Belgium: Brussels (Arrival)
Going to Belgium for 4 days, 5 nights with Han, Yunchen, and 2 filipinos, Malou & Daisy
Ok, as usual, some background knowledge 1st
Belgium:
-host to many prominent international organisations, notably NATO and EU
-'Cockpit of Europe' cos centre of many past battles in Europe
-Origin of waffles & French fries(disputed)
-Land of comics(Tintin, Smurf), architecture, beer, food(best food in Europe according to gourmets) and Chocolate!!
My virgin Ryanair trip!
It was the Ryanair flight crew's 1st day at work. Han commented that he hoped that 'crew' doesn't include the pilot. Fortunately, all went well. The plane didn't crash-landed onto the runway, unlike the filipinos' previous trip. And it wasn't as far from the city centre as expected for such ridiculously low prices. I only had to take a 1.5h bus from T-centralen to Stockholm Skavsta Airport and upon arrival in Belgium, had to take another 1h bus from Chaleroi Airport to Brussels Zuistation Midi.
Feeling adventurous, Han & I walked from Midi station to our hostel in the drizzle. Well, my theory is that while travelling, I must try to walk whenever possible to take in the different sights of the city. Turns out to be true. We walked along streets smelling of pee, under highways and through quiet, dark corners. I must admit my senses were heightened at that point of time, cos of all the bored-looking youngsters and men loitering around aimlessly. Not a single female or small child was in sight. I was mentally preparing myself how to react if anyone jumps at us. We 'fast marched' and avoided eye contact with anyone till we reached the city central where it was brightly-lit. Phew... (In retrospect, I still can't conclude whether it's dangerous there since nobody really approached us or stared at us Asians . But then again, they were all standing around in small groups around the dark, quiet streets...)
Anyway, the migrant Turkish community is quite apparent during our walk. There were many Turks and Kebab stores around. The youth hostel we checked into -Jacques Brel YMCA- was a disappointment. Actually it was more like a pensioner place with more old people than youths. The toilet stinks, the room was cramped and the facilities suck. Overall, the most horrible youth hostel I've been to so far.
Do you know?
Belgium is divided into 3 regions:
-Flemish Region(more Dutch-speaking)
-Walloon Region(more French-speaking)[contains the German-speaking community]
-Brussels-Capital Region (bilingual: Brussels-Dutch; Bruxelles-French)
(Most of the places I will be going to are in the Flemish Region)
Ok, as usual, some background knowledge 1st
Belgium:
-host to many prominent international organisations, notably NATO and EU
-'Cockpit of Europe' cos centre of many past battles in Europe
-Origin of waffles & French fries(disputed)
-Land of comics(Tintin, Smurf), architecture, beer, food(best food in Europe according to gourmets) and Chocolate!!
My virgin Ryanair trip!
It was the Ryanair flight crew's 1st day at work. Han commented that he hoped that 'crew' doesn't include the pilot. Fortunately, all went well. The plane didn't crash-landed onto the runway, unlike the filipinos' previous trip. And it wasn't as far from the city centre as expected for such ridiculously low prices. I only had to take a 1.5h bus from T-centralen to Stockholm Skavsta Airport and upon arrival in Belgium, had to take another 1h bus from Chaleroi Airport to Brussels Zuistation Midi.
Feeling adventurous, Han & I walked from Midi station to our hostel in the drizzle. Well, my theory is that while travelling, I must try to walk whenever possible to take in the different sights of the city. Turns out to be true. We walked along streets smelling of pee, under highways and through quiet, dark corners. I must admit my senses were heightened at that point of time, cos of all the bored-looking youngsters and men loitering around aimlessly. Not a single female or small child was in sight. I was mentally preparing myself how to react if anyone jumps at us. We 'fast marched' and avoided eye contact with anyone till we reached the city central where it was brightly-lit. Phew... (In retrospect, I still can't conclude whether it's dangerous there since nobody really approached us or stared at us Asians . But then again, they were all standing around in small groups around the dark, quiet streets...)
Anyway, the migrant Turkish community is quite apparent during our walk. There were many Turks and Kebab stores around. The youth hostel we checked into -Jacques Brel YMCA- was a disappointment. Actually it was more like a pensioner place with more old people than youths. The toilet stinks, the room was cramped and the facilities suck. Overall, the most horrible youth hostel I've been to so far.
Do you know?
Belgium is divided into 3 regions:
-Flemish Region(more Dutch-speaking)
-Walloon Region(more French-speaking)[contains the German-speaking community]
-Brussels-Capital Region (bilingual: Brussels-Dutch; Bruxelles-French)
(Most of the places I will be going to are in the Flemish Region)
posted by Kaiz at 1:54 PM
1 Comments:
finally! Was wondering where belgium disappeared to! It seems like every city must have a jewish, turkish... quarter. Haha, at least you had the sense to walk quickly through the shady spots, my groupmate last time stopped to take photos of shady people!! We were quite sure that when we turned back he would be lying dead on the ground or something.
Post a Comment
<< Home