Three Nights in Belgium

When leaving Austria my two choices were to either go to Barcelona or to Belgium. When I met a brother/sister backpacking together in Rome we voted and decided to meet up in Belgium and that settled the decision. Sure, Bruges turned out to be a little on the touristy side but we loved it. We ate waffles and ice cream and omelettes until we could barely move and we loved the canals. My only regret is that I haven't been able to return.

My Experience in Brussels

During my limited time in the city, I spent most of it trying to find my hostel. I had traveled for 36 hours and was exhausted. My directions were not great. When I finally DID find the hostel I learned that I could not check in for another four hours. So I did what any normal American girl would do-washed off in the bathroom and went shopping!!! Thankfully, my hostel was located right behind one of the biggest shopping streets in the country. And that is where I discovered H & M. I haven't been the same since.

After spending money I didn't have on things I didn't need (and setting off the store alarm which caused several policeman to runafter e screaming in an indecipheral language) I played tourist. I visited the Grand Place, which was wonderful, and saw the famous statue of the little boy peeing.

Later that night I met up with two American guys in my hostel and we went to a local bar and watched a football game. It was Italy versus France and France won which made the entire city go into pandemonium. We went out into the streets and got swept up in the crowd. Somehow we wound up at the Stock Exchange building. It was wild. There must have been 5,000 people in the streets.

The next morning, I checked out and went to Bruges.

Quick Tips:

Bruges Links:

Bruges Tourist Information
http://www.visit-bruges.com/

Belgian Railways
http://www.b-rail.be/main/index.html

Hotels in Bruges
http://www.hotels-belgium.com/brugge/hotels.htm

TIP: Bruges does have a left luggage facility in the train station. It's one of those coin operated lockers and we stored our stuff while we walked around during the day.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting TO/AROUND: The Eurostar runs directly from London's Waterloo Station to Brussels in about two hours. It's a very quick, comfortable train, with snacks available onboard. The tickets are a little high, but students can get discounts and there are usually specials for returns and so forth.

Fares:
age 26 and under: .00

regular: .00

Leisure 1(Valid for travel Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays ONLY.):

Leisure 2 (Valid for travel between 11am and 3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays ONLY):

Leisure 5 (Valid for travel in 2nd class between 11am and 3pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays ONLY, one night minimum stay away.):

Senior:

Website: http://www.eurostar.com/dctm/jsp/index.jsp

I stayed here a couple of years ago. Had a bit of a mini breakdown when I couldn't find it, and then wanted to kick myself for walking right over it two or three times. It's located down what looks like a little alleyway and is in reality only a five minute walk or so from the train station. I felt like the area right outside of it was a little shady after dark, but it was extremely close to the Grand Place and shopping. Some people complain that it is very institutional-like, but I didn't feel like this was a negative aspect. It felt more like a no-stars hotel than a typical youth hostel. The staff were very rude and impolite, but at least it was clean. Very clean. Breakfast was the typical hostel fare-toast and tea.

The biggest problem I had with it was the check-out. The desk was not manned 24 hours and when it was time to leave I had an early train. I ended up waiting in front of the desk with a bunch of other people and when 10 minutes passed and they still hadn't opened it, we all just slipped our keys under the door and walked out.

Directions: If you've arrive at Gare du Nord by bus or train, walk south down rue du Progres/Vooruitgang. When you cross the busy avenue du Boulevard/Bolwerklaan, continue for one more block, then take a left onto rue de la Blanchisserie, then a right at rue Damier.

I can’t believe this place gets so many good reviews. Am I missing something? Did I stay in the ghetto part of the hostel? I do not know. I found it to be extremely unclean and the people who worked there rude.

To begin with, the pub area was rocking at night, but in the daytime when it was well-lit, it was dirty. Dirty dishes piled everywhere, the floor unswept, etc.

The beds were hard and the carpets in the rooms stained. I sat on the carpet at one point and then wished I had not.

It was difficult taking a shower the next morning because the bathrooms were disgusting. People had not flushed the toilets and there was vomit in places that had dried and not been cleaned up. I could not bring myself to sit on any of the toilets, even after I searched around the hostel for a cleaner bathroom. I ended up having to use the men’s shower because I stood in line for the women’s for thirty minutes and almost missed my train. Let’s just say that I felt as dirty when I stepped out of the shower as I did when I went in. It’s not in a very convenient location either. It was a little far to walk and I found the tram system confusing. Oh well. Now I know.