Seeing Belgium by Train – Part 1

Brussels

The capital of the European Union and at the same time of Belgium. As well as being the capital, it is also an excellent starting point for other cities and countries. Most intercity and international trains depart from Brussels Midi/Zuid station. So we stayed in Brussels the whole time and returned every day from the excursion to the accommodation. We stayed in the Evere neighbourhood, which is one of the safer and quieter neighbourhoods in the city, as many diplomats live there, and it is also on the way to the main airport. The trams and metro in the city are also very easy to use, as all you need to do is swipe your bank card at the terminal. We spent a full day in the centre of Brussels, as in other cities, and saw the main (most interesting) and accessible things.

We walked around the Parliament, the Palace and through Brussels' main park. Meanwhile, we followed the challenges and treasures on the Geocaching app, which took us past the museum and the underpass with the famous comic book Smurfs. Finally, we reached the main city square, where full preparations were made for the beer festival, which took place in the same week. We returned to the centre again in the evening, where we finished the day with Belgian waffles next to the famous Manneken Pis statue.

Bruges

Despite the unpredictable rainy weather, we headed to the northern city of Bruges in the morning. The high-speed IC train takes just under an hour, with beautiful scenery along the way. The first stop was the Groeningmuseum due to the rain. It spans several centuries of art, including works by painter Jan van Eyck and other Flemish artists. After lunch, we walked through the main square, where the magnificent Belfort bell tower stands out.

If you want to experience a typical Belgian look, with very crammed houses, colourful facades and granite cubes on the floor, this is the ideal place and much more old-fashioned than the capital. We noticed that horse-drawn carriage tours are more popular here than anywhere else. Finally, we walked past the iconic Rozenhoedkaai area, where flowers used to be sold, but today offers a beautiful view and boat rides on the city's canals.

Leuven

This town not far from Brussels is best known for its spectacular Town Hall, the façade of which resembles a church rather than an administrative building. First stop was coffee at the lovely Cat Café. We also stopped at the larger modern M Museum, where we were fascinated by the contemporary exhibitions relating to space and time, as well as the many exotic artworks from different parts of the world. The museum also houses ancient artworks that represent life through the ages. The price of a value ticket is really affordable, especially since you can leave the museum and return at any time during the opening. After a walk through the main square, we stopped in the ancient quarter of The Groot Begijnhof, a preserved cultural heritage. The brick houses and streets and the complete tranquillity make you feel like you are walking through memories of the last century.

Oostende

This time we headed towards the sea (all in all about a two-hour drive) and went directly to the coastal town of Oostende. The city feels like a cosy resort where you could spend your retirement overlooking the sea. It has a long sandy beach with cold sea (at the time), which did not deter some brave swimmers. While we did not feel that the city itself offered much to do, we were glad to take advantage of a sunny, warm day with a walk along the coast. Next time, though, I would probably prefer to visit the important coastal historic town of Dunkirk not far away.

Antwerp

We headed towards the north coast again, but this time to a slightly larger and more famous city. Antwerp is already enchanting with the main train station, which is huge, in the style of an old church with gilded decorations. It is one of the best examples of station architecture in Belgium. The city also has one of the largest Jewish neighbourhoods in Europe.

We decided to visit a major chocolate museum (as befits Belgium, which is famous for chocolate): the Chocolate Nation, where we spent several hours. The museum is interactive and fun, suitable for all ages, and includes a chocolate tasting at the end. We liked the "gold chocolate" the most, which is a combination of caramel and white chocolate.

After a walk along the harbour, we also visited St. Annas tunnel, which connects one side of the city to the other under the sea. It is an old-fashioned tunnel, with wooden escalators. The paintings on the wall represent the spirit of life from the 1950s. The attraction has been in operation since 1933 and has remained largely intact. The narrow tunnel is designed for pedestrians and cyclists, is used daily for labour migration and is certainly an interesting and free experience when visiting the city.

You can read more about our Belgian adventure in the next issue of Globetrotter magazine.