Life in a year full of Saturdays: Brussels (Belgium)

BRUSSELS (BELGIUM)
01 August - 03 August 2017

Why Brussels?

Other than the stock standard response of 'why not', for me, it was simple and surprisingly not even manufactured, not greatly in any case.

U2 were taking their 30th Anniversary Joshua Tree tour through Europe and were set for a final date at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on 01 August. This date aligned perfectly with our return to Europe and our desire to catch a flight to the Emirates for the second leg of our Honeymoon tour. It only seemed fitting that during our honeymoon I could convince my wife that seeing my favourite album of all time, The Joshua Tree, performed by my favourite band, U2, in a city that neither of us had been to, would be a viable option.

First stop Lisbon, next stop Brussels - Belgium

The bar at the Courtyard by Marrriot - Brussels - Belgium

Brussels - Belgium

Hard Rock Cafe - Brussels - Belgium

Flying back into Europe on the 1st of August we were effectively back on home turf for a short stay before heading off to Middle East. And by the way, for those that might want to ping me for suggested that the UAE and Oman are not considered the Middle East, I can categorically say that they are. These countries are considered to be part of a transcontinental area that straddles Western Asia, Eastern Africa, the Arabian peninsula and Turkey.

Now for some reason I recall the hotel we stayed at, the Courtyard by Marriott Brussels, particularly fondly. Not outstanding, no great amenities, no bells and whistles, but there was something homely and comfortable about it that just stuck with me. The staff too added to the the environment and mood, they were attentive, happy and seemed to know the right amount of interaction to provide to their clients. Additionally, the reception area also morphed into into a bar on the other side of the desk. With deep, dark panelled wood highlighting the bar, there was something particularly comforting and warm about the space.

Brussels - Belgium

You tell me how tasty this looks :)

Antomium - Brussels - Belgium

Our hotel was only about 1.5kms away from what we find to be a surprisingly vibrant and buzzing city centre. I had expectations of atmospheric and cool bars, restaurants and boutique like eateries, which were there, but there was also interest architecture, medieval style lanes, small hideaway spots, grand squares and palaces. It's a shame that we didn't put any more time into the agenda to allow ourselves to discover the town more. And really, I should have known, when you have a mix of Walloons & Flemings, and then the mixing pot of EU civil servants, all within a relatively compact town then you can easily come out with something of absolute fascination.