Grand Place | Musee Magritte | Manneken Pis | Place Brugmann
Brussels took me completely by surprise. As far as tourist destinations are concerned, it isn’t an obvious one – it doesn’t have the ruins of Rome, or the haunting cold war relics of Berlin, or the meticulously planned beauty of Paris. But when I rode the train into the European Union capital through a beautiful sunrise, I found myself in a charming city filled with delightful art deco architecture, charming boutiques, quaint tea shops and two absolutely lovely bloffers; my dear friend Caterina of Not Just a Pretty Dress and my new friend Jess of Jess in Belgium. This trip was my first time travelling alone and it began as a comedy of errors that saw me get locked out of my hotel. But it went on to be a wonderful experience that included lots of laughter, a little shopping and my very first bibimbap {which I loved so much, I’ve already had my second!} A big thank-you to Caterina, who gave me so many recommendations before my trip and who warmly welcomed me to Brussels.
Bruxelles m’a étonné. Comme destination touristique, son charme ne se met en évidence – il n’a pas les ruines de Rome, ni les reliques de la Guerre Froide comme à Berlin, ni la beauté minutieusement conçu de Paris. J’ai voyagé à l’aube, et après avoir vu le lever du soleil, j’ai descendu du train à Bruxelles et je me suis trouver dans une ville charmante, pleine de chefs d’œuvres d’art déco, d’adorables boutiques, de pittoresques salons de thé et deux très gentilles blogeuses – ma chère amie Caterina de Not Just a Pretty Dress et ma nouvelle amie Jess de Jess in Belgium. C’était la première fois que j’ai voyagé seule et le voyage a commencé en comédie d’imbroglios – a un moment donne, j’étais enfermer dehors de mon hôtel ! Mais en fin de conte, c’était une expérience géniale ; j’ai beaucoup ri, j’ai un peu acheté et j’ai pris mon premier bibimbap {que j’ai tellement aime que j’ai déjà pris mon deuxieme !} Un gros merci à Caterina, qui m’a fait un tas de recommandations avant mon voyageet qui m’a très chaleureusement acceulli.
Hi Cee! It must be a marvelous and gorgeous city! I never been there but I'd like! I always hear so well about it!:) Thanks for the tips, you make me want to take the first flight and plane there:) kisses! xo
Brussels is high on my list for the next time I travel to Europe (which I'm really hoping will be in the next few years but I need to work in short trips to Scotland and NYC before that). I've always wanted to see the city – and this is just confirmed it!
Cee, I'm going to send this wonderful post to everyone who wants to come to Brussels! Thank you so much for your visit: I wish you stayed for another week! I'm really glad you enjoyed the city and the fashion recommendations, and I cannot wait to see a post of you wearing Les Precieuses…Take care, Caterina PS: I'll tell Jess that she did a great job with the photo…!
Awww… chukkahapnida (congrats) on your first bibimbap! Tee hee. i almost thought it was a rather wrong place to have a first try (still, its not in an Asian place) of a Korean dish.
Theres nothing fun with a first solo trip with just friends, i had the best time in my life for shopping, laughter and great fun to get lost within the streets. now i have to copy this so someday i can get lost in brussels!
Cee, I am so excited to see your photos! I am so glad you had a great time and I definitely want to visit Brussels at some point in my life. Thanks for sharing! xo
Cee, I am so glad you had a great time! Brussels is beautiful! Loving the architecture and of course the food. You look so pretty doll. These are moments to treasure. http://www.averysweetblog.com/
Ooooh, looks like such a fun trip. Brussels is meant to be amazing. I have to visit at some point. I remembered when I travelled alone the first time – I met up with a few friends one evening, then couldn't remember where my hotel was when coming back!
Superbes photos ! J'adore Bruxelles, j'y suis allée il y a deux ans le temps d'un weekend, la Grand Place est vraiment magnifique 🙂 Tu as du passer un excellent moment, bisous 🙂
Nice! I have to admit I've never wondered about visiting Brussels but this is a really neat guide! 😀 And traveling alone is so awesome, and so prone to hilarious mistakes! Last time I traveled by myself I ended up in a bad (dangerous) neighborhood in my quest to find good food.
What a cool trip, it's good that you always see the good side of these things, like getting lock outside ! 🙂 Beautiful places, yummy foods and you look beautiful in that photo !
How wonderful Cee and wow, your first time travelling alone? always exciting… So glad that you enjoyed Belgium, It's such a cool and historic, and artful place. Have a lovely weekend.xx/ Madison
I was in Brussels ages ago, so far that I can't even remember the city, but for the pictures looks really nice and that waffle OMG. Glad to read you had fun despite the disastrous experience. xxx
wow, take my breath away a little more why don't cha! these pics are fab Cee – i loved seeing bits of your recent excursion and the one of you two girls is really cute!!
i've been on a couple “alone” trips before too, they make for the best memories b/c of those kinds of happenstances. glad you got out there and created harmony within the chaos. you are so genius at that type of stride, i would follow in your footsteps any time! xo ♥
Cee this post has been bookmarked immediately for all your recommendations! I am considering a visit to Brussels this year, and maybe Caterina would also be able to show me around…. I think I am quite taken with the place after your photos. It seems a lovely mix of old and new, I like that in a city. I want to hear about how you managed to get locked out of your hotel, of course 🙂
OMG I am so jealous Cee! I have wanted to go to Belgium after seeing In Bruges! It looks so lovely and very…fairytale-ish! I have got to get to Brussels one of these days.
Sadly the story isn't as funny when I tell the full version… it was a combination of bad communication and my exhaustion. There was a code for the door, not a key; I was told the code but didn't actually try it while the hotel rep was there… and then when I went out and tried to get back it {the hotel rep gone by this point}, I found the code was wrong! All got sorted in the end, luckily 🙂 xox, Cee
Thank-you so much for all of your thoughtful comments, mes cheries! xox, Cee
Cee Fardoe is a thirty-something Canadian blogger who splits her time between Winnipeg and Paris. She is a voracious reader, avid tea-drinker, insatiable wanderer and fashion lover who prefers to dress in black, white and gray.
Hi Cee! It must be a marvelous and gorgeous city! I never been there but I'd like! I always hear so well about it!:) Thanks for the tips, you make me want to take the first flight and plane there:) kisses! xo
Brussels is high on my list for the next time I travel to Europe (which I'm really hoping will be in the next few years but I need to work in short trips to Scotland and NYC before that). I've always wanted to see the city – and this is just confirmed it!
Courtney ~ http://sartorialsidelines.com
Cee, I'm going to send this wonderful post to everyone who wants to come to Brussels! Thank you so much for your visit: I wish you stayed for another week! I'm really glad you enjoyed the city and the fashion recommendations, and I cannot wait to see a post of you wearing Les Precieuses…Take care, Caterina PS: I'll tell Jess that she did a great job with the photo…!
Ah bruxelles ! Il faut vraiment que j'aille visiter cette ville un jour 🙂
Bises.
Awww… chukkahapnida (congrats) on your first bibimbap! Tee hee. i almost thought it was a rather wrong place to have a first try (still, its not in an Asian place) of a Korean dish.
Theres nothing fun with a first solo trip with just friends, i had the best time in my life for shopping, laughter and great fun to get lost within the streets. now i have to copy this so someday i can get lost in brussels!
Lovely photos, always so fun to see your adventures!
xo Cara
http://www.afashionloveaffair.com
beautyyyful pictures, love!<33
Kristin
xx
Cee, I am so excited to see your photos! I am so glad you had a great time and I definitely want to visit Brussels at some point in my life. Thanks for sharing! xo
Cee, I am so glad you had a great time! Brussels is beautiful! Loving the architecture and of course the food. You look so pretty doll. These are moments to treasure.
http://www.averysweetblog.com/
Great post – love the photographs 🙂
http://www.ofbeautyandnothingness.blogspot.co.uk
oh wow! so great impressions!
http://www.missysworld.com
It's a city I really want to visit!
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Ooooh, looks like such a fun trip. Brussels is meant to be amazing. I have to visit at some point. I remembered when I travelled alone the first time – I met up with a few friends one evening, then couldn't remember where my hotel was when coming back!
I love Bruxelles!
Chocolate Rose Style
Cee photos are absolutely wonderful and how great it is to finally meet Blogger Friends.
♥
xoxo Ra
Superbes photos ! J'adore Bruxelles, j'y suis allée il y a deux ans le temps d'un weekend, la Grand Place est vraiment magnifique 🙂
Tu as du passer un excellent moment, bisous 🙂
Great photos! Looks like you had a fantastic trip!
p.s., so jealous you got to meet Caterina – I'm such a fan of her blog!
Kate xo petite-adventures.blogspot.ca
Nice! I have to admit I've never wondered about visiting Brussels but this is a really neat guide! 😀
And traveling alone is so awesome, and so prone to hilarious mistakes! Last time I traveled by myself I ended up in a bad (dangerous) neighborhood in my quest to find good food.
sounds like a lot of fun !
sounds like a lot of fun !
What a cool trip, it's good that you always see the good side of these things, like getting lock outside ! 🙂
Beautiful places, yummy foods and you look beautiful in that photo !
http://www.universeandyou.com.br
xoxo from Japan
I love the pics!! Hope you had fun in brussels 😀
x
http://www.be-your-own-hero-now.blogspot.pt
I wish…I WISH..That I could have gate crashed this visit!
How wonderful Cee and wow, your first time travelling alone? always exciting… So glad that you enjoyed Belgium, It's such a cool and historic, and artful place. Have a lovely weekend.xx/ Madison
SO want to go there one day!
Have a lovely day,
-Kati
I was in Brussels ages ago, so far that I can't even remember the city, but for the pictures looks really nice and that waffle OMG.
Glad to read you had fun despite the disastrous experience.
xxx
Ca à l'air sublime ! J'espère bien que j'aurai l'occasion d'y aller un jour
http://blogdemademoiselle.blogspot.fr/
wow, take my breath away a little more why don't cha! these pics are fab Cee – i loved seeing bits of your recent excursion and the one of you two girls is really cute!!
i've been on a couple “alone” trips before too, they make for the best memories b/c of those kinds of happenstances. glad you got out there and created harmony within the chaos. you are so genius at that type of stride, i would follow in your footsteps any time! xo ♥
Cee this post has been bookmarked immediately for all your recommendations! I am considering a visit to Brussels this year, and maybe Caterina would also be able to show me around…. I think I am quite taken with the place after your photos. It seems a lovely mix of old and new, I like that in a city. I want to hear about how you managed to get locked out of your hotel, of course 🙂
Hope you ladies had fun!
http://www.styleonthecouch.com
Sympas ces photos 🙂
OMG I am so jealous Cee! I have wanted to go to Belgium after seeing In Bruges! It looks so lovely and very…fairytale-ish! I have got to get to Brussels one of these days.
Chao
Poppie
http://thepoppie.com
Sadly the story isn't as funny when I tell the full version… it was a combination of bad communication and my exhaustion. There was a code for the door, not a key; I was told the code but didn't actually try it while the hotel rep was there… and then when I went out and tried to get back it {the hotel rep gone by this point}, I found the code was wrong! All got sorted in the end, luckily 🙂
xox,
Cee
Thank-you so much for all of your thoughtful comments, mes cheries!
xox,
Cee