A stopover with unmissable architecture...
I was in debate wether to write about Brussels on here, as I didn't feel like the time I spent there was worthy of a post. However as It was the first stop on my interrail trip, I felt it was only right to include it.
I arrived in Brussels around about 10.30am after flying from Manchester Airport. As soon as I landed the realisation had hit me. I was really doing this! After months of dreaming about it and planning I was finally starting my interrail trip. And now stood outside Brussels Airport I had to make my first move to get to the city centre...Can I just say although I had put a lot of preparation into the trip as a whole , as soon as I was there I realised I didn't really have a plan for Brussels. In my mind this was just a stopover, one of the main reasons for this was due to this being the cheapest flight into Europe from the United Kingdom (the flight cost me £19...told you I was a bargain hunter).
I started walking in the direction of the bus station In the hope that I'd find some kind of guidance there for my next move. Luckily it wasn't long until I found a shuttle service that took people straight to the centre of Brussels, which for me was perfect! There was a queue of course, as that's where everyone who didn't really have a plan was heading. But the sun was shining, and I had a whole month of freedom so I was pretty content.
Once I was on the bus I knew where I was heading, I had booked into Sleep Well Youth Hostel, which was situated right in the centre of Brussels. I'd originally booked a female dorm with 6 beds, however on arrival I got upgraded to a female dorm with 3 beds so this was a great start to my stay. The hostel itself was very appealing, with a great common area, a good supply of information leaflets of things to do while in the city and huge lockers near the entrance for bags and valuables. They also offer a bag drop off service incase you arrive before you room is ready, which I took full advantage of as check-in was 3pm. Oh and they also offer free continental breakfast, which is AMAZING and it's a great place to meet people if your travelling alone and fancy a bit of company.
In terms of what I did in the city, all I really did was wander around...which I personally like. You can take in the culture and personality of a city just by walking around it and seeing the locals. The main thing I noticed was that no matter where you seem to walk in Belgium the architecture is captivating. The Grand-Place especially has architectural work to be in awe of. Oh and if you get chance, do what all the tourists seem to do and track down Manneken-Pis...which is literally a bronze statue of a little boy urinating into a fountain. Keep your eyes peeled though, blink and you just might just miss him...that's if it wasn't for the crowd surrounding him of course.
Overall though I think this was a great city to have a stopover and prepare myself for the trip to come. I would recommend the hostel too, especially for the location but also for the price of around £20.
If anyone has any questions about Brussels or this hostel please feel free to leave me a question in the comments!
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