Belgium 1 – The Channel Crossing !

[It had come as quite a surprise that Bharat aka Borat was leaving to India for good. The guy had been around in Bristol ever since Rama, Anil Curpad, Akansha and I first set foot on British soil back in 2006....Hence a week before he was scheduled to bid goodbye, the 5 of us got together and embarked on one last memorable trip - this time to a rather unconventional destination - Belgium....and by means of the Eurostar - the high-speed train link between London and Continental Europe via the channel Tunnel !]

The Channel Tunnel :

The ancient Romans had called it ‘Oceanus Britannicus’ and the medieval Dutch sea-men – the ‘Engelse Kanaal’ ! The French call it ‘La Manche’, but to the rest of the world, its simply known as the ‘English Channel’ – the arm of the Atlantic ocean that separates France from England.

Believed to have been created between 450,000 and 180,000 years ago by a series of glacial lake outburst floods, the English Channel has served as a key natural defense system for Britain throughout history, blocking invading armies from the continent – the Dutch, the Spanish, Napoleon, and more recently, the Nazis in World-War 2 ! The only major exceptions of course, being the Roman invasion of Britannia at around the beginning of the first millennium, and the Norman conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror. The former had resulted in the founding of many of the English cities we have today, including Londonium (London) and the latter had established the current arm of the Royal family – Queen Elizabeth 2 being a direct descendant of William the Conqueror !

For centuries, ideas for a cross-channel link connecting Britain and France had been dreamt about, and if Asterix comics are to be believed, our very own Obelisk had proposed the idea about 2000 years ago, after having crossed over by boat in the rain

Obelisk proposes the Channel Tunnel

However, it wasn’t until 1996 that, as a joint-venture between the French and the British,  the Channel Tunnel was dug out under the Channel, and that gave birth to the Eurostar …connecting London, for the first time in history, directly to Paris and Brussels on the mainland !

The Channel Tunnel is widely proclaimed to be one of the greatest engineering feats of modern times…and the Eurostar, is nothing short of a marvel in itself. Having been developed using French TGV technology, it happens to be the fastest train on British soil [...though it hits its peak speeds only on the French side on tracks built to carry the TGV ! ]

Well, so much for introductions ….let’s get on with the story !

Day 0, Bristol :

Friday, 5th Sept, 2008

3:30pm: We knew that the trip was going to be one hell of an adventure, right from the moment we kicked-off ! Having taken permission to leave early from office, Bharat, Akansha, Anil Curpad, Rama and I sped off in a Euro Taxi from Aztec Centre to Parkway Station, hoping to catch the 4 pm train to London, only to realize that all trains in the region were either delayed/cancelled, thanks to the flooding of a tunnel in Wales ! Fortunately for us, a 2pm train to London was running late and just as it was about to depart from the platform at 3:45, we barged in. [It so happened that this was about the only train to London that afternoon, and had we missed it, even by a whisker, we may very well have spent the weekend in Bristol itself ... having forfeited our Eurostar tickets in the process !] !

Further delays and 2.5 hours later, we arrived at London Paddington station…and quickly took a Tube to the St.Pancras International Station – home to the Eurostar !

The last time I had been here was in Nov 2007, when on a weekend trip to London from Middlesbrough, I had visited the Station soon after it took over the Eurostar services from Waterloo Station, following a £800 million renovation. All that money, undoubtedly had been put to good use, as what we have today is an architectural marvel in itself, blending the Victorian elements of the old St.Pancras with ultra-modern designs and facilities to rival any major airport !

At the St.Pancras International Station, London

We packed up some sandwiches for dinner, and proceeded through the airport-style security and Immigration clearance desks. Though there were other services to Paris at around the same time and loads of passengers coming in, the formalities were impressively swift…quite in contrast to airports !

As far as Eurostar tickets are concerned, depending on how early you book, they cost more or less the same as flights. However, according to me, traveling to Western Europe by the Eurostar is a much better option compared to flying ‘cos of the following reasons :

• * The journey times are comparable, and if you consider the time spent in traveling to and from airports and through the long security/immigration queues, the Eurostar wins hands-down !
• * No cramped seats as in flights, and no seat-belts ! You get to sit with your mates facing each other, and have the freedom to visit the loo whenever you want
• * No baggage restrictions, and you don’t have to restrict liquids and gels to 100ml.
• * Last, but most important – the highly reduced Carbon footprint !

We took an escalator up to the level where the trains were stationed. Our seats being in the very first compartment, meant that we had to walk the entire length of the Eurostar – which with its 18 compartments was by no means a short train !

At sharp 7:30pm, the Eurostar set-off from St.Pancras and we were charging towards Brussels ! In about half and hour, the train dashed into the Channel Tunnel at Dover…..20 minutes of darkness later, we zoomed out into France at Calais, accelerating up to the maximum speed of 200mph ! Following a brief stop at Lille Europe in France, the train pushed on across the Belgian border, finally arriving at the Brussels Midi Station at 10:30 pm local time.

We got off the train and joined the hordes of people waiting for the platform gates to open. The scene was kinda scary…as we had Security men in plain-clothes coming up and demanding to examine our Passports. Having completed the immigration formalities back at London itself, there was no real need for any of that here at Brussels, however, the officials did random checks on whoever they felt suspicious …..and being south Asians, it didn’t really help, I guess !

Down at the entrance to the station, greeting us,  was a huge mural of Tintin - Brussels’ very own local boy ! [It was here in the city that Herge first created Tintin back in 1929 !]

At the Brussels Midi Station

From Belgium 2008

Few photographs later, and on taking directions from a couple of friendly locals, we walked across to the nearby Hotel Ibis ! However, it turned out that the Ibis that we had booked into was a different branch, which was in the city center, and that meant having to shell out another 15 euros in a cab to get there [..the actual price was only 10 euros, but since there were 5 of us, they charged a little extra ]

The first thing that struck us about Brussels was the pleasant weather – typical of continental Europe ! It was just perfect ….neither too cold, nor warm…The sky was clear, and we didn’t hesitate to get rid of our jackets – something which we can only dream about back in England at this time of the year !

We checked-in to our rooms at Hotel Ibis, and in no mood to sleep early, set-off on a midnight stroll ….exploring the streets of Brussels ! The city centre was massive, and quite surprisingly, it was buzzing with life even at that time of the night. We went in to one of the many ‘Sultans of Kebabs’ outlets and treated ourselves to a lavish feast of Falafels and Shawarmas !

Midnight, on the streets of Brussels

Belgium 2 – the Bruges saga !

Day 1

Saturday, 6th Sept, 2008

It was a nice and sunny day in Brussels …….and Bharat, Akansha, Anil Curpad, Rama and I kicked it off with a lavish buffet breakfast at our hotel [Yea...if its a buffet, its got to be lavish ] This was technically our first day here in Belgium, and we had planned to spend it in the western city of Bruges.  So, off we headed ….in a metro, from the nearby Beurs metro station to Brussel’s main train station- the Brussels Midi. Though we had originally targeted to catch the 8:30am train to Bruges, keeping up with our great tradition, we ended up boarding the 10 am one…..and that too, ‘accidentally’ in the First Class compartment ! [ The fact that we didn't bother to change even after realizing the mistake, was a different matter all together :) ]

The first time I had heard about Bruges was from the Metro newspapers that I used to pick up from the Aztec 800 canteen in office everyday..[...they always carried these picture ads of tour packages to exotic European locations] ….and as a matter of fact, while we were chalking out our plans for this Belgian trip, Bruges was one of the first places we decided upon. The journey from Brussels to Bruges took us just under an hour, and as soon as we got there,  we bought a city map from the Tourist Office at the station. The City-Centre was just about 15 minutes away, so we set off walking…..through the many narrow, cobble-stoned streets of Bruges……. and stopping only to capture some classic photographs on the Digital SLRs that Anil and Bharat carried around !

Out on the streets of Bruges

From Belgium 2008

Bruges pronounced as ‘Bru’ + <cough> [...yea, you literally have to cough the last syllable out ], is the capital of the Flanders - the Dutch-speaking northern region of Belgium. Extremely popular among tourists, Bruges is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe and is said to offer the kind of charms rarely seen elsewhere.

The Wall

From Belgium 2008

Just like Strasbourg in France [.....where Bharat and I had visited 2 weeks ago], Bruges – with its beautiful canals and the ‘UNESCO World Heritage zone’ historic city-centre, is a classic picture-postcard destination, and extremely popular among western tourists …though we couldn’t spot too many Indians around !

The Canals of Bruges

From Belgium 2008

We had booked ourselves on a Bike tour from the QuasiMundo Biketours company…… and as we had opted for the 1pm batch,  we had ample time in hand to explore around the 2 main squares of the city – the Grote Markt and Burg Square ! Typical of any major European square, both were characterized by an abundance of life and buzz….and were surrounded on all sides by spectacular, neo-Gothic buildings.

Grote Markt

From Belgium 2008

Following an early lunch at a fast food joint on the Grote Markt, we walked down to the designated meeting point at Burg Square, to be received by the guide from the Bike Tour company. Besides us, there were about a dozen other people from different parts of the world too, who had gathered there. After basic introductions, the guide gave us a crash-course in the history and geography of Bruges, and took us to his nearby garage, where we paid up and took our bikes. We had booked for the ‘Border by bike’ tour, which would take us on a 3-4 hour journey right upto the Dutch border and back ….and it cost us around 20 euros per head !

Test riding our bikes

From Belgium 2008

The bikes were awesome – 18-speed and fully loaded ! Considering that I’d been riding an old, rusty bike all this while in Bristol; to me, the sudden transformation was like moving on from a Premier Padmini to a Lamborghini :)

The tour kicked off with all of us maintaining an Indian file through the city centre, but soon progressed along the canal-sides and beside the many picturesque wind-mills…..In no time, we were pedaling through the gorgeous Belgian countryside – via serene, winding roads that had hardly any traffic at all, except for the odd cyclists going either way !

Cycling through the pristine villages

From Belgium 2008

All along, on either sides of the tracks, were herds of cattle lazily grazing on the meadows and occasionally, a few horses as well !

Lazy cows

From Belgium 2008

6 kms later, we arrived at Damme – a beautiful, quiet town…shadowed by an ancient church with a missing spire ! After a quick tour of the place, we pushed on towards the Dutch border !

Entering the town of Damme

From Belgium 2008

Never before in our lives, had we pedaled so much at one stretch ! Nevertheless, the excitement kept us going and longing for more ! We rode along unbelievably beautiful paths….stopping only for photographs, or when the guide had to explain something.

“] Roads to nowhere ! [it had been Akansha's idea to dress up in our Disney T-shirts

From Belgium 2008

I was particularly enthralled by a spot along the canal, which had been the site of a fierce battle between advancing Canadian soldiers and the Nazis during WW2 ! Holland/Netherlands was on the far side of the canal, but sadly, we were only allowed to view the country from where we were !

The windmills near the Dutch border

From Belgium 2008

As part of the tour, we were entitled to 1 drink at a local Belgian pub, and so, on our return leg, we pulled into one along the canal at Damme. I tried some Belgian beer called Jupiter, and Bharat tried some White beer …..whilst the rest quenched their thirsts with fruit juices

Trying out some Belgian beer

From Belgium 2008

…After the drink, we set-off again, this time back into Bruges, where for a brief moment, we lost our way, and the guide had to come back looking for us !

There are many ways to go around sight-seeing in Bruges. Many prefer to take a boat-ride along the intricate network of canals winding through the heart of the city …..Others opt for a guided horse-carriage ride. We, decided to try both !

The boat ride is definitely a must-do here in Bruges ! For 5 euros per head, it offers a completely different picture of the city…… Due to its extensive canal network, Bruges is in fact, popularly known as the ‘Venice of the north’ !!!

The Canals

From Belgium 2008

Next up, it was time for the carriage-ride…..however, our Euro reserves had run dry and hence, were forced to draw cash from the nearest ATM [...and just about the only one in the area], which happened to be at the Post Office on Grote Markt square. Quite understandably, there was an endless queue ….. But thanks to Curpad’s commendable patience and persistence, we were rich again in less than half an hour

The Horse carriages start from the north of the Grote Markt, and we boarded one drawn by a large brown horse and driven by a sweet lady, who very poetically, described the various sights around, as we rode off the beaten path, through the city.

The carriage takes a pit-stop

From Belgium 2008

By the time we got off the buggy, it was dusk ….and the sky had painted itself in a spectacular pinkish-orange hue !

Dusk at the Grote Markt

From Belgium 2008

We picked up the customary souvenirs on the way and walked back to the Train station hoping to catch a train to Brussels. But little did we know about the saga that was awaiting ahead !!!

To state that the return journey was one helluva nerve-racking adventure, would be an under-statement !!! If all had gone to plan, we’d have been safely tucked in our beds back at the Ibis Hotel in Brussels by around 10pm that night….However, as fate would have it, it so happened that even at 1am, we were aimlessly wandering around on the streets …..in a city called Antwerp - 50 kms north of the capital [....and absolutely not part of our original iterinary at all ! ]

Well, how we got ourselves into such a mess, is perhaps stranger than fiction To cut a long story short, having missed the 8:30pm train from Bruges to Brussels by a whisker, we boarded a later one….. and alas, it broke down enroute !!! [ .... Seriously, since when have you heard  of trains breaking down in Europe ??? ] The technicians tried everything they could …but ultimately when it seemed like they weren’t getting anywhere, we were asked to hop on into another passing train.

However, what no one bothered to tell us was that, that train was actually headed towards Antwerp …. and that we had to get off at Ghent and catch a connection to Brussels ! We only realized this a few minutes after passing Ghent, when the TTR lady came along. She was quite sympathetic though, and assured us that we’d still be able to catch a train south into Brussels from Antwerp.

Just as we were starting to believe that everything was under control; did the train stop at a small, deserted station called Lokeren [ a place which none of us would be able to forget in a long time to come ]….Heeding on someone’s idiotic advice, we got off, thinking we had reached our destination…….only to realize that it wasn’t quite the case  By then, the train in which we had come in, had left ….The next one, and the last one for the night, was headed towards Antwerp at about 11:45pm !!! Stranded, hungry, and having close to an hour in hand, we ventured out of the station, looking for something to eat…… But, the only place we could find nearby was a shady-looking fast-food joint in a shadier corner of the street – where the guys would speak nothing but Dutch !!!

Nevertheless, all the Dumb-charades that we’d been playing in the train came into handy…and we were able to get the message across by sign-language

The unforgettable Lokeren station

From Belgium 2008

When the 11:45pm train finally pulled in at Lokeren station, we were among the first to jump in. At Antwerp, it was already well past midnight when we arrived, and as feared, the last train to Brussels was well on its way ! The next one was only at around 5am or so ……and that meant, having to spend the entire night out on the streets of Antwerp ! But judging by the hordes of drunken revelers hanging on the streets around the Train Station, it didn’t seem like a great idea. So for the next hour or so, we wandered around, weighing all possible options – rooms to rent/ buses to Brussels / restaurants that were open throughout the night, etc.

Finally, when everything else failed, we managed to find a cabbie who agreed to drive us all the way back to our Hotel in Brussels …ultimately reaching there well past 2 am !!!

The series of events that transpired that night were completely unpredicted…..and there was no way we could have avoided them !!! It did seem like the whole Universe was conspiring against us …………but then, if that meant getting to set foot on 2 extra cities in Belgium, ……who the hell cares about conspiracies

As they say, “All’s well that ends well” !!!

Belgium 3 – Brussels !

Day 2, Brussels :

Sunday, 5th Sept, 2008

Must admit, the adventures of the previous night had had a heavy toll on us !!! Barely managing to wake up in time for the sumptuous breakfast before they closed, and some quick packing-up later; we checked out of Hotel Ibis at around noon !

Turned out the BBC Weather guys were right – it was raining badly that afternoon in Brussels …….and supposedly in the whole of Western Europe as well ! With our backpacks tucked behind our backs, we marched into the elegant Grand Place – which was just about 10 minutes away. The Grand Place – with its origins around the 13th Century, is the most important and happening public square in Brussels….. and true to the reviews, it looked extremely elegant with all the impressive, medieval buildings enclosing it !

Rains pouring at the Grand Place

From Belgium 2008

Yet, the rains were still a dampener, and we couldn’t even stop to admire the architectural-brilliance of the place, let alone take pictures Left with not too many options, we took cover in a Souvenir shop, where we ended up buying, amongst other things…. a few umbrellas with Belgian / EU flags printed on it !

The ‘Grand Place’ is known for the many festivals that take place there, and generally during this time of year, they have large floral carpets laid out in the centre of the square, depicting the Belgian Coat of Arms. [ Yea, how excessively girlish ! ] …….But I guess they had got wind of the fact that the ‘guys’ are in town, ‘cos when we walked in, right there in the middle of the square, welcoming us was a Beer-Fest !!!

Beer promos at the Beer Fest

From Belgium 2008

Sadly, we had other things planned out in our agenda for the day, and so …..took a taxi and headed off to the Tintin Museum – whose address, the receptionist at our Hotel had been kind enough to give us.

Now … the taxis in Belgium are all 4-seaters, and unlike in the UK, they don’t seem to have the concept of a 5 or 7-seater. Since we were 5 of us, we’ve always had it tough……But, with a little bit of negotiation, most cabbies did oblige. This guy however, was a little hesitant to begin with, but finally, for an extra 5 euros, he offered to take us, as long as one of us could sit behind the seats at the back and stay low – to avoid being spotted by the cops.

At the back of the taxi

From Belgium 2008

So there I was, sitting at the back, crouching as low as possible, and I guess I did a pretty decent job, ‘cos in the end, he didn’t charge us the extra 5 Euros that he had said he would !

The Tintin Museum – in reality turned out to be a Comic Book Museum. Apparently, there is no exclusive museum for Tintin, here in Brussels…..Strange, considering it was here that Herge had created the character  – which went on the inspire and entertain kids and adults alike, around the world for over 80 years !

[ Btw, Spielberg is currently working on bringing Tintin to the big screen with a movie-adaptation of the 'The Secret of the Unicorn' !!! Can hardly wait to watch it !!   People who think its too good to be true, check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintin_(film) ]

Tintin's rocket

From Belgium 2008

Right at the entrance to the museum was a model of Tintin’s very own rocket, used in the ‘Explorers on the Moon’. Also on display, were busts of Asterix, Dogmatix and other paraphernalia associated with some of the biggest stars from the Comic World !

Capt.Haddock and Tintin - 298 and 297 euros respectively !

From Belgium 2008

We spent a solid amount of time [....and Euros] in the museum shop, and though Tintin and Asterix toys were highly over-priced, we ended up shopping almost more than what we could carry !

All the stuff we had shopped at the Comic Book museum

From Belgium 2008

By the time, we got out of the museum, the rains had ceased, and with all the extra luggage in hand, we walked over to the nearby 13th century Cathedrale St.Michel to board a City Sightseeing Bus from near it.

For about 14 euros per head, the bus offered a Hop-on Hop-off tour of the city. This turned-out to be a wise decision, as in no time, the rains lashed out yet again …and under the covers of the Double-decker bus, we managed to stay comfortably dry and warm…. whilst enjoying the various sights that the city had to offer – right from medieval churches, squares and sculptures …..to the grand Palaces where the royals of Belgium, to this day,  reside !

The Palais Royale

From Belgium 2008

The only place where we hopped-off the bus was at the Atomium – a huge 102m high structure based on the atom of Iron !

Atomium

From Belgium 2008

The Atomium with its 9 spheres linked by stairs and escalators, was built in 1958 for the International Exhibition that was held here at Brussels. There was a big queue to go up to the Observatory on top of the Atomium, and since we were running short of time, we skipped it and hopped-on to the next bus that came along, and continued our tour of the city.

Atop the open-top bus

From Belgium 2008

By now, the rains had completely stopped, and the covers were off. Though it was still freezing cold outside, we took our places up on the open-top and listened to the commentary, as we passed through the suburbs of Brussels, the various monuments built by King Leopold the First, the Chinese and Japanese Pavilions and the modern quarters of the city – which turned out to be quite a contrast to the rest of Brussels – with its high sky-scrapers and gleaming glass buildings !

The Japanese Pagoda

From Belgium 2008

The latter part of the tour, took us through the European Quarter – a large area housing a concentration of EU Institutions – including the EU Parliament ! It had been just 2 weeks since Bharat and I had visited the other EU Parliament at Strasbourg – on the French-German border, however, Brussels with a much larger EU presence, is popularly known as the Capital of Europe !

Brussels [or Bruxelles, as it is known in French] , in essence turned out to be a thriving city – much larger than what we had expected it to be …..and a splendid juxtaposition of the ancient against the modern ! Reflective of Belgium in all, the city is largely bilingual – French and Dutch, however, French, without doubt, is Brussels’ lingua franca [as against Dutch in Bruges or Antwerp ].

Modern quarters of Brussels

From Belgium 2008

Our return train to London was at 7 pm, so after a few hours of touring the city, we got off at Beurs, near the place where we had stayed, and got moving. Hungry as ever, we charged into the ‘Sultans of Kebab’ for more Falafels and Shawarmas ! That done, we walked across to the Grand Place for the second time that day, but with the sun out and the rains nowhere in sight, the square looked absolutely fab ………and with the Beer-fest happening at the center, the place was absolutely buzzing with life !

Back at the Grand Place

From Belgium 2008

From the Grand Place, we walked along the narrow cobble-stoned paths to visit what is widely proclaimed to be the most important landmark in Belgium – the Manneken-Pis – which was nothing but a fountain in the form of a boy peeing [ Quite creative, I must say !] The Manneken-Pis is a very striking symbol of Brussels, recognisable across the world ! However, considering how small and ordinary it seemed to be in reality, we were, to say the least, quite ‘pissed-off’

Manneken-Pis ....currently dressed up in this green attire !

From Belgium 2008

The area around the Manneken-Pis was a shopping haven, with its intricate maze of narrow streets lined with boutiques selling almost anything from Belgian chocolates to Handicrafts to Cutlery to Beer ! While the gang settled in to do some more major shopping, I walked back to the Grand Place to check-out the Beer-Fest.

Belgians guzzling at the Beer Fest

From Belgium 2008

It was amazing to see the number of varieties of Belgian Beer on offer there…Personally, I had tried not heard of any other Belgian brand apart from Stella Artois

List of all beers available at the Fest !

From Belgium 2008

…As I stood there staring at the board listing all the different types of beers available at the fest, I didn’t realize time flying by ! I had just about half an hour in hand, and a decision was tough to make ! The counters were all pretty crowded as well, and that meant, all I could do was to walk around and savour the charged-up ambiance ! I also took a quick tour of the nearby Beer museum, where, if interested, one can learn about the more technical aspects of beer manufacturing ! [.....I'd rather stick to the drinking part]

The shopping streets around the Manneken-Pis

From Belgium 2008

At 5 pm, the 5 of us got together at the Square and headed back to the Brussels Midi train Station……. taking a Metro from the nearby Beurs Station. Our train to London being only at 7pm, we were at the station remarkably early….quite contrary to our previous track-records [ Yea, it did feel a bit odd and out-of-place, but atleast we had some time to relax :) ]

At 6:30pm, we proceeded through the security checks and the immigration clearance and boarded our Eurostar train. It was a 2-hour journey to London St.Pancras, and we put it to good use by settling all the accounts/expenses then and there. However, the surprise package was when Anil unraveled a set of Disney toys he had bought for each of us from the Comic Book museum ! Quite aptly selected, Bharat got Goofy, I got a frustrated-Donald Duck, Rama and Akansha got pairs of Chipmunks fighting with each other

Inside the Eurostar with the gifts Anil presented us

From Belgium 2008

Having gained an hour by traveling West, we arrived in London at 8pm, and quickly took a tube across to Paddington station, where we boarded a train to Swindon, and proceeded to Bristol in the connection Bus service.

The greater surprise of the evening had been back at London St.Pancras, when we ran into the King of Good Times – Dr.Vijay Mallya himself, who probably had also returned from Belgium following the Belgian Grand Prix that weekend !

Vijay Mallya at St.Pancras

From Belgium 2008