BEnelux, More of Brussels

Recently I started doing a regular thing in the mornings, at home and during my trips. I am trying to walk before any breakfast. Physical activity for a better start of the day. Sometimes I am skipping the early food at all, but during traveling I usually have the late breakfast, so I can save money not having a lunch.

I am staying in the North Quarter (Quartier Nord), the main Brussels' business district, which is also called "Little Manhattan". Glass office towers and skyscrapers, with modern urban design. Headquarters of banks, consulting firms and international companies are located here. Buildings are typically 20-40+ stories tall.

The district is centered around Brussels-North railway station, one of Belgium's busiest rail hubs. Built in 1950s, in the Modernist/Functionalist style, the station completely differs from the historic Old Brussels architecture, but also from the surrounding newer business district. Literally, it sits between two architectural worlds.

The breakfast at hotel costs 29 euros! But I found a very nice "orient-style" restaurant near my place. As far as I remember, I paid 24 euros for all this food and drinks.

Alright, after the heavy food there must be walking, as doctors say, for the better digestion. No really plans to visit any specific place, just walking around.

Streets here are very walkable, not many cars. And also some nice picturesque views. In the old town of Brussels buildings are dating from the late Middle Ages through the 18th century. Sometimes it has the impression of some village, but I like it. 

I have returned to my hotel to have some rest and to get ready for another interesting adventure.

Sitting in sauna with the view over the city on the upper floor of my hotel, somewhere at the far end I have noticed a green dome of an unknown to me building. I googled and it was the basilica. So, why not to try to reach it on foot?

Finally, I am in front of the church. The distance from my hotel, which is very close to the Rogier metro station, is around 3.5 kilometres. Nice walking along the wide boulevard.

By the way, basilica is a type of a Catholic church. But it is special, because it should receive the honorary title of minor basilica from the Pope (due to some historical, religious or architectural importance). And there are only a few thousand basilicas worldwide.

So, the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart, commonly known as the Koekelberg Basilica, started construction in 1905, and completely finished by 1970. It is one of the largest churches in the world and is a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture, with clean geometric lines and restrained decoration. Unlike the Gothic churches in Brussels' Old Town, the Koekelberg Basilica reflects the modern architectural ideas of the 20th century.

But even if you are not into religious matters, you should visit this place, because the dome offers amazing panoramic views over whole Brussels. The large green copper dome is rising about 89 meters high.

To my surprise, there are not many people visiting this church. In my opinion, the main reason is that the church is located a bit far away from the city center.

It was a very nice spot with the basilica and the panoramic views, but quite a long walk, and I am again in the old town, but a bit tired.

Of course, I could not miss visiting a little boy in the town.

Today he is wearing some black-and-green costume. I have no idea, what is the occasion. But as usual, many and many tourists are here. And some of them are disappointed by the sculpture, which is so much talked about (they say "Pissing boy" is one of the greatest disappointments among tourists).

Nevertheless, I need some food. Another traditional meals in the old town restaurant, something with rabbit. And of course, some non-alcoholic Belgium beer.

Again, some must-be walking around the old-town after the good meal.

And the evening I am spending on the main square of Brussels. Festive atmosphere and mood!

Tomorrow I will move to my final stop in Benelux. It should be exciting, because I have never been to Luxembourg before, and I know a little about this tiny city-country (actually, Luxembourg is not the only city in Luxembourg-country, there are in total 12 cities there!).

Madrid, Reunion

It is early in the morning. And I am ready for a new trip of my life. I go to Namesti Miru, then to Nadrazi Veleslavin and then with bus to the Prague airport. As usual, I have only one backpack, which perfectly fits my belongings for roughly 5 days.

I like to arrive to the airport just at the right time. Maximum, with some extra time for drinking coffee. And I like to choose the seats on the plane, even if it costs extra. My favourite seat is close to the aisle, where I can stretch my legs sometimes and not disturb other passengers when I want to stand up. For some reason I am choosing the same row on a plane, 11. The funny fact that on the left side of row 11 (next to the seat A) there is no window! All the time I am observing the surprised reaction of the passenger who have the seat there, obviously bad luck for them :-(

Three hours takes the flight from Prague to Madrid. It has been a while since I have visited Madrid last time, and I do not remember anything from my experience with the airport here. For now, I can say that my current experience is awful. First, I was walking long time to the exit, and honestly, I did not have any idea which direction to go. And secondly, I could not find the stop with the public buses to the city centre. Luckily, they have the metro exactly at the airport.

I bought a 10-trip ticket, which can be used for metro and some "blue" buses. It cost me 12.80 euro, and I was able to purchase it from the machine with paying by the contactless card. I should mention that you also need to pay for the reusable smart card, but if you have one you can save money, and use it to load new tickets.

So, the Madrid’s subway system is one of the largest in Europe. It has 12 main lines plus light-rail branches, covering the city and suburbs. And it is open from 6:00 AM to 1:30 AM.

When entering the metro, I had to tap my card at the gates, so they would open. And I could see on the display how many trips were left. The changes between lines are free of course.

With two changes I was at the city centre, and it was quite fast. Definitely, next time I will use metro without any hesitation!

Somewhere nearby my hotel is located, so, first of all, I heading there to leave my baggage.

Actually, I am staying at Hostal. It is something between hotel and hostel. Google says, that a hostal is usually a small, inexpensive guesthouse or hotel. Surely, I do not need a fancy place for staying in Madrid, especially for such a short period of time. Moreover, the accommodation in Madrid is extremely expensive, and I was lucky enough to find this place only for 250 euro for two nights.

So, I have arrived Madrid not only as a tourist but also as a guest, to see my old good friends who used to live in Prague some years ago. At the same days my other friends also arrived to Madrid from Prague. And we together decided to spend our time in the city.

My Spanish friends are living currently in the modern area of Madrid, in a brand-new block of the apartments. It reminded me of the modern living architecture in Moscow, but I am not a fan of such anthills. Still, my friends are quite satisfied with the conditions there. Gym, movie theater, swimming pools, cafeterias, common areas etc. It looks like the dormitory of a very fancy university. One thing which I really liked about this place is that there are gorgeous sunsets over the city from that location.

We have had some food, talks and made numerous photos in Polaroid-style. My Spanish trip has started very positive and meaningful. Good memories and vibes.

Night Madrid on Friday is very busy indeed. With my other friends we tried to find a place to eat some tapas around the main arteria of the city, Gran Via, but unfortunately all bars were fully packed.

Eventually, we came to the market Mercado De San Anton, where we finally tried some tapas - the pieces of bread with different stuffing. I would say, the prices are a bit high, but you should go around first to choose what you can afford according to your budget. Do not stop at the first stall!

For example, for this plate and nonalcoholic beer I paid 23.60 euro. I was satisfied, but I think at the nearby stall I could get more variety for less money. So, again, it is the market, where you should walk around and compare! Not sure if you can bargain here though.

Tomorrow I want to see more of Madrid. And I will also continue spending time together with my friends.