Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have been coming here since 1991, business and pleasure. This is Brussels, one of my favorite cities in Europe. This is an update, with new text and links for you and me; of course plenty more in my blog on it too. Its a whimsical city, holding the main of the European Union. Let me tell you a bit more on this is Brussels !!! Hope you enjoy it as I

Brussels or Bruxelles (FR) or Brussel (NL)is the capital of the  Brussels-Capital Region comprising 19 towns, including the City of Brussels as well as Anderlecht, Auderghem, Berchem-Sainte Agathe, Etterbeek, Evere, Forest, Ganshoren, Ixelles,Jette,Koekelberg, Molenbeek-Saint Jean, Saint Gilles, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Schaerbeek, Uccle, Watermael-Boitsford,Woluwe-Saint Lambert, and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (French names version) . The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country ,a bit complicated indeed having split into French and Flemish speaking country. This is Bruxelles, in French and Brussel in Dutch, capital of Belgium and the European Union. It is a very old city divided into 19 districts, and which French and Flemish/Dutch can interwined freely with English widely spoken.

At first, the trips were short, but this time took the advantage of a vacation period between Christmas and New Years to go for a week with the family and go all over the city , Brussels, Bruxelles is magical. You have many nationalities here, and English is well spoken too. The trip started by car from our new home in the Morbihan breton dept 56. Before, I have gone from Versailles and then by train from Auray thru Brussels Midi and then rent a car there. This time went by car from  Brec’h, where we lived ,taking the expressway N165, then  N166 to Rennes, briefly on the N24 around Rennes to connect with the  A84, N175,A13 (autoroute de Normandie), and then cut across northern France on the A29, A28, back on A29, A16 briefly, A29 again (E44 European road system), then got on the A1 by TGV Peronne , (E19 European road system), A2 by known family territory of Cambrai, then get into Belgium in the A7,and get on the RO or Ring road of Brussels to exit No 13 or the road N8 at Chaussée de Ninove (where I always get in from France); past by suburbs of Dilbeek, Molenbeek, Anderlecht,  under the tunnel Leopold II to go our hotel past more north west suburbs of Saint Josse ten Noode and then Schaerbeek. All 9 hrs with stops and 818 kms later ,and 117€ gas and tolls. Yes Bretagne is a peninsula deep in when before from Versailles was just 4 hours with rest stop!

Then, we headed for the hotel parking at 10€ per day ,not bad at all.  We chose an inexpensive 2 stars hotel in a city area away from tourist center , it had some not soo good reviews on travel sites, but I am a contrarian when I read these so took in at the Hotel Bentley.  it was a basic accommodation with continental breakfast included about 67€ per night per room; the folks were very friendly, always available,and with great service at breakfast even if a bit limited in choices you had all the typical offerings in a continental style breakfast. My son left his bag full of electronics stuffs in the resto area and it was immediately brought up to his room, nice confidance to stay in places like this. All throughtout the service, and help was very nice and courteous, and see no reason why folks write bad reviews on properties like this, stand alone family business who try to help and make your stay a pleasant one. Maybe its the bad human habits of downplaying immigrant areas as the hotel is in little Turkey, plenty of nice folks even walking at night, and very helpful on bus tram routes. We will be back here. The webpage: http://www.hotel-bentley.com/

We went all over so much, taken bus, metro, and tram. The stop Botanique is the closest station to the hotel. We walk all over taking the metro line 1,5,and 6. We took the tramways 25 and 92, and the bus 66. We prefer the trams very nice clean efficient and see it all. The buses were crowded older and less clean, the metro was great but underground not to our liking. You can a Brussels journey planner to trace all your trip here: https://www.stib-mivb.be/tripplanner/?l=en

Folks sometimes get confused when I tell them to drive instead of public transport. It is better for a family to rent drive a car, and once in the city use the public transport, then go around all over in transport, much more expensive everytime you go past 2 persons. Try it. We purchase the magnetic card for 10 trips at a cost of 13€  ,good value from the usual 2,10 per person individual ticket on the trams. This having already a MOBIB Basic card which cost 5€. If purchase in the transport is 3€. The best part of the MOBIB Basic card is that you can lend to other persons to use so if a family you can reduce the cost further you know.

We like very much the City 2 shopping center, with FNAC, Armand Thiery, Carrefour market groceries; Australian ice cream parlor ,and a nice refuge from the rain ,all week, but we manage ok. Webpage in English: https://www.city2.be/

My eateries over the years have been at Le Pavillon, Rue Defacqz 63, for your light cafe type setting in a nice decor and on your way to the Grand’Place walking, Le Grand Café, blvd Anspach 78, we had the house grand cafe menu. The Cave du roy, Grand’place itself with great people view, and brussel pork sausage or mussels in alsacien wine. The ever popular but nice Le Brasseurs de la Grand’Place, for great beers and people watching at the Grand Place.  A la Mort Subite, the best nightime bar/pub in the city in my opinion, it means Sudden Death but you will survive !  We come back to a Pizza Hut brings a lot of memories from the time way back came as a young man with my late mother, our spot was here Bvd du Jardin Botanique 10. We tried the Australian ice cream parlor , the steakhouse Brussels Grill across the street, call the Manhattan center,  the Casa Nostra pizzeria was good, the wonderful all time favorite , real Belgian ,always a stop at Chez Patrick, an all time favorite here. We had our chocolates at a classic galerie de la reine at St Hubert, Corné Port Royal, the very best Belgian pralines or chocolates! We love it!!

We visit many stores old and new, and walk by the many wonderful streets and jardin botanique or botanical garden, seeing and reshape many monuments along the way from the great statue to Gen Montgomery of WWII fame by the metro tram stop of same name just pass the Parc du Cinquantanaire where we saw the wonderful Autoworld museum of vintage auto and bikes, a must see even if not into cars. We went over the Royal Armed Forces museum but here we got into a bit of laberinth, the museum close at noon for one hour, so if you are inside, you stay in the aviation hall with a restaurant very nicely place ho ho ho , but we wanted to continue seeing, no way, all aisles were close! so after having seen most (just pavillion 12 was left), we decided not to wait and leave, well no signs for sortie or exit available, we asked ,and it was thru the WC sign tunnel or rest rooms lol!!! weird way to leave a museum lol!!! Other than that, the museum is a marvelous place, not to be missed, of WWI and WWII to the Cold War tanks, planes, weapons,  uniforms the whole works!

We went over to mini Europe, so nice to see the wonders of Europe monuments all in minituare sizes, just glorious, and very nicely done, a must to visit. Nearby by is the symbol of Brussels, the Atomium globe , its a great architectural achievement and very nicely done for at least once seen, its 108 meters high with many levels open and some not. The panorama view from 7 is the main point of going up! You come here and dont drink beer lol!!! wonderful, we do lol!! and do visit the museum of beers at the Grand Place, small but a good introduction to beers Belges!  In all another wonderful visit to Brussels/Bruxelles, and a passing by the European commission of course, and the Royal Palace, and Santa Claus motorcycles, and the Cathedral Ste Catherine, the site of this year Plaisir d’Hiver or a Christmas market place full of hamlets, slaloms, dragon tunnels, and a big wheel we took awesome!!! a Great ambiance. the Church of Benigue, nearby is nice, the Royal Theater, parc du Bruxelles, and the wonderful chic Louise neighborhood.  Not to missed the Mannequin pis!!

As I have taken my boys here on our personal trips and for them it is the best museum ,the Comic Strip Museum.  Good Belgian chocolate well we like the Darcis by Midi train station,and Corné Royale by Galerie de la reine in the Galeries Royales St Hubert. For general chocolate stores we preferred the Leonidas at rue au Beurre near Grand’Place, and rue Neuve. For historical upscale shopping and typical Belgian, you must at least visit this place Galeries Royale St Hubert, if anything try the ice cream Häagen Dazs and the Corné Royale chocolates! The areas just around the Grand’Place is a shopper’s paradise of stores, as well as rue Neuve, the big pedestrian street there. For the wonderful Belgian laces try the Anais Lace Palace.

A must to see when in Europe, one of its great Capital cities, Bruxelles, Brussels, we will be back. And we did, see the sights above on individual posts in my blog with pictures.

And of course, told the way up above, so now giving you the way down or home. I took the old route back, as if we were in Versailles, we left out very easy just as to go in, really is easy to drive on, you only need experience driving in cities and it will be fine. We left on the blvd du jardin botanique to blvd Adolphe Max left continuing on blvd Anspach then right on Rue Antoine Dansaert, then left on blvd de Nieuport to Chaussée de Ninove direction Mons to get on the RO ring road direction Mons. There you go on the Belgian A7 or E19 roads towards Paris, once in France you get on the A2 dir Valenciennes, then at the end it takes you into the A1 direction Paris, you go all the way to near CDG Roissy airport you see the panels Cergy Pontoise on the N104 (this is the la Francilienne road that goes on the outer limits of Paris) , continue direction Cergy Pontoise, pass the bridge of the A15 direction Versailles (yes my old town lol!) then go direction St Germain en Laye on the N184 same road, and just pass the Centaure train station at St Germain en Laye turn right on the A13 towards Poissy/Orgeval, at this round about you take the A13 direction Rouen,and up you go towards Caen then Rennes on the A84, N175, N24, N166,and N165 back to  Brec’h which is finally the road D768... This route took 880 kms, and 10 hrs with stops, with 91€ gas and tolls. So, longer but cheaper on gas/tolls.

A bit of history I like tells us that the official founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, when Duke Charles of Lower Lotharingia transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from Moorsel to the Saint Gaugericus chapel. Charles would construct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that same island. By the middle ages Lambert I of Leuven, Count of Leuven, gained the County of Brussels around 1000, by marrying Charles’ daughter. In the 15C, by means of the wedding of heiress Margaret III of Flanders with Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a new Duke of Brabant emerged from the House of Valois (namely Antoine, their son). Through the marriage of Mary of Burgundy (who was born in Brussels) to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, the Low Countries fell under Habsburg sovereignty. After the death of Mary in 1482, her son Philip the Handsome succeeded as the Duke of Brabant. In 1506, he became King of Castile, and hence the period of the Spanish Netherlands began. In 1516, Charles , who had been heir of the Low Countries since 1506, was declared King of Spain (as Charles I) in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula of Brussels. Upon the death of his grandfather Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, Charles became the new ruler of the Habsburg Empire and was subsequently elected Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V). It was in the Palace complex at Coudenberg that Charles V abdicated in 1555. Following the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the Spanish sovereignty over the Southern Netherlands was transferred to the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg. This event started the era of the Austrian Netherlands. The city was captured by France in 1746, during the War of the Austrian Succession, but was handed back to Austria three years later. Brussels remained with Austria until 1795, when the Southern Netherlands were captured and annexed by France. Brussels became the capital of the department of the Dyle. The French rule ended in 1815, with the defeat of Napoleon on the battlefield of Waterloo , With the Congress of Vienna, the Southern Netherlands joined the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, under William I of Orange. The former Dyle department became the province of South Brabant, with Brussels as its capital. In 1830, the Belgian revolution took place in Brussels, after a performance of Auber’s opera La Muette de Portici at La Monnaie theatre. Brussels became the capital and seat of government of the new nation. South Brabant was renamed simply Brabant, with Brussels as its capital. On 21 July 1831, Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, ascended the throne, undertaking the destruction of the city walls and the construction of many buildings. During WWI, Brussels was an occupied city, but German troops did not cause much damage. During WWII, the city was again occupied, and was spared major damage during its occupation by Nazis forces, before it was liberated by the British Guards Armored Division, on 3 September 1944. The Brussels-Capital Region was formed on 18 June 1989, after a constitutional reform in 1988. It has bilingual status and it is one of the three federal regions of Belgium, along with Flanders (Flemish) and Wallonia (French).

The Brussels tourist office: https://visit.brussels/en

The city of Brussels : https://www.bruxelles.be/

The Brussels region tourist office on Brussels : https://be.brussels/culture-tourism-leisure

I must say that in later years I took the time to go on secondary /national roads without any tolls as these I consider extra taxes to pay! Its up to you! Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Brussels !! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health and many cheers to all !!!