My Day-Trip from London to Brussels

This day would present one of the scariest experiences of my life — no exaggeration. Skip to the next post to read what it’s like to get trapped in an elevator.

But first: a tale of chocolate & waffles…

The 5 of us arrived early at King’s Cross station (having practiced our tube route the previous day), to get some pictures running our carts into the brick wall at Platform 9 3/4.

*This little spot is set up to stage pictures outside of the train platform.

Then, we found a bright cafe to take away some tasty breakfast — Granger & Co — before going through security to board the Eurostar train (out of St. Pancras International, across the street from King’s Cross).

The 2-hour ride would take us over the English countryside, across the English channel, under the water for about 20 minutes (whaaa?!), across the French countryside, and into Brussels, Belgium.

Brussels

We arrived in Brussels with little idea of how to get where we were going next.

*I planned key activities for each of our vacation days but relied on others (my husband, especially) to navigate the public transportation on behalf of the group. I now know that these are things I can figure out in advance, via the internet :)

New city, new metro system, new currency (Euro as opposed to the Great British Pound), and new languages (Belgium has three official languages: French, German, and Dutch/Flemish). We were in for an adventure!

First things first: get our hands on a metro map. Next: navigate the under-construction, sketchy-looking metro station. Purchase tickets from a machine in a foreign (to us) language. And ride the long, bendy underground toward our intended destination. Get off and walk some lonely streets, to eventually, make it to St. Catherine’s Church and square.

By the time we arrived here, I think we were all on high alert, a little on edge, and relieved to be in a public square. That’s not to say we faced any danger along the way, but we didn’t feel particularly comfortable either — navigating a new city, outside the tourist center. But, we had made it! We could let our guards down and relax. The rest of the day would be easier.

Within the square, a dozen blue and green umbrellas were set up selling canned goods, knickknacks, fresh fruits and veggies, and flowers in full bloom. And, beyond the market, there were a handful of seafood restaurants preparing for lunch service. We settled on eating our lunch at Noordzee - Mer du Nord! They seemed to have the most action — people gathered around high-top tables, drinking beer and eating off small plates. And the longest line. This restaurant had one section set up like a fish market, where you ordered from the menu outside and watched them grab your fish (or clams or shrimp) right off the ice. We ordered a few things here to share amongst ourselves: a plate of clams, salmon on toast, shrimp scampi, fish soup, and croquettes. Next door, they had an indoor “cafe” set apart for shucking oysters: Gabe’s seafood of choice. So, he ordered the oyster combination he wanted and we found a table to devour our selections. Everything was delicious! I was only disappointed there were no mussels in season — really was hoping to eat some mussels in Brussels ;-)

Next, we walked toward the city center for a whole day of dessert!

*When I was planning our day in Brussels, it was fueled by chocolate shop daydreams. Like, the whole reason we were even in Brussels was for the self-guided chocolate tour!

Elisabeth Chocolatier

Elisabeth Chocolatier wins MOST picturesque award! Situated within a strip of old buildings, this one-room shop beckons you in with yellow and white flowers in baskets and gorgeous windows at their entrance! We didn’t buy chocolate here that I remember, but we did peruse their large selection of meringue flavors (unusual “meringue” from our perspective — but an offering we saw all over Brussels! Flavored, crunchy, and as big as a softball). We selected a berry-flavored one to save for later.

Briefly pausing the chocolate tour, we stepped into Brussels’ center square: Grand Place and took pictures of (and with) the Town Hall, the Guild Houses, the Bread House, and the Original Godiva — marveling at the enormity of both the square itself and these old, interesting buildings.

Before long, we were on the move again, summoned by the aroma of waffles in the air!

*You can find a waffle stand on every corner advertising their product, topped high with whipped cream, dripping with chocolate and fresh fruit. We figured these are strategically placed to lure in the tourists. Avoiding that trap, we followed reviews that said the waffles at Maison Dandoy are where it’s at.

Maison Dandoy is known for their “spectaculoos speculoos” (shortbread-y) cookies, but they also make waffles — and some darn good ones! Gabe and I split a hot, crunchy, and caramelized leige waffle with chocolate and powdered sugar on top.

*The leige waffle is different from (what we know as) the Beligian waffle. It’s thinner, denser, crunchier, and caramelized, while the Beligian waffle is fluffier, with deeper indentations — making space for more toppings. If we weren’t trying to pace ourselves for a whole day of dessert, I would have definitely eaten a leige waffle (or two!) all on my own! It was sooo good!

We snagged a table outside of Maison Dandoy to scarf down our waffles and enjoy a few moments of people watching. Later that day, the city was putting on a Pride parade, so there was a palpable exuberance in the streets, with people dressed in bright colors and body paint!

Before heading to our next destination, the Manneken-Pis, we popped into Neuhaus (with the prettiest packaging and free samples) and Mary Chocolaterie (a very old, but modernized chocolate shop — started in 1919).

Brussels is filled with narrow streets in which it’s easy to get lost. It’s hard to tell where you’re at any given moment or what’s coming up ahead, aside from the increase in foot traffic (a clue you’re getting close to a popular tourist sight).

Manneken-Pis

It is what it sounds like: a little boy sculpture, peeing. A “fountain,” surrounded by a protective fence. And he sure gets A LOT of attention!

The building around him was under construction when we were there, but you wouldn’t know it by the packed crowd in the square.

The Manneken-Pis makes multiple wardrobe changes EACH WEEK according to a PUBLISHED schedule (in case you want to dress to match?). The day we visited he was dressed like a futbol player for FC Barcelona — to commemorate the anniversary of Barcelona winning the European Cup I for the first time in history. If you Google images of Mannekin-Pis outfits, you’ll see he has dressed in countless ensembles: as a health care worker, gondolier, musician, chef, and even Santa, to name a few!

Comic book culture

Little known fact: Brussels has a lively comic book scene, with cartoon murals covering the sides of buildings (like The Adventures of Tin-Tin). This makes city-wandering all the more whimsical!

We made our way up Rue de Rollebeek (a beautiful cobblestone shopping street), toward Grand Sablon — the famed chocolate district, with chocolate stores on literally every corner!

Donut break

But, our legs were getting tired and we were parched, so we took a momentary detour into COCO donuts (whose tagline is “I got baked in Brussels” lol).

We found a small table, ordered some donuts and bevies, and took a much-needed sit. The donuts were average (I consider myself a donut connoisseur), but we were there pretty late in the day, so I imagine freshness was a factor. Regardless, we enjoyed this moment of rest indoors.

And then we were off again. Next stop: Pierre Marcolini “luxury chocolatier.”

First off, the exterior of the building is gorgeous! It was the biggest chocolate shop we had seen thus far —3 or 4 stories— and the most upscale: with chocolates too pretty to eat and sold like fine jewelry. We browsed until our hearts were content, flipping through books about cacao, and gazing at the glass-encased, colorful, heart-shaped chocolates. Gabe purchased a Limited Edition Venezuelan bar (10ish euros, I want to say).

Making a new friend

The chocolate possibilities beckon and are endless! But you can’t go to every shop in Brussels — at least not in one day! I’m so glad, though, despite tired bodies, that we included our last one: Passion Chocolat. The lady manning the front counter greeted us with an offer of free samples and, munching happily, we struck up a conversation about everything from truffles to Belgian society — including their health care, work hours, and vacation time. We learned a ton of new and interesting information from her while Dad rested his feet on a bench outside. And, about 30 minutes later, we left with a very nice selection of truffles.

Frites

Our last intention for the day was to get some Frites (french fries), for which — along with chocolate, waffles, and seafood — Brussels is famous. However, we ran into the trouble of not having any cash (Euros) when we made it to a frites stand. That hiccup, along with the ticking of the clock to catch our train back to London, meant we’d simply have to skip them. But luckily, reaching the train station with 20ish minutes to spare, we were able to purchase some from a vendor there called Fritkot. Probably not the best in Brussels, but a perfect snack before boarding our train — completing our day in Brussels!

Back in London

Ya know how if you keep pushing through exhaustion, you can sometimes find a second (or third) wind?

After a couple of hours of rest on the train ride back to London, we found another one of those “winds.” Our energy levels were restored for one more round of exploring.

It was dark out by the time we made it back to St. Pancras station, so everything looked different. We walked around the much quieter station, taking in the beautiful clock which presided over the train tracks, the tall and small bronze sculptures, and the shadowy halls with their oversized lamps.

And then we hopped on the tube for a late-night dinner. Our hope was to see the part of “town” where Hermione Granger apparated in The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1: Shaftesbury Avenue. So we headed toward Picadilly Circus (similar to NYC Time’s Square) — near the shopping and theater districts of the West End.

*Whether in Barcelona, Paris, or London, the phenomenon is the same: walking up the stairs out of the metro into a new (to me) section of a city is absolutely enrapturing! A specific brand of travel-joy overtakes me, and time stands perfectly still as my eyes attempt to take it all in. The buildings, the people, the lights, the monuments, the intersections, the sounds, the movement, the colors — all of it converges in an overwhelming moment of…pleasant surprise and awe and gratefulness. The feeling of: “what a time to be alive…to be here!”

Picadilly Circus

Getting off the tube at Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in the middle of Picadilly Circus was just that.

If I remember correctly, we briefly strolled up Shaftesbury Avenue (no exact destination in mind), only to turn back around toward our dinner spot on Regent Street.

Ramen

We selected Shoryu Ramen for its hot, comforting bowls of Tonkotsu Ramen (12-hour pork broth + noodles + accouterments) to end the day. But, finding out that we probably wouldn’t be seated for a while (they had a long wait time for their small shop and nowhere to sit in the meantime), my sis and I and Gabe took a walk down the street to get some photos. A little way down, there was a classic English phone booth, so we obviously had to stop there. Walking further, we came to the Guards Crimean War Memorial — between the National Bank of Egypt and 5-star, St. James Hotel — took some more pictures, then made our U-turn.

Our eventual bowls of ramen hit the spot, but rather than another wind, they gave us the cozy feels of a full belly, a completed day, and time to sleep.

We would use our remaining energy to navigate our way back to our “home” across the river in Southwark (about 30 min. by walking + tube).

The Elevator

It was about midnight by the time we got in the elevator of our building, ready to take showers and sleep soundly after partying hard all day! Our phones were almost dead, if not dead already…

But, rather than delivering us quickly and safely to our floor, the elevator clanked and bounced and got stuck in between. Prompting a whole other story (read here)!