Brussels: Add Culture to your day

Past tall, modern towers and stylish Flemish houses we drive into Brussels. The flashing lights of snack bars and the sleek signs of restaurants already give away that we are in a cosmopolitan city.

The North African-looking girl at Starbucks asks in flawless English whether I want sugar in my Chai Latte.

At the hotel reception sits a super friendly Asian man who welcomes us (again) in perfect English.

On the street you walk through a melting pot of cultures and everywhere that diversity seeps through into the restaurants, cafés and shops.

Welcome to Brussels, a small but beautiful cosmopolitan city.

When Thon hotel presented their #addculturetoyourday campaign to us, I was immediately enthusiastic. Although Brussels is only 60 kilometres from home, it always feels like a whole other world.

Their culture package included a taster of their own craft beer and tickets for a museum visit. Even though we had already visited quite a few museums in Brussels, I was still surprised by what they offered. There was a choice between the Brussels City museum, the Fashion & Lace museum, the Garderobe MannekenPis or the Sewer museum.

I thought every museum had something going for it, so I left the choice to the children. They unanimously chose the sewer museum.

We had already visited the sewers of Naples and Paris. Both were interesting visits, so I assume they were keen to add to their list of sewers visited.

So with a three-week-old baby in tow, we headed to Brussels. Although I am always a busy city visitor (as much as possible in as little time as possible), this time I decided to slow things down.

Two years ago we visited Zagreb for a full week, and even then we found that city-tripping at a slow pace suited us particularly well.

On our schedule: a bit of shopping, a leisurely stroll through the centre of Brussels, drinking coffees, eating street food and going to the sewer museum.

Monday

On Monday evening we arrived at Thon Hotel Brussels City Center, where we could immediately settle into the cosy room on the 27th floor. What a view! You can easily see the Grand Place and the Atomium.

With three children along, hotel rooms are often a bit cramped, but here that was really not the case. Despite the big double bed, spacious sofa bed and table with chairs, there was still plenty of room to move around.

With a baby not even a month old and a journey of a few hours behind us, we did not really feel like going out to eat. Luckily Brussels not only has a wide range of restaurants but also a large takeaway offering.

After some deliberation, sushi was chosen. A spectacular amount of sushi that we could not even finish in two days for barely 100 eur. Gotta love Brussels.

Tuesday

After sleeping far too long, it was breakfast time. Secretly I have a soft spot for Thon hotels because of their heavenly breakfasts. They are always freshly prepared and full of goodies.

Daniel and I knew exactly what to expect, but the children were rather surprised by a big Brussels waffle, freshly squeezed juice and a thick omelette.

Daniel had some work to do, so after breakfast I went shopping with my three children. Armed with a trendy cup from Starbucks, my teenager and almost-teenager ran around the shopping centre like two headless chickens. Luckily my cute little man is still happy sitting in the sling with his mum.

After a few hours of racing from one shop to the next, I played my mum card and we went for a bit of cultural shopping. Where else but in the beautiful Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Not that much gets bought there, but it certainly is beautiful.

By chance we also found the cosiest coffee house in Brussels there. AKSUM! Ethiopian coffee specialities, wonderful bakes and super sweet service. Not cheap, but definitely worth a visit.

Under the motto “add culture to your day” from Thon Brussels, we got to pick a museum. So after our coffee it was time to discover the sewers of Brussels.

At the museum we did a guided tour. Although an individual visit is perfectly possible (there are information boards everywhere), we always find a guided tour has just that little bit extra.

We learned about the underground course of the Senne, the sewers, the sewer workers, but also the ecology around sewers. Where the problems lie and how important a ‘healthy’ sewer is for drinking water. I now have to reluctantly admit that there were still quite a few things I did not know. It is definitely a useful tour for adults and children alike.

You could also clearly see that the museum is designed with children in mind. There were interactive corners and little experiments everywhere to see for yourself how everything fits together. Definitely a hands-on museum.

The highlight, of course, is actually descending into the sewer. A bit smelly, but a splendid spot. For photos too 😉

From the museum it is a short half hour’s walk back to the hotel through beautiful Brussels. I truly love that worldly atmosphere; tea houses, cafés, street art, the famous Rue des Bouchers and much more.