hung out in his kitchen for a bit. Then he took us to his office in his basement, which was probably as big as our whole apartment. It was the coolest basement office ever. Jeremie had a corner with just huge Lego Star Wars ships, a desk for recording music, his design workstation, and an area with couches and chairs for just chilling.
Jeremie showed me a design project that he’d been working on, called the Lego Bible. I flipped through the pages, that he helped design, which consisted photos of Lego figures photographed and laid out comic book style, depicting stories from the holy bible. It was a pretty awesome book, especially if you are trying to get a kid to read his bible and he loves legos. It was getting late and Elizabeth and I were getting tired, so after a little while we went to bed, while Jeremie watched a movie.
Places We Bought Food And Drink
St-Michel Snack
Rue du Collège St Michel 1, 1150 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium
We stopped into this place to ask for directions, but ended up coming back later for lunch. This small deli sold soups, sandwiches, and bread made to order, and was only open until after lunch. By the time, we stopped in, they were out of a few items, but there was enough for us to get something to eat. This was the first place that ever made me a tuna sandwich with shredded carrots, and the experience changed my life. Just when you think that a tuna sandwich on wheat bread can’t get any better, top it with some shredded carrots and add in some ladies that only speak French.
Fin de Siècle
1000, Rue des Chartreux 9, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
This restaurant was easily one of the greatest dining experiences of our trip. Jeremie walked us into the croweded establishment like we were the Goodfellas. The positive energy and atmosphere made your feel like you were eating at a place that warmed people’s hearts. The menu is in French, so if you are a vegatarian, you should have a friend read you the menu, because there might only be one or two options to meet your diet. The beef that I ordered was tender and savory, and was served with fresh vegetables. Perhaps, you can get delicious beer anywhere in Brussels, but this place was one of the best.
Au Bon Vieux Temps
Impasse Saint-Nicolas 4, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium
This drinking establishment is famous for being one of the few places that serves the Trappist Westvleteren. When they have the best beer in the world competition, this beer wins almost every year. The entrance of the bar makes you feel like you are going to a back alley speakeasy, which adds to the mystery of the experience. The decor inside with dark stained wood and stained glass windows, gave the bar a timeless feel, like you could’ve been drinking amazing beer there for 300 years. As stated the beer was delicious. If you are the type of person that loves beer and is tickled by the opportunity to drink the best beer in the world, this is the place to enjoy it.
