Europe Tour : Belgium - Day 6

Slept through the whole night and nearly overslept. Woke up at 8.30 am and quickly get myself ready for breakfast at the hotel cafe before I take a tram out to the Central Station. Today I will be going to Antwerp and Brussels and it is a day tour ( about 12 hours ) starting from 10 am.

Something really surprised me during breakfast. I don't expect for a good breakfast and what I have in mind is this type of cheapo hostel served lousy breakfast as what I had 9 years ago in London. I still remembered the hostel in London only served 2 croissants, butter / jam and coffee for breakfast. The one I am staying in Amsterdam eventually have ham, bacon, cheese and egg for me. Apart from that they also served milk, coffee,tea, apple juice and orange juice. Not too bad huh, only EURO 43.00 per night inclusive of breakfast and each room have a bathroom and toilet and I don't need to share the bathroom and toilet with the rest as what I did in London.

Eve, warned me not to be late when I go for the tour cos she herself experienced it in Frankfurt. She was late 1 min when the coach stop for toilet break and left without her. I am in rush and by the time I reached the agency it is about 9.55 am and the coach left to Belgium exactly 10 am. Wah very punctual hor. The coach is full and only about 4 Asians including me in the tour. From Amsterdam to Antwerp is about 2 1/2 hours drive and from Antwerp to Belgium is another 40 minutes drive.

Here are some random pictures taken in Amsterdam while waiting the coach

Nice scenery during the journey to Antwerp

City of Antwerp

The Cathedral in Antwerp

The statue behind is the Brabo Fontein.This little sailor was a hero who was trying to navigating his ship down to river Scheldt. Then come a big giant stop his ship and demand for money before letting them continue their journey. Brabo fought with the giant and chop off his hand and threw it in the water. Hence this story explained where the name of the city Antwerp comes from.

The City Hall in Antwerp

We are only given about 1 hour to walk around and have lunch in Antwerp Market Square. In order to save up the time, I 'ta pau' the famous Fleming Fries with over 38 types of sauces to choose from and also some fried Chicken Nuggets for lunch. The fries is so nice and the portion is so huge can last me till dinner! The whole thing cost me EURO 5.50, also not so cheap ya after you convert to RM.

We reached Brussels at about 2.30 pm and was given about 2 hours to walk around. Weather in Brussels is sunny but it is so cold. The tour guide recommended the famous handmade chocolate to us and it is a must buy cos Belgium produce the BEST CHOCOLATE in the world.

The Grand Place is the most magnificient square in the world. The buildings is constructed in medieval fashion with decorative gables, gilded facades, and brilliant gold accent. The strcture of the building in Grand Place really amazed me. Besides from buildings surround the area they have a busy shopping street and you can get lots of stuff like chocolates, lace , tapestry, souveniers, waffles, cafe and many more.....

Lace and Tapestry

Yummy, fresh handmade chocolate

The famous statue " Minneke Pis "

Tea time bought this waffles with strawberry toppings. It is so nice, outside is crunchy and inside is soft and fluffy. Guess how much ? EURO 4.00 = RM 20.00 !

The court in Brussels

Busy street in Brussels

The Palace in Brussels

The Brussels University

Atomium

The sky is getting dark by 6 pm and its time to head back to Amsterdam. It is quite a worth while trip to Belgium and for this trip I booked on-line and it is about USD75.00. No regrets going to Belgium indeed it is a beautiful country.

Reach Amsterdam at about 10 pm and took a tram back to the hotel. Again it is a scary walk while walking back to the hotel. It is quite and cold but atlast I reached the hotel and took a hot bath before I go to sleep but the weather outside is real cold and I think it is about 2 DC at night. Cold, cold , cold....

***** Amsterdam - Day 7 coming up soon *****