A couple of days in Brussels – What you must do!

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Belgium? Chocolate? Beer? Diamonds? These are of course some of the most popular things the picture-perfect country is known for. While this post isn’t an exhaustive list of must-do s in the country’s lovely capital, if you have a day or two in Brussels, these are some things you can do.

Grand Platz and Grote Markt – This is old historic town center, and was built as a merchant’s market. With its stunning architecture and rows of shops, you can walk around as much as you like and not get bored. Walk through the Galeries St. Hubert, an arcade with a glass roof, which is home to several cafes, theaters and shops. Visit the Tintin Boutique if you're a fan of this boy-detective. Make sure you also visit the Grand Platz after sun-down, it is really a special experience.

The Grand Platz 

Shops in Grote Markt

Say Hello to the little boy Manneken Pis – Located in one of the cobbled streets that make up the Grote Markt, this bronze statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain is one of the symbols of Brussels. There are several legends about this statue, some of them being about war, and others being about a little boy who went missing and then found. It’s an extremely touristy place, but you wouldn’t have seen Brussels if you haven’t seen the Manneken Pis.

Manneken Pis 

Chocolate, anyone?  Belgian chocolate is more than confectionary, it is art, and it is created by some of the most talented masters in the world. I am hardly a connoisseur, but I do know when chocolate is Belgian. And what’s more – there is Belgian chocolate that tourists buy, and Belgian chocolate for Belgians. Locals prefer handcrafted pieces of art from stores such as Pierre Marcolini’s or Mary’s. Wittamer’s is a well known family owned chocolaterie that you can visit. Mary’s is probably the jewel in Brussels’ chocolate crown, and is the choice of the Royal family. The rows and rows of pralines, caramel, marzipan and other heavenly goodies are a treat to all your senses.

If you’re interested, take the chocolate making course that Mary’s offers to visitors at its workshop in the suburbs.

One clown who brings a smile to your face! 

Climb up the Atomium – One of the iconic landmarks of Brussels, this structure was built in 1958 when Brussels hosted the World’s Fair. Built to look like a highly magnified molecule of iron, it has escalators to take you up to the different spheres. There is a restaurant in one of the spheres that you can try.

The Atomium 

Walk the Comic Book Trail – Belgium is the place where many of our favorite comic book characters were born including Herge’s Tintin. There is a comic book trail where buildings are painted with popular characters, that you can walk, and you can also visit the Comic Strip Museum to see some original artwork, and sketches.

Hello, Tintin on the wall ! 

Sample some Belgian Waffles – A trip to Brussels won’t be complete without trying some sinful Belgian waffles. Make it your first meal of the day, so you can burn off all those calories by walking around in the Grand Platz. There are several tiny shops around Grote Markt that make waffles with delicious molten Belgian chocolate, or fresh strawberries, bananas and nutella, and various other toppings. Let go, and enjoy a generous helping!

There's nothing to say, really, except YUMMY! 

More gastronomic delights – Try Speculoos at J Dandoy Tea Room, these absolutely delightful biscuits will make you want to take home a pack. Belgians love their moules frites – mussels and French fries. If you’re vegetarian, like me, you can still polish off just some fries, and you won’t regret it! Wash it all down with a Belgian beer. 

Things that you must do when in Colombo

For almost everyone who visits Srilanka, Colombo is just a few hours’ halt, if anything, before heading to the pristine beaches along the west, the famous national parks, the cultural triangle, or the tea-country. However, if you do happen to spend a day or two in the capital city (and we recommend that you do!) these are some things that you absolutely shouldn’t miss.

Independence Square – A memorial to the Father of the nation, Rev. Senanayake, and a symbol of Srilanka’s independence, this is a peaceful and beautiful part of the city that you should visit. The park around and the beautiful roads invite you to walk around while the Independence Square itself makes for a nice picture.

At Independence Square

Sip a beer or coffee (if you have a cold like I did !) while you people-watch in the Dutch Hospital Area – Having been a hospital 300 years ago, and now converted to a shopping precinct, the Dutch Hospital area has some great restaurants including the Hilton’s Work in Progress (WIP), the Ministry of Crabs (for all you seafood lovers), and retail outlets like Barefoot and Laksala. Plonk yourself on one of the benches outside and sip your drink while you watch people rushing by.

Galle Face Green – This is a clichéd yet fun experience, and you should do it when in Colombo. Walk along the erstwhile golf course (not much green left here now), and you will automatically feel calmed by the waves of the Indian Ocean. You can also head to the Galle Face Hotel if you like for some great food.

Galle Face

Eat a Traditional Srilankan meal at Nuga Gama -  A trip anywhere isn’t complete without a taste of local food! The Cinnamon Grand’s restaurant Nuga Gama has been modeled after a Srilankan village, and serves some excellent local fare for dinner. The buffet has a superb spread of seafood, and even vegetarians like me have something to relish with all the delicious curries and crispy “hoppers”. So dig into some “pithu” or some “String hoppers” with curry while you’re there.

Hoppers at the Cafe on 5th Lane. The buffet at Nuga Gama has hoppers and much more!

Indulge in some retail therapy – Colombo’s great for shopping, and if you’re up for it, head to the House of Fashion or Barefoot (on Galle Road) for clothes or to Laksala for some Srilankan handicrafts. Barefoot has a great café in a frangipani garden, so if you’re tired you can always pop in for some sustenance before you hit the shops again.

At Barefoot cafe

Walk around the Colombo Fort Area – As you may have read in my post about our City Walk, there’s so much history here to interest you. Stop for tea and cake at the Grand Oriental Hotel’s Harbor Room.

Visit the Gangaramaya Temple – For a spiritual experience, visit this Buddhist temple. With its mix of Srilankan, Thai and other styles of architecture, the Gangaramaya Temple is not just a place of worship, but also one of learning. There is a huge collection of carved masterpieces in ivory, watches, statues and statuettes, and other odd items including even an X-ray machine, which have been gifted to the priest of the temple.

Gangaramaya Temple 

Bargain at Pettah – Pettah is one of the noisiest and busiest markets ever and if you like a good bargain, there are clothes, bags, electronics, fruits, veggies, spices and so many other knick knacks up for grabs here. I suck at bargaining and crowds intimidate me, so Pettah would never really be my cup of tea, but it is definitely worth a visit just to experience the myriad of colors, sounds and sights!

For a spot of history, visit the Dutch museum and Governor’s House.

At the erstwhile Dutch Governor's House

So the next time you’re in Colombo, even in transit, just take a day or maybe two to explore. You won’t regret it! 

Walking in Colombo

When you first get out of the Bandaranaike International Airport and onto the Colombo-Negombo road, you feel like you’re in Kerala, with the coconut trees and the greenery all around. For most people travelling to Srilanka, Colombo is just a night’s halt before they move on to other parts of this lovely country. But we figure we’d give it a couple of days and see what it has for us. And, no regrets at all, because the two days were well worth it.

Srilanka has been a Portuguese colony, a Dutch one, an English one, and then finally ravaged by terror for thirty years, before it has finally become a free country in its truest sense. One Srilankan we met told us how earlier the government didn’t have the time, the energy or the resources to look into things like development of roads and expressways, building a good traffic sense, etc. But now, when you visit Colombo you will see some of the finest roads, and a car will stop and wait for you to cross the road. People who previously went to the Middle East and other countries as house maids and domestic help, no longer need to, since the country has so many opportunities to offer its people.

The roads in Colombo invite you to walk - Near the Independence Square

We decided to do a Colombo City Walk with Mark Forbes and his wife Ruvi who conduct personalized walking tours of the city. This was one of the best decisions while in Colombo, because what we saw during our walk, we may never have, otherwise. The walk started off in the Dutch Hospital Area, continues onto to Pettah and then back to where we started. The Dutch Hospital was built in the 1600’s solely to cater to the Dutchmen who needed to be treated. There was one surgeon who took care of the entire lot, and the capacity initially was about 80. Even after expansion to a capacity of 300, there was still this one guy treating everyone! Today, the Dutch Hospital has become the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct, with hip restaurants like the Hilton’s Work in Progress, the Ministry of Crabs and shopping outlets like Barefoot and Spa Ceylon. The architecture has been retained 100% as it was in the 1600’s and it is one of the quaintest parts of the city.

In the Dutch Hospital Shopping Precinct 

 Walking around the Colombo Fort area is truly a unique experience, because you will see buildings as old as 200 or 300 years old, whose architecture and layout have been preserved remarkably well. One of the major landmarks is the Cargill’s supermarket that still has its original signboards such as the one you see the picture below.  We stopped at the iconic Grand Oriental Hotel’s Harbor Room for tea and butter cake, which were especially more delicious with the view of the harbor and after having walked around a bit. The Grand Oriental was one of the jewels in Colombo’s crown, and it is the oldest hotel in the city, having been built in 1837. So picture a man in a uniform and a pith hat stepping out of the port and heading straight to the Grand Oriental for a cup of tea!

After a great snack, we walked to Old Colombo’s Pettah Market, one of the most chaotic places ever. However, we were there on a Sunday, so we missed out on all the haggling and the nudging. Walking through Pettah’s streets, we reached the Dutch period Museum, which still preserves centuries-old furniture from the Dutch colony times. This is a lovely museum and if you love listening to interesting bits of history, this is a must-do.

The Grand Oriental in its heyday, wooing the traveler with "Best Modern System of Drainage and hot and cold water! 

View from the Harbor Room at the Grand Oriental Hotel

The Wolvendaal Church in Colombo was built at the highest point in the city, so that any Dutchmen coming into the port would be able to catch sight of this church before anything else. Later on however, with a Buddhist temple, and several other buildings coming up, this is no longer the first thing you’d see if you did come in by sea! 

Tombstone of  Dutchman who died in Colombo - the Skull and Crossbones indicate he died of Malaria, or some other disease which could spread, so it was a warning not to open the tombstone. 

The church has tombstones of all the prominent Dutchmen who died when in Ceylon, and the engravings display some fine craftsmanship.

Sigh...with a bad cold, coffee was the only way to go ! Cheers! 

After our walk, we headed to the Bavarian near the Galle Face Green for drinks before saying goodbye to Mark and Ruvi.