10 days in Belgium plus a day in the Netherlands
Dec 29th, 2011, 04:44 AM
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Day 8: Antwerp
Antwerp was the one day trip I really thought should be a two-day trip, and we considered getting a hotel room there for one night. However, in the end we decided to stay in our comfortable Brussels apartment and make a long day of it.
The spectacular summer weather had broken and it was cooler, although by no means unpleasant for early October. The train trip was easy (as were all our day trips from Brussels) and we were looking forward to arriving at the Antwerp station which is truly spectacular. It is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe if not the world and my husband who is a train buff was especially interested in how it had been adapted for high speed trains. I strongly encourage anyone visiting Antwerp by other modes of transportation to see the station.
We had first seen pictures of the Antwerp station via a YouTube segment of a rendition of Do Re Mi staged in 2009 as a promotional stunt for a Brussels TV station. We kept wondering whether people would suddenly start bursting into song and dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k
Once we emerged from the station we headed off toward the Cathedral of Our Lady, an imposing building in the Brabant Gothic style. The cathedral had a large exhibit of paintings from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts combined with art work from the cathedral's collection. The cathedral is best known for its major art work by Rubens, especially the Descent from the Cross and the Raising of the Cross. The exhibit brought in major paintings by Quentin Metsijs, Maerten de Vos and others that had originally been in the church as guild altarpieces.
We decided to eat an early lunch before setting out for several museums we planned to visit in the afternoon. We visited the Grote Markt main square briefly then headed off for de Groote Witte Arend, a restaurant recommended by M and D. The streets around the Cathedral include charming old pedestrian streets. We got some great views of the Cathedral spires from the Pelgrimsstraat and picked out a B & B (Le Patio) where we would like to stay when/if we return to Antwerp.
Before we ordered lunch, my husband told me he was not feeling well and wanted to be careful about what he ate. Fortunately for me he often likes to have beef stew when his stomach is acting up. (I am more of a crackers and ginger ale person myself). We shared some very good carbonnade flamande and stoemp (mashed potatoes with leeks and other vegetables). The restaurant has a nice beer garden but we decided it was too cool for that and ate inside, with some classical music in the background. Other people were still eating outside despite the drop in temperature, but I think they were mostly smokers. At the waiter's suggestion, I chose a Buffalo Belgian Bitter out of the wide selection of beers. My husband only tried a few sips and I realized part way through the meal that the beer was 9% alcohol, and I was feeling no pain by the end of the lunch.
We spent the afternoon at two wonderful museums strongly recommended by M and D, the Museum Plantin-Moretus and the Museum Mayer van den Bergh. The first is a fascinating 33-room museum showing the home and printing plant of a family who ran a major publishing house for several centuries, beginning in 1576. The second contains a large and impressive collection of paintings, sculpture, stained glass, tapestries and manuscripts amassed by an art connoisseur in the 19th century. The highlights are two works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a set of miniatures illustrating Twelve Proverbs and a major work, Dulle Griet, (referred to in English as "Mad Meg") showing a woman wearing a helmet and breastplate and carrying a sword and cooking implements, striding across a battle field.
On our way back toward the train station, we stopped to admire the exterior of the Rubenshuis and to see the Grand Cafe Horta which is built with parts of Horta's Maison du Peuple. The Maison was a major building torn down in Brussels in 1965 despite international protests.
Back in Brussels we stopped to pick up some chicken soup for my husband and a good stuffed pepper for me for a light evening meal.
We very much enjoyed our day in Antwerp but felt somewhat frustrated at all we had missed--several major churches, the waterfront, the Fine Arts Museum and much more.
Antwerp was the one day trip I really thought should be a two-day trip, and we considered getting a hotel room there for one night. However, in the end we decided to stay in our comfortable Brussels apartment and make a long day of it.
The spectacular summer weather had broken and it was cooler, although by no means unpleasant for early October. The train trip was easy (as were all our day trips from Brussels) and we were looking forward to arriving at the Antwerp station which is truly spectacular. It is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe if not the world and my husband who is a train buff was especially interested in how it had been adapted for high speed trains. I strongly encourage anyone visiting Antwerp by other modes of transportation to see the station.
We had first seen pictures of the Antwerp station via a YouTube segment of a rendition of Do Re Mi staged in 2009 as a promotional stunt for a Brussels TV station. We kept wondering whether people would suddenly start bursting into song and dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k
Once we emerged from the station we headed off toward the Cathedral of Our Lady, an imposing building in the Brabant Gothic style. The cathedral had a large exhibit of paintings from the Royal Museum of Fine Arts combined with art work from the cathedral's collection. The cathedral is best known for its major art work by Rubens, especially the Descent from the Cross and the Raising of the Cross. The exhibit brought in major paintings by Quentin Metsijs, Maerten de Vos and others that had originally been in the church as guild altarpieces.
We decided to eat an early lunch before setting out for several museums we planned to visit in the afternoon. We visited the Grote Markt main square briefly then headed off for de Groote Witte Arend, a restaurant recommended by M and D. The streets around the Cathedral include charming old pedestrian streets. We got some great views of the Cathedral spires from the Pelgrimsstraat and picked out a B & B (Le Patio) where we would like to stay when/if we return to Antwerp.
Before we ordered lunch, my husband told me he was not feeling well and wanted to be careful about what he ate. Fortunately for me he often likes to have beef stew when his stomach is acting up. (I am more of a crackers and ginger ale person myself). We shared some very good carbonnade flamande and stoemp (mashed potatoes with leeks and other vegetables). The restaurant has a nice beer garden but we decided it was too cool for that and ate inside, with some classical music in the background. Other people were still eating outside despite the drop in temperature, but I think they were mostly smokers. At the waiter's suggestion, I chose a Buffalo Belgian Bitter out of the wide selection of beers. My husband only tried a few sips and I realized part way through the meal that the beer was 9% alcohol, and I was feeling no pain by the end of the lunch.
We spent the afternoon at two wonderful museums strongly recommended by M and D, the Museum Plantin-Moretus and the Museum Mayer van den Bergh. The first is a fascinating 33-room museum showing the home and printing plant of a family who ran a major publishing house for several centuries, beginning in 1576. The second contains a large and impressive collection of paintings, sculpture, stained glass, tapestries and manuscripts amassed by an art connoisseur in the 19th century. The highlights are two works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a set of miniatures illustrating Twelve Proverbs and a major work, Dulle Griet, (referred to in English as "Mad Meg") showing a woman wearing a helmet and breastplate and carrying a sword and cooking implements, striding across a battle field.
On our way back toward the train station, we stopped to admire the exterior of the Rubenshuis and to see the Grand Cafe Horta which is built with parts of Horta's Maison du Peuple. The Maison was a major building torn down in Brussels in 1965 despite international protests.
Back in Brussels we stopped to pick up some chicken soup for my husband and a good stuffed pepper for me for a light evening meal.
We very much enjoyed our day in Antwerp but felt somewhat frustrated at all we had missed--several major churches, the waterfront, the Fine Arts Museum and much more.
Jan 14th, 2012, 12:11 PM
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Day 9--more Brussels
After our two fairly long day trips at the beginning of the week, we opted to spend Day 9 in Brussels. This slower pace was also good for my husband who had still not recovered completely. We figured he could easily go back to the apartment and rest if he didn't feel like touring all day.
We started out at the Museum of Musical Instruments which has a fascinating collection of instruments housed in a spectacular Art Nouveau building designed by Paul Saintenoy. The museum includes audio headsets so you can hear what the instruments sound like. There is a cafe at the top with great views of the city but we opted to go elsewhere for lunch.
Since it was no longer warm enough to eat outside comfortably, we headed for the Mokafe at the Galeries St. Hubert, an imposing 19th century arcade near the Grand Place. The Galeries are full of older businesses like the cafe and shops selling gloves, chocolates, books, etc. I decided I needed to try a gueze beer as our time in Belgium was running out. I had a Mort Subite Gueze while my husband drank ginger ale.
From the Mokafe we went to the cathedral which is rather confusingly named for two saints, St-Michael and Ste-Gudule. Gudule is a popular local saint whose miracle consisted of having her lantern relit by an angel on a dark night. Rather "modest" as our friend D noted. The cathedral is impressive with some very nice renaissance and modern stained glass.
At this point my husband decided he should go back to the apartment to rest so we headed off in different directions. I had wanted to explore the area in the Lower Town beyond the Grand Place, and I set out in that direction, loosely following some of the walking tours in my copy of Brussels for Pleasure. There are relatively few tourists as you get away from the Grand Place/Mannekin Pis.
I explored the area around the Bourse (stock exchange) and the nearby Église St-Nicolas and walked into the ste. Catherine neighborhood with its many fish stores and restaurants. I also spent some time in Les Halles St. Gery, an old market building that has been renovated and has a cafe and exhibit space. When I was there there was a lot of information on work that is going on in historic buildings/neighborhoods throughout Brussels.
At the end of the afternoon I took the metro back to the apartment in Ixelles. My husband was feeling much better so we both went over to M and D's for another excellent dinner.
After our two fairly long day trips at the beginning of the week, we opted to spend Day 9 in Brussels. This slower pace was also good for my husband who had still not recovered completely. We figured he could easily go back to the apartment and rest if he didn't feel like touring all day.
We started out at the Museum of Musical Instruments which has a fascinating collection of instruments housed in a spectacular Art Nouveau building designed by Paul Saintenoy. The museum includes audio headsets so you can hear what the instruments sound like. There is a cafe at the top with great views of the city but we opted to go elsewhere for lunch.
Since it was no longer warm enough to eat outside comfortably, we headed for the Mokafe at the Galeries St. Hubert, an imposing 19th century arcade near the Grand Place. The Galeries are full of older businesses like the cafe and shops selling gloves, chocolates, books, etc. I decided I needed to try a gueze beer as our time in Belgium was running out. I had a Mort Subite Gueze while my husband drank ginger ale.
From the Mokafe we went to the cathedral which is rather confusingly named for two saints, St-Michael and Ste-Gudule. Gudule is a popular local saint whose miracle consisted of having her lantern relit by an angel on a dark night. Rather "modest" as our friend D noted. The cathedral is impressive with some very nice renaissance and modern stained glass.
At this point my husband decided he should go back to the apartment to rest so we headed off in different directions. I had wanted to explore the area in the Lower Town beyond the Grand Place, and I set out in that direction, loosely following some of the walking tours in my copy of Brussels for Pleasure. There are relatively few tourists as you get away from the Grand Place/Mannekin Pis.
I explored the area around the Bourse (stock exchange) and the nearby Église St-Nicolas and walked into the ste. Catherine neighborhood with its many fish stores and restaurants. I also spent some time in Les Halles St. Gery, an old market building that has been renovated and has a cafe and exhibit space. When I was there there was a lot of information on work that is going on in historic buildings/neighborhoods throughout Brussels.
At the end of the afternoon I took the metro back to the apartment in Ixelles. My husband was feeling much better so we both went over to M and D's for another excellent dinner.
Jan 15th, 2012, 08:14 AM
#23
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Thanks for the trip report. I don't know how I missed it when it began. While working for the State Department, one of my college friends had several tours of duty in Brussels (she speaks French like a native and fluent Flemish along with 10 or 11 other languages) so I was lucky enough to visit her and to be able to explore on my own and have a great tour guide on weekends. I am remembering all the fun we had as well as all the sights I saw. Thanks for sharing! (Will you be posting any pictures?)
Jan 16th, 2012, 06:10 AM
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irishface--I am glad you have found the report interesting. 2 more days to go (day trip to Leuven and last day in Brussels). Unfortunately I probably won't post pictures. My husband did take some pictures but I don't have easy access to them.
Jan 29th, 2012, 07:44 AM
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Day 10: Leuven and an evening at the theater
We had plans to go out to the theater on the evening of Day 10 (more explanation later) so planned a relatively short day trip to the nearby university city of Leuven. This was the only day with really bad weather. When we arrived in Leuven it was raining hard so our walk to the Grote Markt area from the train station was not very pleasant.
On the way to the Grote Markt/cathedral, we stopped to see the university library. The original library and much of the city was heavily damaged in both World Wars and much of the library collection was lost. The library building was built in a a neo-Flemish-Renaissance style in the 1920's with donations from U.S. universities and colleges. It was rebuilt after World War II.
At the Grote Markt we stopped to admire the exterior of the beautiful and elaborate Town Hall. Unfortunately we were a little too late for the guided tour of this building. We did tour St. Peter's cathedral with an audio guide. The building is an impressive 15th century Brabant Gothic style structure, but the cathedral is best known for its art collection. The chancel and ambulatory are a museum and visitors can view a collection of sculptures, paintings and metalwork. The two paintings by the Flemish Primitive artist, Dirk Bouts, the Last Supper (1464-1468) and the Martyrdom of St Erasmus (1465) are the highlights. My husband enjoys misericords and there were some good ones on the cathedral choir stalls. (Misericords are the small wooden shelves on the underside of a folding seat in a church and often have carvings of animals or monsters and grotesques.)
By the time we had emerged from the cathedral, the rain had stopped and it was time for lunch. We ate at a restaurant/small brewery called Domus in the center of town. We tried their Nostra Domus and Con Domus beers and had venison and something-else-I-can't-remember. There seemed to be quite a few students eating pasta and pizza dishes.
After lunch we walked around the Oude Markt, the university area and the large and well-preserved Groot Beginjhof. We didn't make it to the museum or the Klein Beginjhof or to some of the city's historic churches and could easily have spent more time in Leuven, but we had to get back to Brussels for an early pre-theater dinner.
Our theater outing was a trip to the Kinepolis megaplex cinema to see a National Theater live production of The Kitchen. This is a revival of a 1950's show about the staff in a large West End restaurant. The theater is right next to the atomium so we got a chance to see that landmark up close. We had never attended any of these National Theater live performances and were intrigued by the chance to see a performance of a London show in Brussels. We plan to try to see more of these shows here in the U.S.
We had plans to go out to the theater on the evening of Day 10 (more explanation later) so planned a relatively short day trip to the nearby university city of Leuven. This was the only day with really bad weather. When we arrived in Leuven it was raining hard so our walk to the Grote Markt area from the train station was not very pleasant.
On the way to the Grote Markt/cathedral, we stopped to see the university library. The original library and much of the city was heavily damaged in both World Wars and much of the library collection was lost. The library building was built in a a neo-Flemish-Renaissance style in the 1920's with donations from U.S. universities and colleges. It was rebuilt after World War II.
At the Grote Markt we stopped to admire the exterior of the beautiful and elaborate Town Hall. Unfortunately we were a little too late for the guided tour of this building. We did tour St. Peter's cathedral with an audio guide. The building is an impressive 15th century Brabant Gothic style structure, but the cathedral is best known for its art collection. The chancel and ambulatory are a museum and visitors can view a collection of sculptures, paintings and metalwork. The two paintings by the Flemish Primitive artist, Dirk Bouts, the Last Supper (1464-1468) and the Martyrdom of St Erasmus (1465) are the highlights. My husband enjoys misericords and there were some good ones on the cathedral choir stalls. (Misericords are the small wooden shelves on the underside of a folding seat in a church and often have carvings of animals or monsters and grotesques.)
By the time we had emerged from the cathedral, the rain had stopped and it was time for lunch. We ate at a restaurant/small brewery called Domus in the center of town. We tried their Nostra Domus and Con Domus beers and had venison and something-else-I-can't-remember. There seemed to be quite a few students eating pasta and pizza dishes.
After lunch we walked around the Oude Markt, the university area and the large and well-preserved Groot Beginjhof. We didn't make it to the museum or the Klein Beginjhof or to some of the city's historic churches and could easily have spent more time in Leuven, but we had to get back to Brussels for an early pre-theater dinner.
Our theater outing was a trip to the Kinepolis megaplex cinema to see a National Theater live production of The Kitchen. This is a revival of a 1950's show about the staff in a large West End restaurant. The theater is right next to the atomium so we got a chance to see that landmark up close. We had never attended any of these National Theater live performances and were intrigued by the chance to see a performance of a London show in Brussels. We plan to try to see more of these shows here in the U.S.
Feb 25th, 2012, 07:08 AM
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Day 11: Brussels again
I have decided to take advantage of being snowed in today (first time all winter!) to finish this trip report with a brief description of our last day in Brussels.
We had a relatively relaxed schedule this day because we had to do some shopping for the trip home and to re-stock some items for our friends' kitchen.
This was a day when I actually felt I needed the coat I had brought all the way across the Atlantic (and almost forgotten in Logan Airport). It was nice fall weather, though, and certainly a pleasant temperature for walking.
My husband wanted to visit the Musée du Jouet, a collection of old toys in an old town house near the Botanic Gardens. I am not sure why he chose this and although it was o.k. I would not go out of my way to visit it again. There was a group of children visiting and they seemed to be having lots of fun. It is nice to see kids enjoying entertainment other than computer games.
We picked up some good sandwiches for lunch at a shop down the street from the museum and walked down the Rue Royale to the Parc de Bruxelles where we ate them on a bench in the sun.
We had never seen the new(ish) Musée Magritte and considered going there after lunch. But we ultimately decided we would rather see the excellent collection at the Musée d'Art ancien again, so we spent the afternoon there.
We walked over to the Place du Grand Sablon to buy some chocolates then back to the apartment. It is quite amazing that this was the first time I had entered a chocolate shop during the entire trip. I am a confirmed chocoholic and Belgian chocolates are wonderful. I am not sure how to explain it other than to note that I did have a lot of good non-candy desserts throughout our time in Belgium.
Our last evening was spent again at M and D's house where we had an excellent dinner of roast lamb.
One other thing I should add to this report is a link to the thread on Belgian beers that I started before the trip. Many people were kind enough to contribute with suggestions of beers to try, and Belgium is certainly a beer lover's paradise:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm
I have decided to take advantage of being snowed in today (first time all winter!) to finish this trip report with a brief description of our last day in Brussels.
We had a relatively relaxed schedule this day because we had to do some shopping for the trip home and to re-stock some items for our friends' kitchen.
This was a day when I actually felt I needed the coat I had brought all the way across the Atlantic (and almost forgotten in Logan Airport). It was nice fall weather, though, and certainly a pleasant temperature for walking.
My husband wanted to visit the Musée du Jouet, a collection of old toys in an old town house near the Botanic Gardens. I am not sure why he chose this and although it was o.k. I would not go out of my way to visit it again. There was a group of children visiting and they seemed to be having lots of fun. It is nice to see kids enjoying entertainment other than computer games.
We picked up some good sandwiches for lunch at a shop down the street from the museum and walked down the Rue Royale to the Parc de Bruxelles where we ate them on a bench in the sun.
We had never seen the new(ish) Musée Magritte and considered going there after lunch. But we ultimately decided we would rather see the excellent collection at the Musée d'Art ancien again, so we spent the afternoon there.
We walked over to the Place du Grand Sablon to buy some chocolates then back to the apartment. It is quite amazing that this was the first time I had entered a chocolate shop during the entire trip. I am a confirmed chocoholic and Belgian chocolates are wonderful. I am not sure how to explain it other than to note that I did have a lot of good non-candy desserts throughout our time in Belgium.
Our last evening was spent again at M and D's house where we had an excellent dinner of roast lamb.
One other thing I should add to this report is a link to the thread on Belgian beers that I started before the trip. Many people were kind enough to contribute with suggestions of beers to try, and Belgium is certainly a beer lover's paradise:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm
Jun 10th, 2015, 01:11 PM
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Yep.
Good report. Good visit of Belgium.
I've been working close to Place Fernand Coq and live close to Hameau du Roy farm and it is nice to see my country through foreigner's eyes.
Next time visit Mons too, it is for me equal to Tournai or Leuven.
Good report. Good visit of Belgium.
I've been working close to Place Fernand Coq and live close to Hameau du Roy farm and it is nice to see my country through foreigner's eyes.
Next time visit Mons too, it is for me equal to Tournai or Leuven.
Jun 13th, 2015, 03:03 AM
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I definitely have Mons on the list for our next trip to Belgium. Our friends recommend it highly and I know it is the Capital of culture city of Europe this year with many interesting-looking exhibits and events planned.
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