Grand places and more crap stations

Well, I got up late, but this hostel understands the need for a good nights sleep, so breakfast goes on until 10 or so. So I did get some muesli and a pastry.

When I was ready, I walked across the city to the Grand Place. It was a nice scenic walk, via some churches (all with services on, so I didn't get to visit), and other places. This little statue was in a square tucked away behind the beguinage. It was accompanied by a man calling the staff of an old people's home "fascists". I'm not entirely sure why but it did spoil the mood a bit. As I got closer Grand Place itself, it started to get way more touristy.

Grand Place is the sort of place that makes your jaw drop just a little bit. It was the medieval centre of the town, and it's where the town and all its guilds tried to make the most impressive show possible. They succeeded, and it's been there ever since, as I understand it. Unlike some, it didn't get damaged much in the wars, although it did burn down in the 17th Century: they just built it even better.

Pictures are probably best.

It's even better in the flesh. I popped into the tourist information office, and got a taste of the rich depth of Belgian humour. "Hi, do you speak English?" "Yes, do you?"
He did give me directions to Waterloo as well, although with hindsight it might have been better if he hadn't.

Anyway, shrugging off the attentions of a guy trying to sell me a leather jacket, I left the square to head for the central station. On the way, I passed the Galeries St Hubert, which contain lots of tourists and some very posh shops. Oh, and a small cinema that shows 8 different films every day. It's actually twice as big as the picture shows, and very impressive.

The whole route to the station is quite impressive, lots of ornate buildings. It is all a bit touristy though, but you can see why. The Central Station is almost as bad as Brussels Midi: it actually has a brilliant main hall that reminds me of New York's Central Station, but most of the station is actually underneath that. Let's just say that if I wanted to shoot a horror film, the basement floors of Central would do very nicely. Dark corners, shattered concrete, it's the sort of place that makes you feel very alone even in a crowd of people.

My aim was to get to Waterloo, or more exactly Braine L'Alleud. To kill time before the train came, I took a look up the hill. As you go up, towards the royal palace and all the museums, there start to be some great views across the city.

Near the top of the hill, is this restored art deco building, which now houses the music museum (more later). It was the first in a store chain called Old England (which was neither). It's not quite Gaudi but it is pretty.

Grand places and more crap stations

Brussels, Belgium