We spent a long weekend in Brussels, Belgium on a whim. While we were there, we wandered around quite a bit, exploring as much as possible. We mostly traveled by foot, but we did take the subway a few times. It was easy to get around by foot, but the subway was convenient as well. What did we see and where did we go in Brussels?! Well, come along with us on our recap of the weekend!

THE SIGHTS

Walking through the streets of Brussels

Like most of our adventures, we started off by heading towards the city center by foot. We ended up coming across a giant ferris wheel in the middle of the city. It was La Grande Roue de Paris, which is a the largest transportable ferris wheel in Europe. We decided to take a ride on it, and it was also Albert’s first time on a ferris wheel! The ferris wheel isn’t in Brussel’s anymore as it was only there for a few months, but we were definitely lucky to come across it.

Jumping for joy for La Grande Roue de Paris

Albert enjoying the view – his first ride on a ferris wheel!

Throughout the city, there is what is called “The Comic Strip Route.” There are over 50 comics painted as murals on buildings and walls throughout the city. If you follow The Comic Strip Route, you will be able to walk through and see them all. We kept spotting them randomly while we were walking around and it was always a nice surprise.

Just one mural on The Comic Strip Route

Somehow I always manage to convince Albert to go check out random things. This trip, that random thing was going to see the Atonium. It’s an interesting structure that was built for the 1958 Brussel’s World Fair. You can actually go inside and check out the view from the top. There’s also a museum inside along with a restaurant. We headed there at night one day, just to go see it from the outside. It was a little out of the way, but it was still something thing to see.

The Atonium lit up at night

I read online that you could go to the top of the arch of Parc de Cinquantenaire, so we headed there to check out the view. The arch itself was beautiful and opened right into the park. It was a little late in the afternoon, but we looked around trying to figure out how to get to the top. Since couldn’t find an entrance, so we asked a woman who was selling Belgian Waffles from a food truck. She wasn’t sure either, so we ended up just getting a Belgian Waffle instead – I’m not going to complain about that compromise.

The arc of Parc de Cinquantenaire!

Our first Belgian waffle in Belgium – may or may not have been the reason we went to Belgium

The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History was right next door and the woman suggested that we could get to the top of the arc through there. Through the language barrier, the people in the museum had no idea what we were talking about, and we couldn’t figure it out, so we ended up walking around the museum for a little bit.

New outfit, you dig?

Afterwards, we headed into Parc de Cinquantenaire and walked around a little bit. The park was beautiful and all the trees were changing color – it was the perfect park for a beautiful autumn day! It felt like there were a lot of locals there making the most of their day spending time outside.

Enjoying autumn in Parc de Cinquantenaire!

Jumping photo fail..

Can you name a city where there is a statute of a peeing dog, a statue of a peeing little girl, and a statute of a peeing little boy? Okay.. you guessed it..Brussels. We spotted Manneken Pis, Jeanneke Pis and Zinneke Pis while walking around the city. We felt like we kept passing Mannekin Pis – this statue is of a little boy “peeing” into a fountain. We saw Jeanneke Pis when we went to get waffles one night for desert – this is a statue of a little girl peeing into a fountain . We randomly came across Zinneke Pis too – a statue of a dog peeing. Definitely strange but funny statutes!

Zinneke Pis!

We came across the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula and decided to go inside. The cathedral is beautiful, both inside and out. The cathedral is mainly Gothic style and dates all the way back to the 9th century and took about 300 years to complete entirely, from start to end.

The outside of Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

There were so many beautiful statues and stained glass windows inside

Like every other tourist in Brussels, we had to see Grand Place. It’s the central square in Brussels and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You wouldn’t think you were approaching as you come through one of the six alleys that lead to it, but once you step into the square it is like you were transported somewhere else. The square is large with amazing architecture and we just took it all in. The square houses City Hall, many guild houses, and numerous cafes.

City Hall and a small flower market in the background!

A row of beautifully adorned guild houses in Grand Place

THE BEER

There were quite a few bars with outdoor seating throughout the main areas of town, a lot of them offering flights for tastings. We figured it would be perfect for enjoying an afternoon of beer and people watching, so we settled into a table at a bar near Grand Palace. We ended up spending a few hours there and even made friends with a British guy while we were there. It seemed like all the places offering flights near Grand Palace were pretty much the same, so I would pick whichever place you please!

Before..

And after!

One day, we got lunch at a random (mediocre) spot we found. The people a few tables down from us ordered beer that came in this giant, ornamental looking glass that was complete with a stand for the glass. We laughed at them for ordering such a novelty drink. The joke was on us though – we ordered our beer, and it came in the same exact glass! Don’t ask me what it was called so you can avoid the same mistake, because honestly.. I have no idea.

That awkward moment when you order the wrong beer!

One night we decided to check out Moeder Lambic. It’s a bar that hosts a great list of different beers with a bar staff that is extremely knowledgeable of all the beer there. It wasn’t too crowded when we got there and we were able to grab a table for the two of us. The beer list was so extensive that we asked the bartender for what he would suggest. After asking us what kind of beer we enjoyed, he came back with two perfect selections for the both of us! Moeder Lambic had a great laid back vibe- we would definitely recommend it!

Pub? Okay we’re in. This was on a playground near Porte de Hal – it made us laugh! 

Overall, we enjoyed our short but sweet trip to Brussels. It was a nice getaway and the city had so many different places to explore. It’s prime location in Europe makes it an easy weekend trip – and we would definitely recommend it!