2021 December – Benelex Europe

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Day 1: 

Brussels, Belgium

The flight from India to Belgium was mighty comfortable and not tiring at all. We did miss our connection in Frankfurt because the connection was super-tight, but they automatically booked us on the next flight, which too we made by the skin of our teeth!

Reached Brussels around 11 AM local time and after getting mandatory Covid tested at the airport, we took the train from the airport to Brussels Nord, where our hotel was located. On second thought we could have easily taken a taxi or Uber-ed, as the ticket price added up because of all the airport taxes levied on top of the ticket price.

Unfortunately, December is the wettest and rainiest month in Europe and we had drizzle all the time with grey skies (except for the day in Paris). However, we did not let that “dampen” our spirits and borrowed umbrellas from the hotels at every excuse – nothing was coming between our sightseeing and us, as long as we were there!

Our hotel, the lovely Indigo Suites, was kind enough to let us check in early so we could catch our 40 winks. We grabbed a quick meal close by since we were so close to everything, and then set off for our evening adventures – most of which were centered around the many Christmas markets all over the area.

Belgium has a rather impressive (and strict) system of checking your Covid vaccination certificates via the EU Covid-Safe app and does a phenomenal job of contact tracing. (I got calls from them almost every day about my whereabouts there). They check you before you enter any restaurant, even at the open Christmas Markets – I know! I was sent back!! The markets are comprised of quaint little shops with interesting handiwork and food galore! From there we walked to the Royal Palais and enjoyed the Sound & Light show in honor of Christmas! Food was not difficult to find as there were plenty of restaurants open (most take Credit Cards) but the Christmas market took only cash for the most part. A great first day in Belgium – agenda-free, a first for us! ;)

 Day 2: 

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

We activated our Eurail Global Pass (5-day, multi-country – details in the Do’s/Don’ts section below) and set off on our adventures early in the morning. The Brussels-Nord station was a short walk from the hotel and train timings are easily available on the fabulous ‘Rail Planner’ app by Eurail. We timed it just perfect and caught the 9:30 AM train to Luxembourg – a 3-hour journey. Trains are so comfortable in that part of the world that it did not seem like anything over a few minutes with the speeding-by scenery, empty cabins, little naps caught in between, etc.

 

Luxembourg is a landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City is one of the four official capitals of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg). Dutch and French are widely spoken there but we had no problem in English too. There wasn’t much we could do there because of the rain and cold, but we made the best of it by walking around the city, crossing the river on the large main bridge, and of course, enjoying some fabulous ‘spiked’ hot chocolate and apple cider at the many Christmas markets there.

Caught the 5 PM back to Brussels and were back at the hotel just in time for a hot meal in our neighborhood and some well-deserved rest! 

Day 3: 

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Another cold and rainy morning, another day of pass activation, another country, and another nothing-can-stop-us attitude! Took the morning fast train to Amsterdam – throughout the way we debated whether we should include Hague and Rotterdam also – but then decided to keep them for the latter part of the day. Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", due to the large number of canals. Amsterdam was founded at the Amstel, which was dammed to control flooding; the city's name derives from the Amstel dam.

However, the city was particularly cold and gloomy and grey – and all stores were closed by the order of the govt. Even the ones that were open would not let us sit inside – we could only order take-out. The major disappointment was that Anne Frank’s museum was also closed – something we had really wanted to see! At least we got to visit it from the outside. The one bright spot was the multiple orders of Poffertjes (special Amsterdam pancakes) that we had there – mostly while walking aimlessly around the city. Yum!

Eventually, it became too cold for us and we decided to head back to Brussels. On the way, I decided to get off at Rotterdam while the rest of the family continued on. I am glad I did – the weather had gotten a little better by then, there were actual people on the streets and I got to walk around and see the oddly stacked homes, a hallmark of Rotterdam, and a big tourist attraction!

 

Day 4: 

Paris, France

 

Finally!!!! A sunny day! In fact, it turned out to be a gorgeous day! We had left the Brussels hotel early in the morning with a boatload of umbrellas in the fear that we may need them but we did not – not even for a second! As soon as we landed in Paris, the weather cleared up. We quickly bought the 10-bus-ticket pack from the railway station and boarded the bus to the Louvre / Royal Palace area. We had visited the Louvre several years back and had seen it from the inside too, including the famed Mona Lisa, but our luck – we landed in Louvre on the day it was closed (Tuesday). No big deal – we still enjoyed it from the outside – the surroundings really make you feel you are in Paris (oh we were!!).

Most of the Paris landmarks are along the River Seine – had the weather been warmer, we would have enjoyed the long walk along the river to all these monuments. We trudged along in the cold towards the Eiffel Tower (have to do that one, right?) – and it took us about 30 minutes to get there. The first order of work was to eat at a French café, right under the Eiffel Tower skirt! Some fabulous French-ish food, some crème brulee, some hot coffee, and we were rearing to go again! A lot of discussions were had on whether to climb the tower or take the elevator up, but even though it was sunny – it was getting windy & chilly and we eventually decided to do neither! Hung out in the area for a little bit more, admired it from all directions, and then caught the bus to our next stop, the Arc-de-Triomphe!

It stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle and honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. A magnificent sight, we debated whether to climb it or not and then decided to just see it from below from all possible angles.

No trip to Paris is complete without visuals of the lit up carousels and the iconic street lamps. As night fell, we enjoyed a stroll around those, had some lovely cocktails on one of the busy streets, and then rushed back to the train station to catch the almost-missed train to Brussels.

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 Day 5: 

Cologne, Germany

This was the day we switched hotels from Indigo (Brussels Nord) to Warwick (Brussels Central). Even though we preferred the former hotel because of the awesome service provided, this area was a lot more happening in terms of food and shopping right at the hotel doorstep and is highly recommended for visitors there.

Personally, I would have liked to visit Dusseldorf or Berlin in Germany, but they were a bit far from Brussels in terms of train connections. We settled for Cologne and we are glad we did! It was quite a pleasant surprise despite the rainy weather there too.

Bang in front of the Central station is the super-imposing and very famous Cologne Cathedral. We even got a chance to see it from the inside too and it was mighty impressive. We also got a chance to walk along the River Rhine – especially over the Hohenzollern Bridge that is famous for thousands of “love” locks with inscriptions on them, attached to the bridge railings. These locks, weigh about 2 tons and are painstakingly created piece by piece as an endless stream of couples have come to publicly honor their love.

Our last stop in Cologne was the very famous and very worth it, Lindt Chocolate Factory, just a few blocks from the train station. (The fact that I almost died caught between a train and a bus while illegally crossing the road is a different, and hilarious story). This made the trip to Cologne absolutely worth it – the past and present global story of cocoa and chocolate is portrayed in detail over more than 4,000 m² of floor space, complete with a tour of the chocolate-making process, free samples, and wait for it … create your own chocolate (we missed out on the last one though because it would have taken 45 minutes and we had a train to catch! :).

Then followed our normal routine... a walk back to the train station, catch the last train leaving the city, and off to Brussels. Got there in time for dinner, went to Hotel Indigo to collect our baggage, checked into Warwick, walked around, and discovered our area.. we were completely impressed with the quality and variety of food and shopping available. The hotel switch was definitely worth it.

Day 6:

Bruges, Belgium

This was meant to be our last day in Belgium, but one of the family members tested positive for Covid and I stayed back a few extra days. Again – we did not let ourselves get down and we continued to enjoy the country as we should.

The beautiful Bruges is about a one-hour train journey from Brussels. I had expected it to look very much like Amsterdam, with the canals and all, but it turned out to be absolutely breathtaking! Very quaint, very historic, very pretty with different kinds of canals and architecture! Loved every bit of it. My pictures don’t do justice to it – we had low light throughout the day.

Had some good authentic Belgian food and dessert there at the café. Strolled around the market and saw the famous Bell Tower. Would have also liked to see Hof de Jonghe (Sheep Park) where sheep graze in an open meadow-like setting but the cold was again beginning to get to us. Also, there was a harp concert in progress with different harps from the world that looked very interesting but as usual, we were running short on time and decided to head back to the train station to catch the train to Brussels so we could figure out the next steps about leaving the country the next day.

 

Day 7/8/9: 

Brussels, Belgium

The next 3 days were really not on our planned agenda – we had to stay back because of the Covid positive results, so we checked into a different hotel close to Brussels Centraal (We wanted to stay in the same area), walked around all day did some shopping, a lot of sleeping and resting. I alone managed to squeeze in a tour to Mini-Europe which is highly recommended (even though we had visited it in the past). The tickets cost 17 Euros and you can easily spend 2-3 hours there admiring the buildings that are miniature to-scale versions of almost all famous buildings in the European Union. Loved how they excluded UK (after Brexit) and included a visa/passport stop between UK and rest of the buildings in there.

Eventually re-tested 3 days later and were allowed to leave the country after almost 10 days in the area.

 

Didn’t Do (these items come recommended):

1. Anne Frank’s museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands
2. Make your chocolate with your own ingredients/recipe, Lindt Factory, Cologne, Germany
3. Climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris
4. Louvre from the inside, Paris
5. Hof de Jonghe (Sheep Park) in Bruges, Belgium

Dos and Don’ts:

1. It is worth getting a Eurail Pass in Europe, especially if you are planning to do multiple countries over a span of multiple days. We took a First-Class pass (the cost difference wasn’t much from Second Class) and had the added advantage of meals being served on some trains, as well as much fewer crowds. Just remember though that the pass gets ‘activated’ from the first day that you use it.
2. If you travel during the Covid era (hopefully at some point it will be behind us), make sure you have your Covid-safe app updated and carry your vaccination cards at all times.
3. Check the museum timings and opening dates/hours before you land up there.
4. Be prepared to walk … a lot!
5. If you visit the Lindt Chocolate factory, keep some extra time aside for ‘making your own chocolate’ – it is at the end of the tour.
6. There is a Brussels card available for about 27 Euros which gives you unlimited access to the museums there. It does not cover the famous Mini-Europe and Atomium though. If you plan to spend a few days in the area and are looking to see some interesting museums, it might be worth it. We never got it.

 

 

Top 5:

1. Paris, France – everything about it! The whole vibe! Of course, the weather helped too
2. Bruges, Belgium – just gorgeous! Too bad the weather sucked.
3. Lindt Chocolate Factory, Cologne
4. Belgian Chocolates and stuffed waffles!!
5. Rotterdam, Netherlands

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