Belgium: Lest we forget

Destination: Brussels!

So leaving Amsterdam was relatively simple, as the universal truth  still stands: Europe is connected by the rail.

Thank you Europe, for investing in public transportation. It makes life easy.

And thus, in no time at all I was in Brussels. However, an unfortunate bit trying to interpret  walking instructions to the hostel left me wandering around the city for a bit. Nothing like being tired and cranky and lost in a new city. At night. One of the less glamorous aspects of travel.

Travel: It's not all beautiful buildings and ease. Though mostly it is.

I will say that Brussels mid-city at late night is a little sketchy. Not just once did I feel being stared at. Belgium is a multinational city, and it was minority-group types that were heckling me. Catcalling and the like. Which is strange, since this is Europe, and you'd think they'd seen my type enough....but I've dealt with it before.  The joys of being a single female traveller. Being tired made it an added frustration.

Kind like this Belgian lion, who just can't deal with it right now.

Soon, I knew to throw the towel in after marching up and down the square a bit. 

I'm up on my Monty Python reference quota today.

I flagged a taxi, who informed me the hostel was 'just down the road!' I gave him a brief 'it could be behind the next tree for all I care, just take me there'. And it was close by, but I'm not sure I could have found it. So sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches and take a taxi.

Or continue marching around with a damn backpack.

The next day was significantly better. Belgian knows its got a reputation of being the destination for fine chocolate and beers, and I was not disappointed. 

Brussels as the capital has all the necessities of a modern city. Tall skyscrapers, flashy billboards, and 24 hour convenience stores. Obviously I was a bit more interested in the historical aspects of the city, but I definitely had some New York vibes.

Tell me this isn't Belgian Manhattan.

 Also, I have have a special mention for its cathedrals.  All good European cities have at least a half of dozen old churches. What annoyed me in Amsterdam was that fact every single one I encountered charged some kind of entrance fee.  So I didn't go inside any of them. I mean really, didn't Jesus flip some tables and kind of lost it over that sort of thing?

St. Michael is not impressed with your entrance fee. Prepare to be smited.

So in turn, I will heavily promote Brussels Cathedral, and pretty much any church in Belgium. Go see them..

Though this is scary as hell. 

Oh and yes, there's the peeing boy of Brussels, aka Mannekin Pis. Not awe inspiring and completely overrated. But a must do. Here's a picture of him in some kind of get-up. Yeah. That's all I'm gonna dedicate to that.

 This is not worth any touristic merit, and yet....

Where Belgium truly stood out to me was in its World War and Medieval History. Belgium has the both the fortunate and unfortunate luck of being square in the middle of things: (UK, France, Russia, Germany(Prussia, etc etc etc.... )

     

                                               

Being in the square...of everything (bada-tss)

In Medieval times this was super rad, as cities like Bruges had a monopoly on the wool trade = Flemish Tapestries were the it thing to have. Flanders was total money. Ka-ching.

Nice building there.

However, several hundred years later, this geographic location ended up being the centerpoint to the mess that was brewing into something called WORLD WAR 1... and thus became the battleground. Needless to say the results were fairly undesirable.

More like extremely, extremely undesirable.

Trenches. Living in these in the cold, wet, muddy ditches. And being shot at it, gassed, and shelled continuously. Absolute suckfest.

The Ypres Salient reflects heavily the repercussions of WW1. Repercussions that are being felt today as the land is still recovering. Weekly new finds of ordnance are routine. Sometimes remains are founds. This is a place that lives in a 100 year old shadow.

Weapons and ammunition cache stocked in a local farmer's garage.  

This is certainly a not-to be missed site. From the birth of one of the most poignant poems of warfare, Flanders Fields, to the humbling sight of thousands of graves makes this place timeless. These same graves where young men fell, and oftentimes their remains were mixed with that of their fellows that died at their sides. 

Buried shoulder to shoulder, indicating they died together....and were buried together.

It showcases a grim reminder of the price of war, and the sacrifice made by both sides. It still has a powerful, emotional response 100 years later.

                                                        Site of German mass grave.

There's a lot in Belgium, touristically and historically. I honestly didn't know anything about the country aside from Godiva, so coming here and visiting these places was enlightening. 

And despite my less than enjoyable entrance, I found local Belgians were always trying to help, whether it was giving directions, helping me purchase tram tickets, or assisting me invhow to use a laundry machine.

And whaddya know, more scenic vantage points, because I certainly didn't take a picture of the devil laundry machine.

I'll miss the beer and chocolate, though I'm looking forward to French food. The best in the world!! I'm pretty stoked. 

Oh, my train's slowing down, so this farewell. Just a brief PSA, I do take a lot more pictures than I post up here. If you are more visual-type, and would like to see a bit more of what I see, check out my photo host on shutterfly.

Internationally Natalie Photography

Ok! I'm out!!