I hope everyone is having a good start of the year so far! Mine has somewhat an emotional trainwreck as I return to London. My holidays in the Philippines has been my elixir to heal from my personal problems. Words can’t express how thankful I am to be with my family most of those times. And now that I am back in British soil, let me simply say that I’m trying to take things here, one positive day at a time. Thus, enough of that dramatic intro.
I know that this is such a very long overdue blog but let me share my previous summer holiday in France and Belgium with my family! It’s quite promising to tour Paris again after the pandemic and nothing much has changed. We went to almost the same places since it’s my brother’s first Euro trip but there are new activities that we did. Also, we had a weekend side-trip to Belgium which will mostly cover this entry. Brussels is a perfect Euro staycation. You can read my previous trip to Paris here ;)
I travelled from London to Paris through Eurostar and had the same accommodation which was in Hotel Beauchamps. It’s a perfect place to stay in as it is located near the shopping district of Champ Elyseès.
3 years after and I’m still in awe of France’s tourist attractions. Though, I still didn’t get to finish exploring the whole of Louvre Museum. Ughh~ It was really a huge exhibit that I don't think that you can finish it for a day!(Well that is, if you are fond to see all 1000+ pieces of artwork) We even had an audioguide already that you can either follow its tracks or you can customise the route in which paintings you want to see first.
I spent a good 2 hours in this area of Greek and Roman Gods. I love it so much.🖤
2 weeks in Paris is definitely more than enough to explore the capital that you can even tour other cities in France within that timeframe. But as my parents wanted a leisure-free trip, we just went to a few activities there:
Like, night-cruising along the Seine river and admire the view of the Eiffel. This tour is suitable for both families and couples; but on the downside, I wouldn’t recommend the 3-course meal.
The following day was our chance to watch Moulin Rouge! I enjoyed the show a lot! It gave off classy vibes with these fierce and sexy performances.
As a general rule, taking pictures of the dances are strictly prohibited. Better just enjoy watching it with a bottle of wine/champagne ;p
Then we went to La Valee Outlet for shopping! This place is one of the sister companies of London’s Bicester Village thus, the whole ambiance is similar to it.
All shops are very enticing so prepare those Euros! It’s even cheaper to buy here compared to London. Besides, Paris Disneyland is also near this area so do drop by when you have an extra time. I would want to go there with friends soon.
One of our weekends was well-spent in Brussels, Belgium! I cannot believe that I’m finally able to visit this country—I have been reading blogs about it and truly, it’s deserving to be known as the Heart of Europe. Underrated as what others say, but Belgium is even the most environmental-friendly in the region! If you’re keen to go on short travels with a simple, serene city then Brussels is the place to be! Additionally, I would recommend this for solo female travellers. 😊
We rode through Thalys from Paris Gare Du Nord to Bruxelles Midi. The fun part of travelling from one Schengen country to another by train is being free from security checks.
We stayed at NH Collection Brussels Centre which I highly recommend. The rooms are spacey with complete amenities. Plus, I enjoyed the Belgian breakfast! Though it is pricey in general but I suggest to book a month in advanced for lesser rates.
Deluxe Twin Room
Basically, it was only Saturday that we got to see the whole city with open shops as everything is closed on Sundays while Monday was a bank holiday that time (if you’re keen to shopping, make sure not to travel on these days! Haha). With a limited time of our stay, we went on a hop-on, hop-off tour by Tootbus! Compared from other tour bus companies, this gives an in-depth info about Brussels covering 52 landmarks in 90minutes! Again, another of my suggestion is to join on these tours as I felt like one attraction in the city can be a little far from the other (say, 15-25mins walk?)
One of Belgium's famous art landmarks is the Atomium
Though despite that the shops were closed on our succeeding days there, I was glad to witness “Brussels in Bloom”!
The Flower Carpet at the Grand Place happens every other year that features the beautiful floral harvests of the locals. There are tickets to go up the city hall to see the aerial view of the flower arrangement.
I would also like to admire how stunning this city centre is! It certainly looks similar to other platz/plazas that I have gone but this town square is perfectly filled with castle-like structures.
Brussels is very artistic in culture as seen in their street corners. Not to mention, it is home to a couple of famous comic artists.
And since the Belgians are fond with humor, the capital is home to these popular “Pis” or peeing statues. Manneken Pis is the original naked little boy that has its dressing changed from time to time. His baby sister, Jeanneke Pis, has a more guarded place as the statue was prone to be stolen more than the former! It’s often said that tossing coins at them is a sign of good luck (and a donation to a certain charity). Whereas, Het-Zinneke, is the pet representative of this peeing business. All three landmarks are actually within different streets of Brussels and I used Google Maps to track them! Haha.
Corne Port-Royal. These chocolatiers do not just make different kinds of sweets but also, manniken pis-shaped chocolates!Plus, they come in this really pretty packages that are absolutely perfect for gifts.
Of course, who would not resist to take a gastronomical take in Belgium?! There’s the Belgian chocolate, the not-so-french-but-in-reality-called BELGIAN FRIES, and Belgian waffles which are my utmost fave! There are a lot of stalls to choose around the centre but these are what we have tried:
Fritterie Tabora. Make way for a long queue on this as it is so affordable with a variety of sauces to choose from! The small size is even enough for me 😅
Maison Dandoy. Another peg for a long queueing but it’s totally worth the wait! Besides having lots of toppings choices, you could also choose between Brussels or Liege waffles in which either way, are some what the same. 😅
Overall, I really enjoyed this summer Euro trip apart that I have shared it with my family. I also felt achieved that I have toured the 3 countries that can be visited by train from London! It was fun and hassle-free that I wish there are more Euro zones that are connected to the UK 😄 I would visit France and Belgium again but possibly go to its other cities. So what’s next?
If I ever give a clue, I’d say that I should brace myself for the jetlags. ;p
‘til then!
