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The Belgium Trio – Brussels, Antwerp and Leuven
Belgium Triangulation
It’s getting later into November, and the holidays are upon us. I’ve been severely slacking on keeping up with my post-trip recaps (this one from late September into October). However, I found a slow weekend and felt the creative juices kick in to retell the tale. On this trip, I met Kolbe in Belgium shortly after his Berlin Marathon accomplishment. Let’s call it a late birthday present and celebration for another marathon down. We had ourselves a meander through some of Belgium’s finest cities, before heading south to Bastogne and ultimately ending in Luxembourg. This will cover the first three cities in Belgium – Leuven, Brussels and Antwerp.
I hope my memory serves me correctly! The videos have really become amazing re-tellers of experiences and time capsules in their own right.
Where to stay
We headquartered in Brussels for this trip, but I do believe Antwerp would be just as great. Easy train rides between the cities regardless.
Here’s the logistical breakdown for the Belgian cities excursion (including Bastogne and Luxembourg, too):
- British Airways (via American Airlines) covered by 50k Chase UR points for US to UK and UK to Belgium. Luxembourg to UK cost $160.
- Hotels cost $1200 and were chosen over Airbnb this time around to make life easier and guarantee a good bed to counter exhaustion with the amount of city switching.
- Trains and metros did add up, with an estimated total of $200.
Total for a week’s worth of core logistics ran about $1560.
Planning Routes
A good rule of thumb is to verify the first and last route time to avoid some awkward situations of being stuck in a transition town.
Leuven for Beer
I met Kolbe late evening at a Marriott in Brussels where we acclimated ourselves to one of Belgium’s cornerstones – beer. We took the time to catch up and I heard about his first Oktoberfest in Munich. Sounded like Hofbräuhaus was still lively as ever! Knowing we’d be playing most things by beer this trip, planning was kept light. As long as we had round trip train or bus tickets, all else was fair game. First stop, Leuven.
Leuven is probably the lesser known of the cities mentioned in this post, but it is just as important since it is the production site of one of my personal favorite beers – Stella Artois.
To be honest, it was the only reason we found ourselves in Leuven. Worth it? I think absolutely so. The train ride makes this an easy day trip, and the Stella Artois factory tour was top notch. Out tour guide came out swinging with deadpan and comedic sarcasm throughout as we walked the factory floor, operations room and ended up on their rooftop bar where we were served 4 beers included in the admission. No doubt, this really set the tone for the remainder of the day.
With purchased Stella glasses in tote, we took a beeline into the heart of Leuven to check out St. Peter’s Church, the Town Hall and let the good ideas flow.
Brussels for Waffles
Since we were headquartered in Brussels, we had ample time to walk the city and spent the majority on foot here. As alluded to in the video, frites were a big part of our time in Belgium. However, we should not downplay the waffle and beer experience. It would be a disservice to not have at least one waffle and stroll Delierium Cafe in no particular order.
From what I gathered, places were serving mainly two types of waffles – Brussels or Liege style, with one more fluffier and one with caramelized sugar. I stood no chance with the Liege. Devoured. I enjoyed them as-is, but there were plenty of options to load ’em up with whip cream, fruits and syrups. The Delirium Cafe, although quite well known, was still a spot we spent the night at looking through their extensive on-tap beer list. It’s basically a small alley with several multi-story bars joined together.
Aside from waffles and beer galore, Brussels was simply nice to walk some districts and find somewhere to hang out to enjoy the evening sunset. I believe this was also the first spot Kolbe had an Aperol Spritz. Welcome to the club haha.
Antwerp for Frites
After re-watching the video, I’m not sure if I should be ashamed or amazed at what transpired in Antwerp. Not sure how Kolbe feels about it either… This was 100% one of those play it by beer moments. No one planned to walk into Antwerp and crush frites and Jupiler. But now we have a frite power ranking and a video that documents us progressively reaching peril.
But can you really tell any difference with quality? I’ll answer that question with a question. How far can you take the flavor of a fry? Generally speaking, food overall is just better in many European countries due to differing standards and regulations than those in the United States. So yes, on average things taste better, but I wouldn’t go as far to say something is mind-blowing.
We probably missed a bit in Antwerp due to our unflinching courage and commitment to the cause. So a round two here is more than likely needed. We did, however, sneak in the Chocolate Nation museum prior where it was my first time trying the ruby chocolate!
Belgium Again?
Something seems to be missing from the culinary exploration in this post, right?. Something sweeter, perhaps? Don’t worry, I would never forget about my beloved Belgian chocolate. The sweet tooth in me would never allow it. I think Belgian chocolate on its own makes enough of a case for a return. It’s exquisite and one of the world’s finest for a reason.
But until then, having the opportunity to see three Belgian cities, and furthermore travel with friends to share in the experiences, is something I hope to continue for many years to come. It’s a blessing (and sometimes a curse, as with the frites) to roam this world and continually dive into new cultural perspectives, cuisine, history and so much more. Let’s keep the momentum rolling!
-ML
Recap of Places
Check out the MAP for links!
- Brussels
- Delirium Cafe
- Any Belgian waffle place
- European Parliament
- Grand Place
- Leuven
- Stella Artois
- Antwerp
- Any frites place
- Chocolate Nation
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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