brussels – Lessons I learned after I turned 30

Friday, 17th of September, 2021

I’m at Larnaca airport, about to fly to Brussels.

I haven’t been to Departures for about 14 months. That’s the longest I’ve haven’t stepped foot on a plane and it felt strange.

Anxious but excited, like a little kid at Christmas, waiting for Santa.

It wasn’t exactly a holiday, I was flying to Belgium to help my little sister settle before her masters studies, but for the first time ever since I moved back to Cyprus I was finally about to get away from the daily life here. I looked forward to it for a long, long time.

It was an exhausting week, but it reminded me of what I missed about travelling.

Wandering at the airport

That feeling of excitement, waiting impatiently to board on the plane but also taking in the surroundings, people watching, some reuniting, others saying goodbye, some travelling alone, others with family or friends, everyone with a unique story that led them there.

Flying

Your heart beating fast, waiting for the plane to take off, watching a film on board, overhearing various conversations and finally the anticipation, landing and waiting eagerly to get out of the plane and have a first look at the place you are about to spend your time at.

Discovering beautiful places at random

There’s nothing more exuberant than coming agross a beautiful corner or a gorgeous alley, whilst wandering in a new city.

The local cuisine

You don’t need to be a food enthousiast like I am to appreciate a foreign country’s delicacies and local dishes.

Sightseeing

Famous landmarks, breathtaking churches, impressive architecture. There’s always a lot to explore at a place and the feeling never wears off.

Of course I didn’t miss airport queues, which are inevitable in the current situation with all the passport and vaccination certiicate checks, travelling during a pandemic, but I genuinely can’t wait to go abroad againm and again, and again. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it.

I still wish I could travel whilst I work. Maybe one day. Who knows.

What do/did you miss about travelling, if anything?

Eleni

It’s here, it’s finally here. The best video I put together so far, I think.

Sightseeing, plenty of food and chocolate and endless laughter whilst wandering around Bruges and Brussels. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

So here’s all the places we’ve been if you fancy checking them out.

Bruges

–The Markt. The central square in Bruges, made famous by the well-known film In Bruges. Gorgeous architecture, endless restaurants and chocolate shops, horses passing by, breathtaking.

–Le Panier d’Or: The restaurant we had early dinner at. The decor is a bit dated but the food was delicious. Also one of the least expensive restaurants on the square.

Brussels

-Manneken Pis. The infamous bronze sculpture depicting a little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin. We were lucky as we were there on the International Francophonie day, a celebration of the French language and Francophone culture across the world, so not only the statue had a costume on as it does in major events but there was a brass band playing music by it for most of the day!

-Choco-story. A chocolate museum situated very close to Manneken Pis (it has recently moved there). Chocolate through time, exhibits, chocolate to taste (the Peru dark one was my favourite by far) and a chocolatier making chocolate right in front of you!

-Grand Place. The central square in Brussels. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. The architecture is ma-gni-fi-que.