Run for the hills belgians, i'm a comin'...

[ThunderTitan]

But relax, you beer is safe, i don't like beer. Everything else is about to TT'd.


So, anyone care to suggest places to visit around Brussels? We're planing on renting a car (any idea there too?).

[darknessfood]

Go buy a statue of a boy peeing, a reall souvenir...

[ThunderTitan]

If i wanted a naked boy i would have gone to Thailand....


So, Belgium is where they make pralines... SCORE!

[Kalah]

Hey, maybe you could post a detailed description in the "travel blog" thread. Man, did that thread fall flat.

[Zamolxis]

Run for the hills belgians...

If they only had hills to run for... It's a terribly flat land, except for a couple of hills in the south (which they call as "mountains" )

Anyway, pralines is definitely something you should sample. As for visiting, depends what you're more into (outdoor stuff, indoor stuff...), how long you're gonna stay and where r u gonna stay (already booked a hotel, or you're planning to go around...). It may be nice to walk the streets around Grande Place in the center, maybe visit Atomium. For the rest I'm honestly not so fond of Brussels (sometimes it just feels like a smaller version of Bucharest - at least the Bucharest I left behind 6 years ago). There are other nicer places to visit in Belgium (like Ghent, Brugges...) but I don't know if you plan to travel so far.

Can't give you much advise about renting a car. I usually drive my own. :p But just use Google and compare prices. If you're gonna stay at a certain hotel, I may be able to tell which rental place is the closest, but that's all. Hope you'll have a nice time over here anyway.

[ThunderTitan]

Looks like we're renting an apartment, and we'll be staying 6 nights.

And other ppl told me about Ghent too... how far is it?

If they only had hills to run for... It's a terribly flat land, except for a couple of hills in the south (which they call as "mountains" tongue)

No one said the hills had to be in their country...

[Gaidal Cain]

If they only had hills to run for... It's a terribly flat land, except for a couple of hills in the south (which they call as "mountains" )

I present to you: Skymountain

[ScarlettP]

Take Me! Take Me!

(I'll be happy to handle all the naked boys for you.)

[ThunderTitan]

While i could certainly use a scapegoat (abusing minors, horrific murders, close enough for the cops) i don't think i can afford a ticket from the states to there...

[ThunderTitan]

Well after sleep i'll be on my way... to either Belgium or wherever aircrash victims souls go...

[Kalah]

Belgium!

(pardon my language)

[Kristo]

Can you buy Anheuser-Busch back from them while you're at it? kthx

[ThunderTitan]

Heaven forbid the people that make belgian beer start messing with american beer...



Oh, hi... i'm in Belgium, how are you guys?! Unprotectd wifi connections FTW.


BTW, Zam, if you're around, how much is a train ticket from here to Ghent? I really don't get their website...
Also, any good maps of the city on the internet? The ones on the street are so crowded we barely made anything out.

[Zamolxis]

I really don't get their website...

Of course you don't. It's Belgian...

Anyway, this is what I've got using this link:

From BRUSSEL-CENTRAAL
To GENT-SINT-PIETERS
Type of trip Return journey
Class 2nd class
Age 19-25 (no idea here, but if you're still a student, you can check if they accept your student card for reduction)
Distance 58 km
Standard ticket €16.20
Weekend ticket €9.00 (Friday evening to Sunday evening)

Now it depends to which Brussels station you are closer (North, Central, South or even a smaller one). Prices could differ a little. Trip takes 35min from Central.

I don't know of good maps on the net, but if you tell me where you are, I can tell you what's the shortest way to get to places and what's interesting in the area. If you're in the mood of something exotic for example, I can give you the address of some Romanian restaurants.

[ThunderTitan]

Or i could check if they still take my card even if i'm not a student anymore...

And i'm at Avenue Louise / Luiza Laan #270, or whoever you spell it...

[ThunderTitan]

Oh, and what's the deal with the bicycles?


Do you have to buy some sort of card for them and then charge it or what?

[Zamolxis]

And i'm at Avenue Louise / Luiza Laan #270, or whoever you spell it...

Good you corrected the street name... got me confused for a sec.

Anyway, you're in the South of Brussels then. I don't know that area very well (though I did here rumors about prostitutes walking the streets close to Louiza at night ). You're equally far from South or Central Station.

For Central Station you need to take bus 38. Or else tram 94 (which stops at the Park stop, very close to the station). This route is also good if you just want to go to the center of the city (Grande Place, Rue Neuve etc... though make sure you leave bread crumbs as you may get lost on those streets).

For South Station (kinda closer on the way to Ghent) you can take tram 94 until Louiza stop (or just walk 15min down the street), then take metro 2/6 direction Gare de Midi (ask if the maps are not clear). This metro (line 6) is also the one you need to take (until Heizel) if you want to visit Atomium, Mini-Europe & the Bru-Village restaurants (and like this you'll perform the full MuadDib-Zam tour of Brupark ).

I don't know exactly the deal with those bicycles. I thought you just have to pay to rent them... but now that I think of it, that wouldn't give any guaranty people wouldn't just run away with them. So I guess you might need either an abonnament, or at least a Belgian ID card to use them. I'll see if I find out more about them, or else you could ask in a metro stop - maybe they know how it works exactly.

[ThunderTitan]

94 is the one we've been using... man is that sound they make when closing the doors annoying... and way too loud, i could hear it from the other side of the street...

And the bikes are stuck to those poles pretty good, they seem to have some sort of mechanism on them to free themselves from it.... i guess we'll have to figure it out tomorrow.

And btw, si acu 6 ani Bucurestiu era mult mai aglomerat decat e orasu asta...


10x...

[ThunderTitan]

BTW, a list of good restaurants and bars in Brussels and Ghent would be good even if they're not close to where i'm staying.

Oh, and i did see 2 places where they sold romanian food...

[Kalah]

Romanian food - there's a reason to go to Belgium ...