Why you should (not) go to Brussels
We travelled to Brussels via train and I was positively surprised by our smooth journey with the Deutsche Bahn, at least on the outward journey. We got to see beautiful landscape from put windows and I even spotted the Cologne Cathedral!
My first impression was that the city felt slightly unsafe, since we walked through a dirty and sketchy district as we arrived. This led me to think that the majority of the city center would look like this and I was proven somewhat right later on. Buildings were in need of renovation and trash was always to be found on the side of the street – Not just random litter, but also whole boxes and trash bags were lying in the
middle of the street. There were some spots though, where I really enjoyed the architecture, such as the Grand Place, Brussels Stock Exchange and the Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert.
Sadly, we lacked organisation in terms of food preparation, which made it difficult for us to have full meals. On top of that, as I’m plantbased, I had a hard time with finding food more than others. Since I’m used to many vegan options in Germany, Brussels was not as easy. Nevertheless, I still managed to buy or make myself food one way or another.
However, the museums we went to, such as the House of European History and the exhibition in the European Parliament did not disappoint. Among other things, I learned much about the structure of the EU, how it was created and some of its accomplishments, which ultimately is very valuable knowledge.
Lucky for us, the European Championship was happening right at the time we were walking through the popular areas of the city. Therefore, we were able to catch the vibe of many fans cheering Belgium on and even participate ourselves. The bars, restaurants and cafes felt incredibly lively and tempted many of us to join the crowd.
My favorite part of the Brussels trip was actually the one time we weren’t in Brussels, but in Blankenberge. There we did a long walk to appreciate the landscape near the North Sea and learn about the biodiversity of birds. After this we had a lot of free time to spend in small groups, which turned out to be great fun. We strolled through a pedestrian-only area with beautiful decoration, leading to a tall church at the end of the street. Afterwards we collected some seashells by the sea and used our binoculars to watch surfers. On the other days we did
not have as much free time and I was exhausted accordingly, so this day stood out to me.
Blankenberge was the perfect round-off for this intense trip.
To bring things to a close, the city of Brussels did not strike me with its beauty as much, but with what it has to offer in terms of learning opportunities about the EU and its international significance. I can say with confidence that I broadened my horizons through the insights I got into Brussels. In combination with the time we spent in a rural area like Blankenberge, this trip ticked the most important boxes for
me: Gain knowledge and make experiences together.
Charlotte (Q2)
Einen weiteren Artikel zu den Favourite Activity in Brussels von Liam (Q2) finden Sie hier
