This is it, you made it! Welcome to Brussels! Brace yourself for one of the most exciting urban experiences.
In the meantime, you have obviously picked the ideal landing spot, landed in one of those delightfully cozy and beautiful nests that CO-HOMING found for you, right? Clever choice.
Now You Have Settled In Your Coliving
Now that you have dropped your suitcase in your new quarters, you might feel the urge of knowing that place, Brussels, the city you have chosen for your next endeavor.
Let me share the story of my first outing here. As I was still musing about all those rentals Laurence – remember? My real estate agent – had dropped on my lap, she decided that I had to make a decision … now! It was on a Wednesday. She asked me to meet her at Place du Châtelain, at 6:00 … and we would have a drink. On that day, there was a market filling the entire square. Sincerely amazing. Let’s not even talk about the spread of amazingly diverse products but rather, about the atmosphere, the ambiance. It felt like being in the middle of a small village from say … rural France. Everyone seemed to know each other, chatting in front of vendors’ stalls or nibbling on a waffle (yes, one of those you probably know as “Belgian” waffle which here, is obviously a pleonasm!).
The After Work Bustle
I met Laurence at the “bistro” she had indicated. We stood outside, sipping on a glass of wine and she said: “Now look”. Suddenly, a stream of people started to converge on the square, making it straight to the nearby cafés. “This is the hottest after-work spot for the “apéro”. I thought you would enjoy it” she said. And I watched. Indeed, everyone was evidently familiar with the place, catching up on the latest movie, talking about plans for next weekend … The market closes at 7:00 … we left at midnight. This is where I wanted to live.
Take a stroll in the area and don’t miss that weekly “event”, seriously. Your exploration walk will undoubtedly take you past the Stéphanie House. Look it up.
And the city is spotted with this kind of cool “islands”.
You may want to head to the Place St Géry … the place to chill. Right in the center of the city, in a pedestrian zone, chock full of bars and restaurants. Don’t miss les Halles Saint-Géry, seriously. With the visit..
Yet another square: Place Flagey. Trendy, hip, artistic neighborhood where you can’t miss the beacon of the place, Café Belga. Huge terrace at the bottom of an art deco building. One of the places to be.
Aside from “areas”, there are tons of “spots”, bars with their own soul, specialty, ambiance. In another post, I will give you a list of the not-to-be-missed watering holes of the city.
I hope you have the time to explore. You are up for an amazing journey.
And, by the way, let’s pulverize a common barrier: the language. In Brussels, English is the trend anyway.
Go for it and enjoy the ride.
Micky
