Aux Armes de Bruxelles
It was very cold in Brussels, so I decided that it would not be a bad idea to have a good lunch in a warm restaurant.
I chose Aux Armes de Bruxelles.
Aux Armes de Bruxelles
It is quite an expensive restaurant, as one would expect if a past Kings of Belgium is amongst its former clients, but I chose the set lunch and a decent small carafe of white wine. There was a good choice and I had Ardennes ham followed by grilled salmon in a béarnaise sauce with boiled potatoes, and then ice cream. I followed it with coffee.
I thought it was reasonable at just under 28 euros.
As to being gluten-free, the waiter understood and I had no reaction at all.
Falcons in the Cathedral
Brussels cathedral has a nest of peregrine falcons in the tower.
They also have a viewing cabin in front of the building.
Falcon Viewing Cabin by Brussels Cathedral
You can also see the webcam from this link, so you don’t need to go to Brussels.
Wandering Around Brussels
I spent about five hours in Brussels and for quite a lot of the time, I just walked around taking photographs. It was rather cold, so I used shopping malls, the cathedral and the Metro for warmth.
London to Den Haag by Train
I was in London last Wednesday and as I was going to Den Haag for the Bank Holiday weekend, I decided to take the Eurostar to Brussels and then take a train direct from there to Den Haag. You can go by Thalys from Brussels to Rotterdam and then take a local train, but it’s actually easier to do what the man in Seat 61 says and take the Belgian/Dutch Intercity train direct from Brussels.
Or it should be?
The problem is that I didn’t have a ticket for the Intercity train and it left about twenty minutes after the Eurostar arrived. Or at least mine did. And it took thirty minutes to buy the ticket in Brussels. They have no automatic machines to do this! Grr!!!
But the Intercity train was comfortable, especially as I took the option of First Class for about 90 euro instead of 60.
Remember that there are two stations in Den Haag; Centraal and HS. The fast trains only go to HS, but you generally want to go to Centraal. On Thursday, it was just a walk across the platform. But I got seriously lost at Centraal, as I couldn’t find the bus station. It’s actually on the top, but the signs are discreet to say the least.
Spot the Sign to the Buses
Coming back was easier, in that I’d decided to spend a few hours in Brussels. So I got an early train to Brussels, dumped my case in a locker and then got a day ticket for the public transport.
The latter should have been easy, but the automatic machines were all broken and it took me about fifteen minutes to queue for a ticket. What is it about Belgians and selling tickets.
The Eurostar got me back in to London on time and in fact I was able to get to Whittlesford Parkway on an earlier train. But my excellent taxi driver, Michael, from Sawston Taxis was there to take me home in comfort. He is to be recommended.
The Anonymous Widower 