BRUXELLES CITY TRIP

karinablog
NB: Originally posted for 14 February 2015

Many V-day gift guides will soon be popping up left right and centre in no time, so here is my contribution ahead of the game. A guide to one of the best gifts of all: the gift of travel. This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday which makes it the perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway. If you have already ticked Paris off of your list or are looking for an alternative to the French city of love, why not give Brussels a go? I fell in love with the city and the country (and later, the guy) after having spent a year working in the heart of Europe. Below are a few places I hold close to my heart that I think are worth adding to your itinerary.

Bientôt on sera inondé d’une multitude de conseils au sujet des cadeaux à l’occasion de la Saint-Valentin: voici ma contribution pour ceux qui veulent avoir une longueur d’avance. Je vous offre un guide sur un des meilleurs cadeaux: un voyage. Cette année la Saint-Valentin a lieu un samedi, ce qui offre une chance incontournable pour une escapade de fin de semaine. Si vous connaissez déjà Paris, ou si vous voulez éviter cette fois la Ville des Amoureux, laissez-vous inspirer par Bruxelles. Moi, je suis tombée amoureuse de la ville et du pays (et, par la suite, de mon ami!) pendant l’année où j’ai travaillé au cœur de l’Europe. Je veux partager avec vous certains endroits qui m’ont chers et qui valent certainement le détour.


Friday - Arrival in Brussels
boulettes liegeoises
Whether you are arriving on the Eurostar, the TGV or the snail-rail that is the SNCB, a hearty dinner will be much needed. On one of my first nights, I decided to go out and explore on my own and ended up at the Roy D'Espagne on the Grand Place for dinner. With a fire at the centre of the dining hall, it makes for a cosy feast when paired with a plate of meatballs in a Liégeoise sauce.

Après être arrivés – soit à bord de l’Eurostar, en TGV ou à bord d’un train omnibus de la SNCB – vous aurez besoin d’un bon repas. Tout au début de mon séjour je suis sortie un soir et je me suis retrouvée à la Grand’Place où j’ai dîné au Roy d’Espagne. Avec son feu ouvert dans la salle, on mange dans la chaleur un bon plat de boulettes à la liegeoise.

Satuday - A romantic day out
What would Valentine's day be without a bit of chocolate? One of my favourite places to take friends and family is the Neuhaus Café in the Galleries Royales, right next to the very first Neuhaus store. Did you know that it was Jean Neuhaus who created the first ever praline? At the café, you can indulge in an abundance of chocolate as well as many tasty macarons. I would highly recommend the hot chocolate!

On peut fêter la Saint-Valentin sans chocolat? A Bruxelles j’ammène souvent mes proches et mes amis au Café Neuhaus aux Galeries Royales. Le café se trouve à côté du tout premier magasin Neuhaus. Saviez-vous que Jean Neuhaus a créé la première praline il y a cent ans? Au café on trouve le chocolat dans toute sa variété, et il y a aussi des macarons. Vraiment à recommander: son chocolat chaud de rêve.

Sunday - A stroll around the city
place du petit sablon
The Place du Petit Sablon is one of my favourite places. During the first few weeks of my professional training year, I spent many a lunch break sitting opposite the fountain of the Counts of Egmont. If you head on over to the Parc d'Egmont, which is located just behind The Hotel (see below), you can find the Peter Pan statue - a commemoration to the children of the UK and Belgium. The Place Poelaert is a few steps away from the park and it provides for a lovely view over Brussels. From it, you can spot the top of the spire of the Town Hall and even the Atomium far off in the distance. There is a lift right at the edge of Place Poelaert that will take you down to the Marolles area, which known for its antiques, and take a short walk towards Place de Jeu de Balle where a daily flea market runs from 7am to 2pm.

Un de mes endroits préférés, c’est la Place du Petit Sablon-Pendant les premières semaines de mon stage je suis allée plusieurs fois pendant la pause de midi m’installer sur un banc devant la Fontaine des Comtes d’Egmont. Si vous allez au Parc d’Egmont, qui se trouve derrière The Hotel, vous trouvez la statue de Peter Pan qui est témoin de l’amitié entre les enfants de la Grande Bretagne et de la Belgique. A deux pas du Parc se trouve la Place Poelaert, d’où on a une vue imprenable sur Bruxelles. On voit le sommet de l’Hôtel de Ville et, plus loin, l’Atomium. Si l’on descend de la Place Poelaert en ascenseur vers le quartier des Marolles, connu pour ses magasins d’antiquités, on peut continuer jusqu’à la Place du Jeu de Balle, où il y a un marché de puces chaque jour de 7 à 14 heures.

I was lucky enough to have the view from the Place Poelaert as one of my pit stops on the way to work. If I had enough time, I would sometimes take 5mins to sit on a bench before I started my day.

J’avais la chance de passer par la Place de Poelaert en allant au travail. Si j’avais quelques minutes, j’avais l’habitude de m’installer sur un banc afin d’apprécier le panorama de la ville.

This building, the Palais de Justice, quickly became one of my favourites. It was the first thing I saw whenever I left work and took the lift up to catch a metro at Louise to go home.

Le Palais de Justice est vite devenu un bâtiment que j’aimais bien à Bruxelles. Il était la première chose que je voyais en sortant du bureau et en allant vers la station Louise du métro

parc du cinquantenaire
If you have time to wander over to the European quarter go to the Parc du Cinquantenaire at the Metro stop "Merode" on the lines 1 and 5 and climb to the top of the Arc du Cinquantenaire for a fantastic view over the park. Stop for lunch at La Terasse and sit outside under the overhead heaters, snuggling up to your other half.

Si vous avez le temps de visiter le quartier de l’Europe, prenez le métro (ligne 1 ou 5) jusqu’à Merode et montez en haut de l’Arc du Cinquantenaire pour une vue superbe du Parc. Allez manger à La Terrasse, où vous pouver vous blottir, vous jeunes amoureux, sous le système de chauffage suspendu.

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Hotel options
The Hotel Brussels - Boulevard de Waterloo 38 (Area: Ave. Louise)
Price points: 140-450 EUR/night
If a luxurious weekend away is what you are after, The Hotel is your perfect escape. The Hotel boasts absolutely stunning views from its rooms and even the sauna up in the fitness area. Read more about the tea-time they have to offer here in one of our old blog posts.

Si vous cherchez un weekend de luxe, The Hotel répond à tous vos besoins. Les chambres, et même le sauna au 23e étage, offrent des vues spectaculaires sur la ville. Cliquez ici pour de plus amples détails de l’Heure du Thé à l’hôtel.

Hotel Bloom - Rue Royale 250 (Area: Botanique)
Price points: 85-137 EUR/night
This mid-range hotel has a wonderfully modern twist and is located by the Botanical Gardens in Brussels. Staying true to its name, the hotel strongly supports the flourishing of young Belgian artists by having their art covering the walls of all 287 rooms. If you love waffles, just wait and see what breakfast has in store for you... There is a waffle truck inside the hotel!

Cet hôtel de classe intermédiaire, à l’air contemporain et original, se trouve près du Jardin Botanique. L’hôtel encourage de jeunes artistes belges en mettant leurs œuvres dans les 287 chambres. Si vous aimez les gaufres, une bonne surprise vous attend au petit déjeuner: il y a une camionette gaufres à l’întérieur de l’hôtel!

Photo via hotel website
Getting around
Much of what there is to be seen can all be done on foot but you happen to want to move around a little faster I would highly recommend taking the metro. Take a look at this map here.

Déplacements
On peut aller à pied à la plupart des endroits que j’ai mentionnés. Pour ceux qui veulent se déplacer plus rapidement, je vous conseille de prendre le métro (cliquez ici pour la carte du réseau).

#ComeToKerala - PALACE & TEMPLE

Turtle on the beach hotel
After a much needed rest at the Turtle on the Beach Hotel on Kovalam Beach, we hopped on our minibus for a day of cultural exploration in Tamil Nadu, Kerala's neighbouring state. Manoj, our guide, took us out to see the Padmanabhapuram Palace which is one of the biggest wooden palaces in India and explained the meaning behind the palace by breaking down its name. Padma = man with lotus; Nabha = flower in hand; Puram = land - one of the aspects of the Hindu deity, Vishnu. This day trip fell on a Sunday, so it was so interesting to see large groups of people pouring out of churches from Sunday mass. Prior to the trip, I had no idea that there was such a large community of christians in Kerala!

The walk around the palace was followed by lunch at the Travancore Heritage Hotel and a visit to the Padmanabhaswamy temple. We were of course not allowed to enter the temple, as we were not followers of the Hindu religion, but we were able to get up close to see the intricate details of the Gopuram (an ornate tower to signify the entrance of a temple).

Scroll down for more photos 

kerala tourism
The Man, the Manoj! Our trip to Kerala would not have been the same with this fellow. He is so incredibly knowledgeable and as a professional photographer, he was more than understanding and patient when we wanted to stop to take a multitude of photos from several angles.

padmanabhapuram palace
It is common courtesy to remove footwear when entering homes and religious places.
   
padmanabhapuram palace
It was interesting to see such a great amount of Chinese influence throughout the palace. Each of these lotus flowers on the ceiling here have been carved uniquely.

padmanabhapuram palace
I felt like I had been transported to another point in history when we were walking through this particular part of the palace.

padmanabhapuram palace
The king who lived in this palace was known to be a very generous man. He would host over 2000 people in these great halls and provide a sumptuous feast for them.


the travancore heritage
Roti - similar to a tortilla wrap - quickly became one of my favourite things to have with a meal

the travancore heritage
Exploring the gardens of the Travancore Heritage Hotel

Entrance of Padmanabhaswamy temple - photo by Kim Ekman 

padmanabhaswamy temple
Padmanabhaswamy temple

UPLIFT - a documentary series

UPLIFT documentary
UPLIFT documentary
The tragic attack on Charlie Hebdo has opened 2015 with a period of intense mourning and global solidarity. When Mankind turns against its own in such a vicious attack, one can be often left close to speechlessness and, as a blogger, questioning the purpose of running a fashion blog when there are those who tirelessly remind us of global issues. Even though the majority of this blog is fashion, it is primarily my own little corner of the internet, as fellow Luxembourg blogger, Gabriella, also mentions in her post (here).

With such grief and fear dominating the headlines, it can be difficult to see and appreciate the progress  and innovations that we have made as people, and this is exactly what Barnabe Geis and Nisha Toomey have set out to change. Their projet UPLIFT is a documentary series where the two hosts will travel to different parts of the world affected by a conflict or a complex issue and highlight the work , solutions and innovations of key gamechangers.

"We’ll visit communities and meet people from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, and we’ll ask them to recount their firsthand experiences with the issue. Our goal is to understand the problem or conflict from multiple perspectives, respecting the fact that as outsiders we cannot know all the intricacies."

Following a successful kickstarter campaign (view their video below), the team have decided to film their pilot in Burma - the country where Nisha spent two years living in a refugee camp.

As the news stories regarding the suspects of the Charlie Hebdo attack continue to pour in, and with anger and profound sadness continuing to spread as thoughts and hearts go out to those who lost their lives standing up for what they believed in, I remind myself of what Nisha has said of the people she worked with: the "changemakers who channelled their outrage into helping others."

Media:
Gif via Upworthy
Video and collage via Kickstarter