24 hours in Brussels

Tara Larkai
May 19, 2015
5 min read

Our way to Brussels was by the stupid TAP Portugal airlines. We got to the airline in time for boarding but of course our flight was delayed without warning. We walked all the way to the gate to wait for our flight only to find out that the gate had been changed. Again, no warning! The attendants at the gate only spoke in Portuguese and would not repeat anything in English. The nonportuguese speaking people at the gate were outraged by this but did not want to approach the attendants. Me and Chloe's friend, Kofo being the outspoken people that we are, marched over to the desk and were ready to tell these people off. The attendants were very rude. I have never encountered this level of customer service in my life. Their body language and tone was not welcoming and was pretty much like "Get outta my face with your B.S". They yelled at us and told us that everything they were saying in Portuguese did not pertain to us that is why they did not speak English. They spoke so loud in a tone that seemed like they were reprimanding us. I was so irritated and wanted to cuss these women out but I remembered that I was a changed woman and did not want to embarrass myself. lol So Kofo and I silently walked back to our seats to meet Chloe who was laughing at us for being yelled at. We waited another hour for this plane to arrive but then the time changed again. The attendants did not announce this of course. We had to look at the screen to see this. Right before the new boarding time, they tell us the gate had changed again and we had to head back to the original gate. OOOH these people are so annoying. We were not the only people mad at this. But at this point we were ready to just get on the plane and head to Brussels. We were over TAP! The flight was not bad...it was about 3 hours but it felt longer due to the time change. We slept the entire way...we were exhausted! We arrived in Brussels at midnight, the holy hour. We were able to find an apartment on airbnb at the last minute to stay at.

We were only in Brussels for 24 hours and only needed a place to sleep for a night and a half. Chloe was able to bargain for us to pay for only one night since we were checking in so late. Getting to the apartment from the airport was the tricky part. So the airport was basically closed when we arrived. All stores and shops were closed and there was no airport staff in sight. We first tried to find a Uber but at that hour, there were no Uber drivers online. Hmm..it got real really fast! We then walked outside to find a taxi. There was a taxi line but no taxis in sight. Time was ticking and taxis were not appearing. Every 30 minutes a taxi we would see a taxi show up but then ended up being privately requested by someone. Around 2am, a couple of taxis just showed up out of nowhere so we walked up to one driver to inquire about how much it would be to get to the apartment. This driver told us it was 80 euros to the apartment. Mind you the apartment was only 30mins away. Luckily, our friend Kofo speaks French and bargained with the driver in French. It came down to 60 euros but it was still too much for us. We said heck no! We felt stranded but we were absolutely not going to pay 60 euros for something that should be 20 euros. We kept trying to find an Uber driver. During this time, we met a guy who was in the same situation as us. He said his friend came to pick him up earlier but his phone had died so his friend left him. He was planning on taking the train to his friend's house but the train service was closed until the next morning so this guy was going to hang out at the airport until 9am the next morning.

Finally, an Uber driver came online, we immediately requested him. Our little guy friend heard this and wanted to ride with us. He said he would give us 20 euros if we could drop him off at his friends apartment. Chloe thought the guy was suspect but Kofo and I felt sorry for him so we told him we could accommodate him if the car is big enough. Guess what car showed? A freaking two door Tico (picture a fiat or a mini cooper)! The smallest car I have ever seen. Wow Uber does not warn you at all with these things. So here we are trying to figure out how to fit 5 luggages and ourselves in this car. Obviously, our new friend was not going to fit in the small car with us. This driver was God sent, he took his time and arranged our bags nicely while also saving space for us to be comfortable. After waiting at the airport for that long, we did not care if we had to sit on each other's laps or the roof to get to our destination. We just wanted to get to the apartment already. The drive was smooth and fast. The driver was nice and engaged in conversation with us. He told us the places to hit up and where to eat. We finally get to the apartment and initially could not get in touch with our host. After several calls to him, he finally come downstairs to let us in. Halleluyah!! It was about time!! The apartment was cold but we were not complaining because at least we were not stranded at the airport anymore. The guy gave us a quick tour and he was out...we got comfortable and were knocked out within minutes. What a day!!

We woke up in the late afternoon but that definitely did not stop us from exploring. We only had a few hours to see Brussels and we were going to make it count.

Our first order of business was to get food of course. This creperie had the best crepes I have ever had, savory and sweet.

When in Brussels, you must see the manneken pis. It is one of most famous landmark sculptures in Brussels. I gotta admit, I was a bit disappointed when I saw it. I was expecting it to be a bit bigger especially after all the walking we had done just to find it.

Le Grand Place- it is the center square in Brussels. It is a major tourist attraction surrounded by museums, beautiful historic buildings, little shops, bars and restaurants.

I am sure you know Belgium is known for their chocolates. We wouldn't be the foodies that we are if we did not sample some.

They are also known for mussels and beer so we tried them as well. I am usually not a beer person but this beer was quite delicious.

Our last meal before departing Brussels. And yes if you are wondering, we did all the above within 4 hours. And apparently there is not much else left to see in Brussels.

On to the next-Our last stop on this tour...Marrakech!! Stay tuned.