Belgium to Switzerland (the slow way)

Brussels is just a 45-minute train ride from Antwerp, but an entire day was dominated by needing to catch a departing bus there at 9:45 PM. That bus was scheduled to arrive in Zürich at 7 AM, four hours ahead of Annette arriving at the airport from the US. Missing it was not an option, but getting to Brussels early didn’t sound like much fun. The city is, at best, an acquired taste.

After doing laundry again in Antwerp, the hotel checkout time crept up, meaning the rest of the day would be encumbered by a backpack weighing over 25 lbs. The weight wasn’t too much of an issue thanks to bringing a pack with a hip belt, but carrying and looking after a bag is always limiting.

Walking through the city was still an option, so it was a good time to stroll right by the train station to round off the Paul Hollywood food tour (discussed here) with a visit to Kleinblatt, a kosher bakery founded in 1903. Fitting with the theme, a longer route through the Jewish quarter finally led back to the station. Afterward, it seemed there was no sensible option but to hop on the next train to Brussels.

During the ride, the aversion for Brussels led to looking at which other stops the train was making on the way. A few hours in the city of Mechelen was unplanned, but turned out to be much better than getting to Brussels in a hurry.

After killing as much time as possible there, it was on to Brussels, but with determination to see other areas of the city that might not be so bad. Starting toward Saint-Gilles from the southern train station and wandering did yield a better batch of photos, but it seemed no part of the city could entirely escape the urban problems that were on clearer display in other districts. Eventually the evening crowds back toward the city center encouraged heading toward the north station’s bus terminal. Standing on a curb for two hours with nothing to do sounded better than spending another minute elsewhere in the city.

The bus turned out to be a terrible decision. It was only $36 for an overnight ride with Flixbus, and that became $2 after a credit left over from a trip that the pandemic interrupted. It would even save the cost of lodging for the night, so why not? The loudest, rudest, and most inconsiderate batch of people imaginable ensured that the sold-out bus would offer anything but a pleasant ride. The platform was also covered with chain-smokers looking to get enough nicotine into their systems to survive whatever bus ride they were taking. It’s best to spare readers from the specifics of the nearly sleepless night. It’s enough to say that this ~12-hour stretch was by far the most unpleasant of a month-long vacation.

There was a delay, but at least the bus made it to Zürich. Upon arrival, any plans to explore the city for a few hours were hampered by rain, exhaustion, and ill temper, but everything was uphill after stepping off the bus.

It would be nice if the bus ride didn’t account for the majority of this route.

A Last Look at Antwerp

At the south end of the central train station, there’s Plopsa Station (in red). Until getting home and looking it up, it wasn’t apparent that this is actually a place with rides and entertainment for small children, not another transit station.

One of two sacks went into the pack for later.

This one got opened more immediately. It was (almost?) unsweetened, but packed a satisfying amount of blueberries.

This photo is actually from Mechelen, where this lightly-sweet challah bread finally emerged for a midday snack.

Being the first time trying challah (for shame!), there was no standard to compare it to. The photo shows how wonderfully airy it was, but it also felt substantial. The flavor was similar to King’s Hawaiian rolls, but nowhere near as sweet. Overall, very pleasing!

The culture clash of the orthodox community is apparent, but they fit right in with the area and are an important part of the city’s history and current culture.

This synagogue was founded by Portuguese Jews in 1904 who had initially migrated to avoid the Spanish Inquisition. Its history sadly includes an exploding truck in 1981, but it’s clearly been fully restored.

Mechelen

Two minutes of consideration via Google Maps left no expectations for Mechelen. It turned out to be much busier than expected, especially given that it was mid-afternoon on a Friday. The population of eighty-six thousand really couldn’t explain the busy shopping street nor the amount of pedestrian traffic around the city. The only destination to start was an old city gate that appeared on the map when searching for attractions.

At first, this long street didn’t offer much hope for interesting sights.

Greenery and statues improve every place though!

Finally at the gate, a more interesting street behind it was beckoning.

Who could resist that wooden path along the water?

The main square was quite grand, including a gothic church dating back to 1520.

The sign post was too fun not to take more pictures of.

Following the sound of a West-Flemish pop song (Camille – Diamant) led unexpectedly to Santa dancing in what can only be described as a red dress. It got even more confusing finding out that it was to promote a Catholic youth group.

The best view of the church’s interior is again by photo sphere. (Click the image, then the circular arrow in the center of it to access a draggable view around the room.)

An all-fruit smoothie was a good complement to continued snacking on the challah loaf.

“Koffie Verkeerd” (coffee wrong) was a constant companion on this trip. It’s just half warm milk and half (typically auto-drip) coffee. With nowhere to go, consumption becomes an excuse to spend time in an establishment. An iced tea and bottled water followed at the shockingly lively café next to the train station. Before it had been an awkward amount of time, it was time to board another train to finish the trip to Brussels.

Brussles, Again

A few more pieces of challah went down the hatch while sitting in this park by the Halle Gate (seen in the background).

Zooming out reveals that even the fountain had graffiti along the edges. It’s shocking how intent some of the residents seem on wrecking this city.

Halle Gate at the south end of Brussels’ city center

This open stall was their idea of a public toilet.

The courthouse sits above the adjacent section of the city. The most interesting part of the view is a statue of three people carrying something on a rooftop.

The people sitting in front and on the ledge to the side unfortunately seemed to think that it was the perfect spot to smoke pot.

Restoration work around the other side of Palais de Justice

The gate and this long path ensure that this park is rather tucked away from the city.

Lo and behold, it was a *dog park!* The unfortunate bit is that the dogs are mostly antisocial when it comes to humans. Sitting on a bench for a few brought no furry visitors. It was notable in the region that people keep their animals to themselves. It makes sense given the environment, but it’s still disappointing to only get to pet one after a month.

“Peter Pan, Neverland, Still Alive” – Is this a joke about the rabbit statue surviving all of the dogs? The reference wasn’t clear.

Old city squares once used for local markets have often become parking lots.

Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert – a crowded shopping center

After giving up on finding a restroom elsewhere, the best bet was to buy something at Dunkin Donuts. Ordering was all done via an electronic kiosk, so the three employees had very little to do. Apparently they’d given up on trying to keep anything in this city clean. After the trash-can overflowed, people just started stacking things on the table. This pile is just another illustration of how the density of both residents and tourists combines to make this a miserable area. The restroom was in even worse condition. It was ten steps behind a bar in Tijuana. This sight was enough to decide to stare at a wall by the bus stop if necessary to avoid any more of this.

Zürich

Enough has been said about the terrible period between Dunkin Donuts and Zürich. A train directly from the bus station to the international airport led to this overpriced fishbowl at the airport Starbucks. Maybe Zürich is wonderful, but sometimes the will to explore is ruined.

The good news was that after a turbulent and sickening flight, the coordination of an airport meetup half way across the world worked out. It was a bit of relief for two and a half weeks worth of dominos to fall (mostly) as planned. The day improved immensely with an almost immediate departure by train toward the village of Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps. Breathtaking mountain views are up next.