Brussels for 3 weeks--what should we do/see?

[chai]

It's official. Our family (one kid, two dogs) is going to Brussels with dh for 3 weeks this fall. He has to work, but we will have all day to play.

I have a travel guide, so I already know some of the must-dos in Brussels. We won't have a car during the day, so I will need to rely on walking, the train, or taxis.

We will have a car on the weekend. On one weekend, we plan to drive up to the Netherlands--to meet a former exchange student who lived with us. We could take the train to Paris on the other weekend, but I am trying to keep down the expenses.

We're studing the middle ages / renaissance this year, so it would be nice to see some of those sites.

Any ideas?

[NevadaRabbit]

It's official. Our family (one kid, two dogs) is going to Brussels with dh for 3 weeks this fall. He has to work, but we will have all day to play.


Aren't the Sprouts something to see over there?




Sorry.
:smilielol5:

[Brigitte]

I am getting ready to leave for a meeting, but I did want to give you some ideas before I run off. Bruge (or Brugge depends on you are using French or Flemish) and Dinant are two must sees for Middleages study. Leuven has some beautiful architecture for that period as well (I am a bit biased, but the people are great there too).

I will post other ideas later.

[Jane in NC]

The Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels has an amazing collection of Bruegel paintings, pieces like:

http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/site/img_db/36.jpg

What a wonderful way to study late medieval life!

Jane

[Sebastian (a lady)]

It's official. Our family (one kid, two dogs) is going to Brussels with dh for 3 weeks this fall. He has to work, but we will have all day to play.

I have a travel guide, so I already know some of the must-dos in Brussels. We won't have a car during the day, so I will need to rely on walking, the train, or taxis.

We will have a car on the weekend. On one weekend, we plan to drive up to the Netherlands--to meet a former exchange student who lived with us. We could take the train to Paris on the other weekend, but I am trying to keep down the expenses.

We're studing the middle ages / renaissance this year, so it would be nice to see some of those sites.

Any ideas?

The cathedral is nice. The town square is incredible. Make sure you get some waffles.
There is an animation museum that features lots of TinTin stuff. Very cool. They also had an awesome bookstore for graphic novels including some great books on D-Day and The Battle of the Bulge in graphic novel form.
If you can swing a side trip to Bruges, you MUST do this. Bruges/Brugge rocks. Spring for the canal boat ride and wallow in the atmosphere. It has a good art museum and one of the nicest cathedrals that we visited in our three years in Europe. The tourists crowd around the Michaelangelo and completely miss everything else. (Don't miss the painting of the calling of Matthew that is in the corner. It is very nice.)

[Hoggirl]

The cathedral is nice. The town square is incredible. Make sure you get some waffles.
There is an animation museum that features lots of TinTin stuff. Very cool. They also had an awesome bookstore for graphic novels including some great books on D-Day and The Battle of the Bulge in graphic novel form.
If you can swing a side trip to Bruges, you MUST do this. Bruges/Brugge rocks. Spring for the canal boat ride and wallow in the atmosphere. It has a good art museum and one of the nicest cathedrals that we visited in our three years in Europe. The tourists crowd around the Michaelangelo and completely miss everything else. (Don't miss the painting of the calling of Matthew that is in the corner. It is very nice.)

It was one of our favorite places in Europe!

Brussels has a "mini-Europe" that we enjoyed. Scaled down models of many European landmarks (mini-Eiffel tower, mini-Arc d' Triomphe, mini-Big Ben, etc.). We have tons of darling pictures of our then three-year-old standing in front of them.

[Raders Fan]

OK, I read this too fast--I read Brussels Sprouts for three weeks, and I was beginning to feel really sorry for somebody.

I'm not feeling sorry for you anymore.

[chai]

Aren't the Sprouts something to see over there?




Sorry.
:smilielol5:

OK, I read this too fast--I read Brussels Sprouts for three weeks, and I was beginning to feel really sorry for somebody.

I'm not feeling sorry for you anymore.


:tongue_smilie:

That's it--if Brussel Sprouts are a requirement, I'm NOT going!

[chai]

Oooooh! This is getting exciting!

So far, I've got:

Bruges
mini-Europe (my dd saw a picture of this and really wants to go)
animation museum
Museum of Fine Arts
Dinant
Leuven

Has anyone been to the new Magritte museum? I love Magritte!

[Stacia]

Oooooh! This is getting exciting!

So far, I've got:

Bruges
mini-Europe (my dd saw a picture of this and really wants to go)
animation museum
Museum of Fine Arts
Dinant
Leuven

Has anyone been to the new Magritte museum? I love Magritte!

You will have so much fun. Brugge is awesome. Haven't seen the Magritte museum, but I'd go too because I love Magritte, lol.

If you want to see a real castle from the middle ages, head to Ghent & see the Gravensteen (http://www.trabel.com/gent/gravensteen.htm). It is mostly empty inside, but is great to see, esp. if you've been studying the middle ages. As the website mentions, they do have a collection of torture instruments, so you can just choose to skip the room if you don't want to see them. (There are some horrific & creepy instruments that I saw there many years ago. Last time we were there w/ the kids -- a few years ago -- we just didn't go in that room.) You can go all the way to the top too & look out over the city.

Eat lots of chocolate while you're there. :D

[JWSJ]

Everywhere there are statues of a little boy peeing.

And chocolate.

The natives are the friendliest people I've ever met!

[Stacia]

Thought of a few more things....

When you're in Brugge, it's worth going to the Basilica of the Holy Blood (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/belgium/bruges-basilica-of-holy-blood.htm). The church has a relic which was brought back from one of the Crusades & it contains a piece of rock crystal which supposedly contains a drop of Jesus's blood from his crucifiction. I'm not sure that the relic is on display all day, every day, but I think it is brought out at certain times of day. We got lucky and they brought it out while we were there. The church is worth seeing too, just for all the decorative work and paintings.

This site (http://www.holyblood.com/EN/0.asp)has quite a bit of information about the history of the relic. Fascinating.

In Brussels, I'd avoid the chocolate shops around the Grand Palais -- most of them are very touristy & the chocolates are not good. I remember seeing somewhere that you can take a tour of a chocolate factory/museum & then you get treats afterward, lol. Ask some locals to point you in the direction of some good chocolates. The shops are just so fun to see -- the window displays are just incredible.

I think someone else mentioned the waffle stands (yum) & you should partake of the french fry stands too (a Belgian tradition). Mussels (if you eat them) and beer (if you drink) are a must when in Belgium. The food in Belgium is generally excellent & they pride themselves on being better chefs than the French. (Sorry to any French people!)

Antwerp (http://www.visitflanders.us/index.php?page=antwerp) is a wonderful city too. You can visit Rubenshuis (http://www.trabel.com/antwerp-rubenshuis.htm) (home of Peter Paul Rubens). It's a neat place to see. Also, if you want to be wowed, take a stroll through the diamond district. The shop windows glow there is so much gold & so many diamonds displayed. The Cathedral of Our Lady (http://www.dekathedraal.be/en/) is worth a visit. And, if you have time, it's fun to see the Brabo statue (http://www.trabel.com/antwerp/antwerp-grotemarkt.htm) & learn the story of how Antwerp got it's name.

Train travel around Belgium is very easy.

Oh, and a little off-topic. You mentioned loving Magritte.... Have you seen the book Dinner at Magritte's (http://www.amazon.com/Dinner-at-Magrittes-Michael-Garland/dp/0525453369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222360881&sr=1-1) (for kids)? It's out of print, but it's a fun & clever picture book.