Architecture, Chocolate & Waffles | Brussels

Helloo Everyone,

Sorry for disappearing last week, let's just say it's been a busy but very memorable one at that. As you might be able to tell from the title and I was constantly talking about it on my Twitter, I finally had the time (and money) to go and visit Brussels! This was also my first time travelling solo which was exciting and quite nerve racking but a new adventure nonetheless so if you want to know what I got up to in the lovely capital of Belgium then keep on reading!

Getting From A to B and Back Again

Well you guys will know that I didn't exactly walk there haha! It took around 2 hours to get from London St Pancras to Brussels-South station on the Eurostar which isn't bad if you think about it? I was pretty lucky too because I ended up having two seats to myself as the person next to me originally moved so that was bliss! I sat on the window seat so before I had a nap I took this photo, it was a nice view so I couldn't resist!

Where I Slept

I arrived shortly before I needed to check in to my hotel so I headed straight there. I stayed at this cool, modern hotel called Zoom that's right around the corner from Avenue Louise which is a great place for shopping and has some lovely little cafés! The theme of the hotel is cameras and photography (hence the name) and it's embarrassing how long it took for me to figure that out haha!

My room was on the top floor and I was SO relieved because I always dreaded being on the ground floor and hearing all the noise! Obviously I was out all day so it didn't need to be perfect as long as it had all the essentials but in my opinion it was a pretty decent room, what do you think?

I'm not going to lie to you, it took me a while to actually get up the courage to step out of my hotel room and explore Brussels.. like I mentioned above this was the first time I went travelling by myself and it really kicked in when I arrived. I decided not to rush into anything otherwise I could do more harm than good so while I waited for my phone to charge I walked around the hotel and take some snaps to calm my nerves! Plus I had never stayed at a hotel with art like this so it was a nice change and a great excuse to get my camera out!

Places I Visited

Over the 48 hours I was there I had to step out of my hotel eventually, and I did! I had made a list of all the things I wanted to see and places I wanted to visit to make sure I didn't miss anything as my hotel was only about a 20-30 min walk from it all and here is just some of them!

The Grand Place is right in the centre of Brussels surrounded by the Town Hall and the city museum. There are so many restaurants, cafés and shops around here you are literally spoiled for choice! The architecture is just beautiful which isn't a surprise as it's one of the things they're famous for as well as their food and beer!

I remember on the last day I really felt the need to just sit in the park with my thoughts and read, such a cliché I know, so I made my way to Brussels Park! It was a cloudy day but lucky it wasn't cold so I could relax on the grass for a while without freezing and I went for a little walk too. Just some quick advice, if you're planning on going somewhere make sure to check what events will be on because I didn't realise that the Brussels Summer Festival was taking place at the park and I was so annoyed at myself for not looking it up before haha!

You're probably wondering what the heck I've taken a photo of. WELL this is called the Manneken Pis aka Little Man Pee. It's a sculpture close to the Grand Place which is used as a symbol of the city's rebellious spirit! Damn they have a great sense of humour don't you think haha!

This was a surprise find actually, I don't think I had planned to see this but I couldn't just walk away without at least one photo! Oh in case what you wanted to know the name it's the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, another building in Brussels which isn't too far away from the centre of the city!

Here's Some Food

This is the first thing I ate when I got there. I was walking around trying to find somewhere to eat and before I knew it I found the Waffle Factory and I was so in the mood for waffles! Including the strawberry milkshake, it was all just yummy goodness so I highly recommend heading there if you're peckish while you're out and about!

There's not a lot I can say about this apart from OH MY LOOK AT ALL THIS CHOCOLATE! The sad thing is this isn't even all the chocolate I bought, this is just the stuff I had left to bring back home.. kinda not sorry though because chocolate is amazing! I think you can get this chocolate in the UK too so not to worry, if you fancy some Belgian chocolate and in London go check out Godiva!

Souvenirs

I have a confession to make - I completely forgot about buying souvenirs till the last minute. To be fair I was only in Brussels for a couple of days but I still wanted to get something to remember this lovely place so after I checked out of my hotel I popped into some souvenirs shops! I got the typical things like magnets, ornaments, a keyring and cute teddy. Oh and don't forget the chocolate!

So would I come back to Belgium again? DEFINITELY! You never know, I might even bring someone next time.

I was actually thinking of writing a post about my experience travelling solo and maybe some tips, would you be interested in that? Let me know and if you've been on holiday recently comment below as I'd love to know, plus I'm always looking for new places to add to my list to visit! Overall I had the best time in Brussels and I can't wait for another great travel adventure, where should I go next?