February 7, 2023

We took an early train from Bruges to Brussels and made the decision to leave our big bags in a locker at the train station so we wouldn’t have to waste time going to/from the hostel for the bags. We packed strategically so that our day pack had everything we needed for the night and both days. After dropping our bags in the locker, we started to explore the city. We walked and walked and walked all over and quickly realized that everything in Brussels was a mile from anything else in Brussels. 

The first stop was the grocery store to get water and lunch, which we ate by the river. Then we headed off to find the Manneken Pis, which was very underwhelming and very crowded. Neither of us realized quite how small he actually is. After we got out of the crowd, we took the metro to Atomium. Since we purchased the Brussels card, we had transit for 24 hours and didn’t have to wait in the ticket line for the Atomium. Luckily, there wasn’t much of a wait for the first part of the exhibit, so we were on the escalator momentarily after we arrived. Part 1 included taking an escalator up to one of the balls on the side. Then as we got further, we used another escalator and some staircases. There were light shows and a view of the area below us in addition to the history on the creation and design of the Atomium. We soon decided we were ready for the panoramic view so we headed back down the steps to the bottom to wait in line to catch the elevator up the middle tube to the top ball. The views were breathtaking and worth the wait. Once we were back down at the bottom, we decided we needed a quick snack, so we stopped at the cafe outside. Then, we took the metro back to center city to check in to the hostel and settle in before going back out. 

After an amazing dinner at a Wok restaurant, we heading across the street to Brussel’s most famous bar. It’s so big that it’s actually considered a beer village rather than a bar. They had over 2004 beers, with 10 on tap that you could do a flight of. Of course, we ordered the flight and took our time deciding which of the 10 we liked/disliked. Then, to round out the night, we headed to other part of the bar to each try one of the bottled beers. We both really liked our selections and decided to end on a high note, so we headed back to the hostel to rest up for our last full day in Europe. 

In the morning, we got up early to make the most of our city pass. Our first stop was to the Belgian chocolate village which would’ve been really cool…if they hadn’t chosen that day to be closed. Instead, we hopped back on the metro and went to the musical instrument museum which boasted floors and floors of all different instruments from around the world and throughout history. 

And now we reach the part that we forgot to write and never posted… 

After wandering through the city admiring sites including the Royal Palace, we found our way to Chocostory. If that sounds familiar, then that’s because we had also visited its sister museum in Bruges. What we hadn’t realized was that the museums were almost identical. Luckily, unlike our visit in Bruges, our timing lined up perfectly with the demonstration so we got to watch the chocolatier making truffles before getting a sample on the way out. 

Our last order of business before leaving the city was to try to find the Pis trio. We had found Manneken Pis the day before, so we headed to find Jeanneke Pis (which happened to be right next to Delirium) and then Zinneke Pis. After a little more exploring, we made our way back to the train station and collected our bags from the locker before getting prepared for our train back to London. 

The train was uneventful and we were able to relax along the way. Upon arrival, we found our hotel and checked in before settling in for the night.

In the morning, we were very conscious of the fact that the lines at Heathrow had recently been hours. We arrived just less than 6 hours before our flight hoping that there would be no problems and made it through security with just over 5 hours until our flight. We were torn between feeling grateful that our we made it through without getting stuck in a crazy line and mourning the extra time that we could’ve slept. After wandering through the terminal and waiting and waiting, we decided on a restaurant for lunch where we told them to take their time. We finally fished lunch with only three more hours to wait and wait and wait some more. 

Shortly before our flight, we got a notification from our United app that our seats had changed and been upgraded! When it was eventually time to board, we found our seats and made sure to enjoy all the amenities of business class including a nicer dinner served with wine, vodka, and a bag full of travel necessities. 

By the time we arrived in DC, we were exhausted and ready for a hot shower and comfortable bed before we packed and moved to our new apartment in Delaware!