A Day in Brussels

I had arranged to spend a few hours in Brussels – it was the only chance I would get to visit Belgium and I wanted to make the most of it. I arrived from my flight from Madrid and immediately set off to the train station. I got a shock because everything was very expensive! In Spain the prices were much much lower and I had grown accustomed to them – I nearly cancelled my plans to visit the city when I found out the price of the train ticket! (It probably was a fair price, but for me it felt very expensive!). But, I had come all this way and this was my one chance, so I swallowed my stubborn pride and boarded the train.

I arrived downtown and I had no map and no idea where things were. I decided to just take a walk and see where I ended up. So I walked and discovered quaint little shops. I stopped into a couple of chocolate shops and scouted for free samples – they were delicious. I finally found myself in the main town square. I saw a tourist information centre, I went in and tried to acquire a map but you had to pay for it. After paying for my train ticket I was not about to shell out for a map just for a few hours. I walked out of the office, disgusted. Unsure of what to do just next, I took out my camera and took a few photos. Suddenly, right in front of me I noticed a group of people advertising free walking tours. I spoke to them and asked if I could join. We began the tour a few minutes later, with a group of 15 or 20 of us. It was just what I needed! An answered prayer! Our tour guide took us to all the important places and gave us a background on them all. It was also interesting talking to the other people on the tour – I ended up speaking to a retired teacher who also worked with special needs children. There was another New Zealander on the tour as well – it was strange to hear the accent!

We stopped at the famous Mannequin Pis – the statue of a small boy peeing. And boy, was it small! I always thought that it was much larger, but no, it is only small. They even employ someone to make little outfits for him and they dress him up for certain occasions and themes. He was naked when we visited though!

After a couple of hours we finished up and we were asked to give our tour guide a tip. I couldn't really afford much, but I was glad to tip him since the tour had really made my visit! I headed off and got some lunch before heading back to the airport. I bought a waffle from and had a banana with it! I even broke my own rules and bought a chocolate bar, just to say I had eaten Belgium chocolate in Belgium!

I got back to the airport and checked in for my next flight. While scanning my hand luggage they found my Swiss army knife (which Madrid airport had not picked up and I had forgotten was in my bag). They confiscated it off me. I was so devastated at losing my precious knife that I cried! I knew that I would not be going back to Switzerland to get another one, and I had already lost my first knife! It was a real shame. I cannot say that I had the best day ever in Brussels, but I did learn a lot and enjoyed myself.