I tried to walk like a local in Brussels and explored the tiny alleys. That´s the thing about exploring a new city, everything seemed to be different, mostly odd. I have seen some pretty and quirky sights of the city like how normal it looks on the outskirts and then once you get inside the Ring, it looks quite different.Navigating the city with a car was a chaotic experience for us. It was raining, with traffic and entering the Ring of Brussels became a challenging crawl. I was relieved eventually once we reached our hotel and parked the car. There are plenty of paid parking areas but I noticed that parking on bothe sides of the road was a normal scene, and looking for a parking space could take hours if you come unprepared.

Despite the drizzling rain, the streets are full.Roads are full of busy passersby, tourists, locals and even onlookers who seemed not to be bothered by the amount of people coming in and out of the station. There was a lot of parked bicycles but not enough cyclists like in Amsterdam or Berlin. I was actually smiling to myself when I am trying to acquaint myself with French words and signages all over the city. E-scooters are also widely used as a mode of transport and most Vespas have shield on front, which is totally not so in Bavaria.German and Dutch are also commonly spoken but there´s another language that your ears would love to hear-its French.It was new to my ears considering how I became used to hearing the hard consonants of German and yes–the sly tone of Bavarian dialect.

There was a time that we even spoke from Dutch, to German then ended up agreeing in “Oui!”

I thought it was a garbage collection day when we arrived but on the following days, I still noticed so many piles of garbage along the streets. Aside from the usual Recycling containers, most Restmull are placed in Pink plastic bags.Don´t be surprised to see many homeless persons in the station, Subways and on the streets.It´s a sad sight but it´s true.

One lane for the private vehicles, then another lane for the Tram and buses, and so it goes the never ending commuting cycle everyday.Subways are easy to navigate , people moving like robots, buried with their phones.I always find it amazing how my view of the city differs from every station.It seemed like they have a different world in every stop.The moment you climbed out from the stairs, you see a change of light, scenario and vibe.

You know if it´s a tourist place by judging the crowds. I have seen many Asian tourists here as well, mostly arriving in groups or with the tour company, everyone is talking and busy with scandalous selfie sessions . This one is located on the corner where Manneken Pis is located so it was chaotic, and noisy.

Personally, guess getting used to crowds again after Corona really takes time. I find it odd seeing one person wearing the mask against the crowd.On the other side, it felt great to be able to travel freely again without restrictions.

Still strolling despite the rainy weather is actually not a hype. I mean, killing time and sightseeing on a gray, damp, wet weather has it´s own perks. It the best time to rummage through the rows of chocolate shops, sampling their decadent pralines and truffles. Once you got your fill, you can either switch to pamper your taste buds with Belgian Waffles and Frites.If you are feeling full, why not fill it up more with some Belgian Beer.

After all, this is Belgium!

The sight of a urinating dog is a sight of fanfare. It´s a kind of famous here, the Zinneke Pis. A girl peeing (Janneke Pis) and a little boy, Mannekin Pis who is urinating as well. No shame, it is just the way it is, the real Belgitude (or Belgianness).

In the end, I have seen less Audi cars here.But hey, I remembered that driving in the Autobahn in Belgium is quite cool or rather peaceful, compared to the speeding cars in the German side.There are rows of 150,000 lightpost in Belgian highways. Austronaut Frank De Winne says that whenever he felt homesick, he just look down for the bright spot, which is Belgium.According to the ESA (European Space Agency) you can see Begium from space through a telescopic lens since it is really well- lit at night!

Have you´ve been to the Brussels? what was your impression of the city?

Until then, stay safe everyone and always looking forward for your feedback.Tschüss!