I've always wanted to go to Belgium, mostly due to the Belgians fabulous history of brewing. The British have close links with Belgium as it was designed as somewhere for the British Army to play their home fixtures (we stopped playing home in 1066) against the French and Germans. As a result the place oozes battlefield history. I saw that Eurotunnel had a special offer on that coincided with Wim "The Dim" Duisenburg (ECB Head) opening his mouth and causing the Euro to collapse yet again; so I decided that I'd shoot off to Brussels for the day.

Eurostar.

I had heard that the Eurostar was the height of luxury and efficiency, which makes a refreshing change from the decrepit British railway system. And it is remarkably efficient. I caught the first train of the day expecting to arrive in Brussels early, the British side worked perfectly but I had failed to take into account of the fact we would be traversing France. It was a glorious sunny day, so naturally the French railway staff decided to all go on strike, since they hadn't stopped working for at least a fortnight. As a result my efficient train was 2 1/2 hours late into Brussels. The seats however were spacious and comfortable, the food car good (expensive of course), and the check in system a delight. The train arrives at the Southern station which requires an underground trip into the heart of Brussels. What is confusing is that SOME of the underground system is actually a tram system, so you ignore the tram signs and spend pointless minutes searching for a non existent underground train.

I got off the tube near the Bourse, a lovely old building that is spitting distance from the beautiful heart of Brussels, the Grand Place. The Grand Place is a lovely collection of buildings erected round the 1600's. Many of the buildings were built as traders guilds and the place is certainly the highlight of my trip to Belgium. I then went shopping round the streets that surround the Grand Place. The main things you can buy are Beer, EU flags, Chocolates, EU T-shirts, Tintin souvenirs, More EU Propaganda, EU "the perfect European" allegedly humourous pictures. As you can probably tell I'm not a huge fan of our unelected government so spent all my shopping time in the Tintin shop which is cool.

Tintin is the Belgian equivalent to Pipi Longstocking that has cemented Sweden's cultural dominance. The difference is that Tintin is from an earlier era; and is thus deliciously Politically Incorrect. The artwork is fantastic too so I bought a great poster "Red Racham's Treasure". I then headed for the pub.

Au Bon Vieux Temps was where I placed my weary legs. The pub is just off Rue Marche Aux Herbes and is a fantastic place as any to worship Belgian beer. The Belgians make some great beers and the best of them are the Trapiste Beers, I believe Chimay Bleu is the best but all beer tasting is highly subjective. Brewed by monks who have taken a vow of silence. Abbey ales are the next down the pecking order in that they are the same style of beer but are brewed by a brewery attached to a monastery, and not by a monk. The bar staff were friendly and I had a great conversation with them in my schoolboy French. A chap who used to work for BP then popped in and ended staying, followed by some more people. I ended up chatting to a couple of Belgian Policemen whose English was perfect.

I was recommended to eat at a restaurant called Fallstaff and boy was I in for a treat. The starter was raw beef with olive oil and parmesan shavings, nice but hardly Belgian. The main course was the piece de la resistance, Moules Mariniere with fries (US) / chips (UK). I basically got given a bucket full of these delightful Crustaceans. And by the end there was a pile of dead shells as high as the Eiger. The price wasn't too bad either, about £15 GBP for the lot (take into account the Euro had been murdered at the time). I then headed back to Au Bon Vieux Temps via the Mannekin Pis, and I too said "Is that it?" before reclaiming my bar stool.

Every Belgian guy I spoke to was delightful (I was in the bar a long time so I spoke to a lot), and my Belgian police friends were still there. The pub itself is great too. It has old stained glass windows, and a collection of old signs put in by British soldiers who used the place as a watering hole on the liberation of Belgium. Anyhow the beers were slipping down really well, and as the stuff is about 8/9 ABV% I was starting to have a really good time. I then realised that I had both run out of money and left it tight to get to the Eurostar. The Belgian policemen phoned one of their mates who was on duty to pick me up and get me to the Eurostar tout sweet, which he did. I did get rather funny looks though as a policeman dropped my worse for wear body at the train terminal, they thought I was being deported. I'd love to meet those members of the Belgian Constabulary to but them a beer.

I know now why those Monks have a vow of silence, woke up at Waterloo train station at midnight, and the beer robs you of speech and gives you a murderous hangover.

Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug