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Brussels, the place for beers, waffles and chocolate
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Brussels, the place for beers, waffles and chocolate

Brussels, the place for beers, waffles and chocolate

When I hear Brussels all that comes to my mind is beers, waffles and chocolates. I've been in Brussels seven times (all of them for business) most of the times visiting the European Commission. The first time I visited Brussels was in 2010 and since then I go there every year. It’s the capital of the European Union which hosts the European Commission (my previous job was related to the EC), Council and Union. Getting to Brussels The city has two airports, Brussels airport and Charleroi (flights at this airport tend to be cheaper since it’s not in the center of Brussels). From Brussels airport you can take the train to the city center which is about 30 minutes and costs 8.50. If you get off at Charleroi there’s a bus shuttle (10 euros) which takes about an hour to midi station from there you can get the metro to anywhere you wish within the city. Don’t get a taxi from Charleroi to Brussels city center, it will cost you around 150 Euros. If you are reading this and you are from Cyprus then you might know that Ryanair has cheap and direct flights to Brussels from Larnaca airport. I’ve stayed at five hotels including: HOTEL Bloom Pantone Chelton Alma Theatre My top choice is of course Hotel Bloom! Amazing rooms, very near the shops, they provide you with a coffee machine in the room. Loved it and stayed there twice. Pantone and Chelton are my next two top choices compared to Alma (centrally located but you cannot control the central heating yourself, you have to call reception all the time) and Theatre (in a rough area near the Red Light District so avoid although it’s relevantly cheap and nice). Beers, Chocolates and Waffles Brussels is about beers, chocolates and waffles. There are many stores selling a variety of chocolates each of them with its own special tastes. Marcolini is a famous for its chocolates and it’s located at the grand place. Delirium is my favourite bar which offers more than 2000 different beers from all over the world. They even have beer from Cyprus. Here you can [...]

Dora Christofi2017-09-02T13:32:15+03:00September 27th, 2016|

Few Hours in Ghent, Belgium
Few Hours in Ghent, Belgium

Few Hours in Ghent, Belgium

Ghent is a beautiful canal town with a lot of history. The city is part of Flanders and it used to be on the most powerful and rich cities in Europe during the Middle Ages. Its characterized as one of Europe's amazing discoveries and you surely shouldn't miss visiting if you are in Belgium. GETTING TO GHENT Since I was in Brussels, which I have visited a lot of times, I had some free time to take the train to a nearby city. I visited Bruges before, so Ghent was my first option. I got a return train ticket for 10 Euros from Brussels to Ghent. After 40 minutes I was in Ghent. I got off at Gent-Sint-Pieters train station, which is the main station. Once you get out of the station you’ll see a lot of bicycles everywhere, parked! It reminded me of Amsterdam. I started walking, thinking that I was going to walk to the city centre but then I noticed that there’s nothing special to see on my way. So I decided to get the tram. Tram No.1 for 3 Euros (1 hour ticket) will take you to the city centre. The journey from the station to the city centre is around 10 minutes. You have the option to walk (around 3Km) but there's nothing to see on the way so prefer the tram instead and save you energy to walk around the city centre. I went through a guide about Ghent and pinned my map what to see, deciding the walking route I was going to take. I visited on Sunday and the city was pretty busy since it was sunny (although it was freezing). BOOK YOUR HOTEL THE BEST WAY TO SEE THE CITY IS BY FOOT Walking around the city is really relaxing; you'll walk through history, beautiful buildings, cathedrals and old houses via the along the Leie river. This is the best way to see the city's most important spots and get a quick taste of Ghent. GHENT: TO-DO AND SEE [...]

Dora Christofi2023-06-29T16:31:44+03:00April 1st, 2016|

2 hour Express Trip to Bruges, Belgium
2 hour Express Trip to Bruges, Belgium

2 hour Express Trip to Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a beautiful small town in the northern part of Belgium, in an area called Flanders. It's one of the best preserved cities in Europe and it's like a postcard. It's one of those cities that you can easily get around by foot and see the basic sights within a few hours. Have you heard of the movie In Bruges? If yes, this is the town the movie was filmed at. Getting to Bruges I was in Brussels and had a few hours free in the afternoon to get the train there. The train leaves every half an hour and it's around 1 hour journey from the central station. When I reached Bruges it took us around 15 minutes to walk to the city center. I visited on a cold rainy day however I managed to walk around and see the town within 2 hours. Things not to miss Markt is the Center of Bruges, the heart of the town. The historic part is beautiful. The square is nice with 'gothic' impressive buildings. This represents the identity of Bruges and if you search for Bruges most of the images that come up are from this square. Belfry is a bell tower in the square which is one of the city's prominent symbols. It used to host municipal archives and it was served as an observation point for spotting fires and danger within the city. Anyone can go on the top of Belfry with an entry fee of XX. Have in mind that there are 366 steps and the height its 83m. If you are in Bruges and want to take some nice panoramic photos then Belfry is the most suitable spot! Church of Lady is the tallest structure (tower) the city (122m). It illustrates Michelangelo's famous art, Madonna and Child and a lot of paintings. Buy some chocolate since the here are many chocolate shops with a high standard - what I mean? They are a bit pricey. Eat fites with mayonnaise, mussels or fricadellen (meatballs). Avoid having food near [...]

Dora Christofi2018-02-24T10:28:59+03:00March 4th, 2016|