2-3.2.2018 - Touring the old city, getting home

I left my heavy backpack in the room and headed for the city. I took the tram to Royale, overlooking the old city. From there I walked down the streets and got to the Grand Place, a breathtakingly beautiful square surrounded by gothic buildings on all sides. Intricate carvings, golden inlays and hundreds of statues decorated the walls of these buildings. Hundreds of tourists swarming from and to every direction. I'm sure that in a few days, somewhere in eastern Asia, many people are going to wonder who is the mysterious tall person in their selfies... Not knowing where to go next, I decided to just follow the river of people flowing into one of the side streets. I found a small restaurant hidden from the masses of tourists in a quiet side road and had some great local food. I kept walking, just going by instinct. Saw some street performers, avoided a large crowd of protestors and got lost. Didn't have any better ideas so I just kept walking forward. It was an interesting experience, I got to see some of the ups and downs of the city. I finally found myself at a tram stop. After asking for some directions and a quick chat I got on the tram and went to the hotel. The next morning I grabbed my bag and headed back to the old city. I saw the famous Manneken Pis, went to a souvenir shop and ate breakfast. I had to hurry to the station to grab my suitcase before the 24 hour period ends, unless I wanted to pay extra. I went to the closest station, which was Brussels Central. There I was robbed blind... 9 euros for one ticket?!? I could get a ticket to the other side of the country for cheaper. I took the train to Brussels south, grabbed my suitcase, twenty minutes before the 24 hour mark, and took the next train in the opposite direction, since I couldn't really go anywhere else with all the luggage. Brussels Central, Brussels North and finally the airport. Now the only problem was that my flight was leaving in six hours, and the bag drop opening only two hours before. I decided to pay the 7.50€ for the airport's storage and take the train back to the city. Guess what? The ticket I had to pay nine euros for, wasn't valid anymore! It would have cost me an extra eighteen euros to go to the city and back. I decided to just stay at the airport, having just wasted the 7.50€ for the storage. I set up camp in the empty upper floor, the only place with some peace and quiet and an electrical outlet. Spent a few hours there watching videos and chatting online. Started to feel hungry so I headed to the restaurant. Got a pasta, a beer, a double espresso and a chocolate mousse to top it all off. Finally, when the time came, I picked up my luggage, dropped it off at the counter (half a kilo under the limit...phew) and went through security. After that time pretty much flew. Spent the rest of the time writing and I am finishing this just as we have landed. I am back in Finland.

A city scarred and bleeding

A beautiful park, where the only other people are a young couple taking pictures and an old man, brushing his teeth. In a slightly hidden patch of grass behind the church, a man, squatting to relieve himself. He has nowhere else to go. Under a railway bridge, with walls covered by graffiti and the ground by trash, you'd see these small huts erected, made of anything you could find laying around. Some poor souls call these places home. Two young girls, no more than fifteen, sitting under an abandoned arch, playing loud music and in their hands, burning cigarettes. A small child sitting in an alley, next to her old grandmother. Holding her hands forward, she greets everyone passing by, with a big smile reserved for those who hand her a coin out of pity. These are some examples of the people living amidst this decaying part of the city, in the shadows and dark alleys of the great and magnificent monuments and buildings that make the old city such an attraction.

2.2.2018 - Bumps in the road

I asked the waiter for directions to the nearest bus stop. Didn't find it, so I had to walk quite far, to the bus depot. Got to the station, grabbed my suitcase and bought a ticket. Very soon I was on the train. The ride took an hour or so. I did some writing and listened to music. I left my suitcase at the Brussels-south station and went looking for a way to get to the hotel. First the info booth directed me to the wrong direction whereby I ended up in the metro station underground. At least there I had Wi-fi. I checked the name of the stop from google maps abd went to the counter. I got a tram ticket and was directed to go back up to the ground level. I finally found the tram, and luckily it was the right one. My stop was about twenty stops further. All of the sudden the tram stops, and the driver announces something which causes most people to get off. I asked someone to translate and they said that apparently the tram in front of us was "kaput", as they put it... Broken. And so I had to start walking. It wasn't that bad, I mean it was only like five kilometres... When I got to the next stop, I saw the two trams going by, one pushing the other clearing the way. I decided to wait there for the next tram, since the sign said the next one was coming in ten minutes... It said ten minutes for almost half an hour. The only thing I could do is wait. The only entertaining thing was watching some french speaking kids playing and obtaining fruits from a nearby stand. They didn't seem to think paying was necessary. The tram finally came, half an hour later and it was crowded. I somehow managed to squeeze in and find something to hold on to. There were no announcements in the tram, and it was too crowded to see outside, and so, I missed my stop and had to walk back a few stations. Finally I was at the hotel. It was fully booked and so I ended up getting the best room there. It was a large suite, quite a bargain for only costing 65€.

2.2.2018 - Churches, museums and restaurants

I had planned a route through the city, where I would be able to visit many of the interesting spots in the city. My first stop was the church of the holy blood, a beautiful medieval building with religious depictions all around. By chance, I got there right as mass was beginning, and so I got to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the organ echoing through the hall. I sat down for a while, untill the mass began. At that point I left. It was way too ritualistic for my liking. From there I walked to the church of our lady, an architectural masterpiece. An archeological museum was my next stop. It was right across from the church. For some reason it seemed funny to me, that not more than twenty meters apart, were two buildings standing for such different ideologies. One with paintings depicting the creation six thousand years ago and the other telling the story of prehistoric humans tens of thousands of yeas ago. We are at a turning point. Several centuries ago even contemplating such ideas would be considered heresy and could result in death. Nowadays it is quite the opposite. In some places people bringing up religion and faith are seen as uneducated, close minded fools living in their bubble of ignorance. How have things changed. Just a random thought crossing my mind. Where was I? Oh yes, the museum... From there I walked to the Church of our saviour, the most magnificent one by far, with it's enormous artworks, vibrant stained glass windows, huge archways, intricate murals and the enormous organ looming in the back. It was definitely worth visiting. I went to grab lunch in a restaurant. It was a nice and cozy place with good food and service. There I also tasted the best beer so far, Bourgogne des Flandres, A beer brewed in a local abbey. Now it was time to head for Brussels.

1.2.2018 - Brugge

It took a little while to find the huge sign reading "HOTEL EUROP". After walking for a while in what I thought was the wrong direction, I finally got to the hotel. At the reception I heard some troubling news. Apparently my card was not accepted and so I was sent several messages informing me I must provide valid info, else they would need to cancel the booking by two o'clock. I got there around three fourty... Luckily they still had rooms available and it only cost me an extra fifteen euros. The room wasn't big nor fancy, but the only thing I needed was a bed to pass out on later in the evening. I grabbed the map and started looking for places to go. One place caught my eye, it was the Torture Museum, and it was right by the bar everyone insisted I should go to. I headed out. It was raining and a bit cold but that didn't bother me at all, I had my destination set. On the way I bought some fries, as a light snack. When I finally got to the museum, I was soaked. The entrance itself was eerily charming: A spiral staircase leading to the basement, with ominous music playing in the background. This was exciting. In the museum were replicas of torture and execution devices extremely common in europe up until only a few centuries ago. It was very educational. I learned about how torture was a large part of the legal system in medieval times, and how our collective sense of morality has changed. The visit was very interesting to me. Though I imagine that to some, seeing a person stare at these devices, grinning from ear to ear, might be slightly disturbing. I guess that says something about me. Having finished the tour I went to take some pictures of the canals and waterfront buildings. It started raining heavily so I decided to head to the pub. The rest of the evening comprised of tasting delicious local beers and trying to keep my balance walking back to the hotel. I got back around seven o'clock and passed out pretty much as soon as I sat on my bed. I slept till the morning, ate breakfast and checked out.

1.2.2018 - The journey back

I woke up quite late today, exhausted from yesterdays toils. Now I was facing the greatest challenge of all: Packing. I had to arrange everything in such a way that I could leave my suitcase at the train stations instead of dragging it to the hotel. That way, I can explore Brugge and Brussels without having to worry about my luggage. I went to eat, said my farewells to the staff and handed in my keys and left for the tram. The coastal tram is the fastest way to get from one point to another on the shoreline. It is also the cheapest, but that is mostly because the ticket booth was closed and there was no conductor, so it's not my fault... Oostende is a beautiful city. It was such a pity I couldn't stay there longer than the time it took me to get off the tram, walk into the station and realize there was no luggage storage. And so, I took the next train to Brugge. I left the suitcase in the smallest and cheapest locker. It was a tight fit, had to shove it in quite forcefully but it was worth the one euro i saved by not needing a bigger locker. Now, the four of us, me, my backpack, myself and I, took a bus to the market, a gorgeous square in the heart of the city. Brugge is the oldest city in belgium still in its original form, with some buildings dating all the way to the 11th and 12th centuries. I was eager to start exploring the city and so I headed to the hotel.