CRAZY BRUSSELS! Strange sights, favourite sights and must-dos in the Belgian capital.
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- In this video I show you some of my favourite sights in Brussels and a few very strange sights as well... along with some must-dos. #brussels #belgiumlife
Filmed September 2023 | Brussels, Belgium.
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*** TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:00 Hotel Mozart
00:02:52 The Grand-Place
00:04:27 The Manneken Pis
00:04:52 Belgian snacks
00:05:20 Eddy Merckx
00:06:35 Hotel Mozart (again)
00:08:06 Atomium
00:09:21 European Parliament
00:10:24 Brussels flea market
00:13:00 French Fries
00:13:17 Conclusion
![Pretty or ugly? HRENSKO [CZ], Schmilka and the German border. The best and worst of Hrensko and area](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fMisC_Ap12U/mqdefault.jpg)
That hotel looked like a hammer house of horror film, was waiting for Peter Cushing to be behind the counter 😅
It also proves that Belgians are great junk collectors. See also the flea market at the end of the video.
This is the best video of Brussels I've ever seen, I need to go there now, even if just to stay at the same hotel and steal the picture off the wall at 2:44 - I need that in my office. Fantastic Scott!
The Manneken Pis was actually used in a Ryanair Advertising some 20 years ago and they got sued by then Belgian flag carrier Sabena for defamation as the ad stated: pissed off with Sabena's high fares? Low fares have arrived in Belgium
"Whoever designed this hotel must have thought Mozart was Moroccan." Great line!
Love that hotel - must stay there one day!
Agreed, a must.
I think the Hotel Mozart was full of charm compared to the usual bland beige boxes.
My first holiday abroad was to Brussels and I was there when the Grande Place had that amazing floral carpet - very elaborate and beautiful. The decor in the Hotel Mozart is bizarrely ornate - thankfully your bedroom walls are plain! When I heard the trickling water in the little garden area, I would not have been surprised to see a little Mannikin Pis somewhere. Brussels is an interesting city and the Eddy Merckx info and bike was amazing. Love the waffles, they looked so inviting. Thank you for taking me down "memory lane" on this one.
This hotel makes me grateful I only live 1h10 away from Brussels by train (the Binche train station has direct routes to Brussels)
Thanks Scott, loved the video. And love Brussels. It’s especially fantastic on Belgian National Day, the atmosphere in the Parc de Bruxelles is incredible. I also love the character and cobbled streets. Thanks mate, Tim
Haha! I've stayed in the Mozart. Got little sleep - party in the street most of the night
I was in Brussels a couple of months ago and absolutely loved it! It was great to see some of those places again in your video.
I don't think Brussels is boring at all. It is just not a very big city, but there is certainly much more going on than in other cities of the same size.
Went Brussels once , Gave it an overall score of 4 out of 10.
Great video scott the market looked great
Hotel Mozart looks like it could be a spooky video game level, with that lighting and design. What a find!
That hotel looked great, next time I'm in Brussels I'm booking it, thanks Scott.
Next time go to Train World, it is quite an amazing experience.
Yes, Scott, the potatoes are "Frenched" (a.k.a. "French cut") and then deep fried. Here in the states, potatoes prepared in this fashion have been simply called and listed on menus as "fries" for decades.
Great job with the thumbnail for this video! ROFLMAO
I like your honesty---sometimes lacking in youtubers
I lived in Brussels for a short time in the late 1990's and it looks like nothing has changed.
Not really. Brussels outside the European bubble isn't gentrifying much like most other Western European capitals. And that's a good thing!
another good video from yourself, in scotland youd be be lucky if that bike would last 10 mins lol , especially glasgow! but then again my town of falkirk not much better, just taking notes from your video, im off there at the end of the year and thanks to you my friend, got moere ideas of places to go. keep up the good work
Crazy Brussels? I'll take it. That's pretty much the vibe we go for. I am still surprised by Hotel Mozart, although i can totally see it now.
Would I have a Manneken Pis in my garden? Well, I don't have a garden, but funnily enough, my grandparents had a garden, with a Manneken Pis in action, clipped by my own grandmother in Buxus. She also has an entire zoo in Buxus after she got tired of the pyramids and spheres.
Next time you're in Brussels, you can give me a shout, I live there and work just where you finished your video. And yes, I have eaten in the same snackbar you've eaten, there's definitely worse.
It’s ironic for me that Metro station at the EP is called ‘Troon’. Troon in Flemish or Dutch means ‘The Crown’.
No, Troon (pronounced 'Trone') it means 'throne'. The Flemish/Dutch for crown is 'kroon'.
Thanks for sharing Scott, I personally would love to revisit Brussels in the future. Probably give this Hotel a miss though lol
I was last there in 2018 and spent a few days. Among the things I did were seeing the Mannikin Pis, the Grand Palas, the Museum of Fine Arts (spent about 4+ hours there - an excellent collection of art from ancient to modern), a beer hall and took a tour of the EU Parliament (I am into government and politics). Food: Frits (done the right way - you don't even need ketchup or mayo), waffles with chocolate and whipped cream, mussels done in wine, and beer in a range of varieties of tastes and styles. I stayed near the Gare de Midi train station. Not the best neighborhood but the hotel I stayed in was fine.
Hotel looked bizarre to say the least, well done for putting up with it.
The fact that the Hotel Mozart has been decorated like the backdrop for "1000 Arabian Nights" is so surreal, and that makes it 100% Belgian.
Definitely some Moroccan vibes going on in that hotel! It's a shame they didn't stick with just that one theme though, it would make a nice riad!
I loved that hotel! My kind of place. Quirky!
Love the videos!
For a hidden gem in Belgium, visit Gent
Really intereting place And not too touristy
It's hardly hidden, especially if a Gentenaar starts talking.
Always look forward to one of your videos.
I did Brussels on a day trip from London about 2-3 weeks after Eurostar started running from STP. I enjoyed Atomium and the weird tram-metro hybrid that the Belgians seem to perfect
Oh and I had Moules Frites next to Mannekin Pis! 😂
The Pré-Metro : trams using underground metro lines and then continuing on their own route.
Wow that was so cool. I love your videos ❤❤. Thank you Scott so much.
I'd imagine the Hotel Mozart had a namd change in the past, probably from the "Hotel Casablanca " !
Rather "Acme Exotic Imports & Exports LTD".They left the inventory.
Hi Scott loved the video very quirky would like to go there some time. Derek from Ireland.
Scott thanks for bringing back lovely memories with my late mum when we visited Brussels (and beyond).
Didn’t stay too far away from the Atomium & the King Baudouin Stadium which made it interesting
remember seeing the statue when i visited Belgium back in 2019. i was shocked. 4:28. watching your video really wanna go back to Belgium for sure one day.
Interesting and thanks for the video. I've only been to the city for work and found it a bit soulless....but then again it is when you arrive, go to hotel, go to work, go home!
12:06 is the face you make when you haven't had your cruising altitude coffee yet! A dangerous place indeed, so many quirky finds.
I like the hotel 😁😁
Great video. I went exploring the side streets when I was there and came across the female version of the Manneken Pis, the Jeanneke Pis at the end of a cul-de-sac. It's a squatting girl. It wasn't working I was there and was shut behind two metal gates.
There are replicas of the Atomium and Manneken Pis in a random park on the outskirts of Madrid-and that only has a few upcharge attractions
When in the Grand place should of gone to the beer museam entry cost but a free beer included
We stayed in a hotel by the flea market . I can't remember it's name but that was as quirky as Scott's hotel. The market was superb.
.
I never understood the hate for Brussels - I love it, though my partner being Belgian probably helps. If you didn't come across it, I'd recommend sampling some cuberdon next time, they're a soft-but-slightly hard sweet candy. Thanks for all the great uploads over the years 🙌
Loved Brussels, people very friendly
Yes they are from Ghent.
I prefer Antwerp to be fair more lively. I did the Flexbus trip from London to Antwerp
@@BoskiM It´s my city. I don´t know, Brussels is definitely more busy, more touristy, more international. Almost exactly double in size.
Antwerp is a bit more authentic than the very touristic Brussels centre I´d say.
I was there in May, Manneken Pis was dressed up as a fireman.
I am thinking bugs. Don't like dark hotel hallways. Quirky..
Yes.
I've been twice to the Atomium and on both occasions it was closed for maintenance work.
I don't think a hotel has ever physically scared me before!
Recommend the Manneken Pis Wardrobe museum. He has hundreds of outfits!
Always love a midweek video Scott. Much appreciated.
Have to return. The food - moules frite, soup de poisson, steak au poivre vert (mussels with chips, fish soup, steak in a green pepper sauce) and the beers, from Duvel to sweet raspberry beers
To reach the Eddy Merckx metro station you have to take the east-west running line 5 direction Erasmus / Erasme. Eddy Merckx is the last station but one. You are here in Anderlecht, at the very outskirts of Brussels. Nearby "attractions" are the Cora hypermarket and the large Vogelzang (Birdsong) cemetery.
Erasmus was a philosopher who lived in Anderlecht for a while (1521) and they named the university hospital at the last stop of this line after him. From that hospital you can see the aforementioned cemetery.
There's also the Erasmus house in Anderlecht, a little museum.
We stayed in Brussels last Tuesday to Saturday in the Appart'City Confort Bruxelles Centre Gare du Midi. The interior was amazing but the surrounds outside was not the greatest. We went to the Grand Place, EU museum and Parc De Brussels.
Scott this was a wonderful video so much different bits too it enjoyed loved it keep up g8 work cheers scott
I’ve been twice this year!
You missed the Berlin Wall at the EU Parliament!
Also Fritland does a plate of fries with dip for €4. Great value street food
Are they claiming responsibility for the fall of the wall ?
@@john07973 Well I don't think there is much left in Berlin.
Did you see the piece of the Berlin wall in the garden/park at the back of the European Parliament I have also seen the piece in Gdansk
Are you sure that was a hotel Scott? Looked like it might have been a different type of establishment.
If you go for chocolate go to La Belgique Gourmande or Neuhaus. Yeah, a bit more expensive but the chocolate is fanatastic. For dinner try Chez Leon (traditional Belgian food) or Ballekes (They serve meatballs but so good) but also go to Antwerp, Ghent, Namur or Ypres. There is so much more than Bruxelles alone.
Ah, Ghent!
And Bruges@
My ma lives in Belgium, so Brussels is my usual stop, with the tradition of having Frites every time I pass through. Lovely place
11:48 😂😂 Ladbroke's operate in Belgium
The last time I was at Brussels Midi Station in 2018, I was about to get the Eurostar back to London. I was in the queue in a chocolate shop to buy some gifts to bring home and there was another British chap at the till in front of me. He was about pay and put his hand in his jacket for his wallet only to find it was missing. It had been pickpocketed. Beware!
Belgian waffles are delicious 🤤🤤
There’s a famous photo of the peeing boy statue with an SAS beret on it .
British troops pinched the statue in 1815 ( well they would wouldn't they ) just before the battle of Waterloo , caused a bit of an international incident
Last time I saw a room like that was on a Betamax video my dad brought back from the continent in 1983.
I wondered if the hotel ( accidentally ?) was channelling the Opera, the abduction from the Seraglio?
That hotell has an identity crisis. Bit strange to find a hotell themed like that in Brussels, and has a name like Mozart hotell, and not be themed after the man himself.
I would say another must to get is some of the superb abbey ales they have there. They are so so good and well worth a try. Try the likes of Chimay or Westmalle, thank me later.
When’s the Berlin flea market tour video coming out?
There is also a metro station named Jacques Brel, after the Belgian singer.
I was hoping a Gare Hercule Poirot. Surely most famous Belgian?
@@rogink It could be copyrighted. As Tintin.
I went to Brussels. I went to a certain part and I thought I was in Africa.
You are not mistaken. Black Africans in Matonge, Moroccans spread all over the city.
i spent a wek in Brussels on a video project, not s good week for me with an allegy to lactose (no choclate etc), and no alcohol. there wasn't not at a lot else to eat/drink there
Belgium has some fine bottled water too.
Cheers Scot, always enjoy your videos. I thought the Hotel was quit cool?
Manneke Pis doesn't stand alone in Brussels, as most think. There is one in the city of Geraardsbergen. There is still a discussion between Brussels and Geraardsbergen of which of the 2 Manneke is the oldest. Concerning French Fries, since 2017, French Fries no longer exists ... they are called Belgian Fries as the process of making them is recognized by the UNESCO as a cultural heritage of Belgium.
Good luck with trying to get the rest of the world to call them 'Belgian' fries.
Moules et frites
Interesting. But the number of adverts interrupting this video is really bad
Another lovely and informative video, Scott. I noticed your wristwatch near the end and was wondering if it is a Swiss Railways watch? I was actually looking to buy a DB railways watch and do not know where to obtain one. Thank you.😊
Did you find Hercule Poirot on your travels? 🙂
Yes, the European Parliament, 4 years ago there was a certain flag of the UK it was I believe, now they had chosen something like called "Brexit" I believe it was. They seem to regret that decision now. Knowing what they know now, but didn't realise back then what would be the consequences.
Funny but the British flag that was taken down was never seen again.
Sorry scott but your twitter page cannot be found when it says term you searched for cant be found where have i gone wrong and why wqs the mozart hotel very dark
Thanks for warning us never to visit Brussels
Scott, thanks for taking me back to Brussels. Can't help but feeling that you missed so much. The building at the bottom of thr Grand Place where the architect committed suicide by jumping off of it when he saw that it wasn't built symmetrical. The pub just off the Grand Place that would have put Hotel Mozart to shame as it is in the style of a Funeral Parlour - glassed toped coffins for tables and beer drunk from skulls. The bronze casting in the Grand Place which you rub so that you can come back. A walk up the rue du Boucher (Steenhouer Straat) at he side of the Grand Place and all of the sea food restaurants and their displays. When you were at the Atomium (I've had dinner at the top) mentioning the Hysel stadium and the disaster. Methinks that another visit to Brussels is required. Keep up the good work.
A taste for the gothic? !
The town hall was built in stages and when they built the last part they knew it couldn't be symmetrical with the rest.
But if you want a real horror story read what happened to 't Serclaes. You'll find the statue in a side street of the Grand Place.
No beer?
Who did you lose a bet to that you had to stay in that hotel?? 😂😂
Mozart's Mosque???
Hm. Would "Hotel Ibn Battuta" be better than "Hotel Mozart"?
so you did not buy any fleas then scott
Even if the fries are frenched, don't call them French Fries. You don't call Scotland English either.
That hotel 🏨 is creepy 😳
like you but too many ads
The first tripadvisor review I was greeted with referred to the Hotel Mozart as the "Cat Piss Motel." Well alright then.
Stayed at that hotel and a few other there , not impressed at all and far better towns and cities to stay in the country
the saltire will soon be flying at the european parliament, you wanted to be controversial scott
Not a chance for any "soon", unfortunately. Scotland would first have to become an independent country, then it would have to meet the Kopenhagen Criteria.
Thanks for visiting Brussels. Nice presentation!
A shabby hotel is to be expected. At least you were in the 'Gyros street' :D That's a place of which I have many memories.
Waffles are mostly a tourist thing and the waffles with the crazy toppings definitely are. The Liège waffles are no doubt the best.
I went to the atomium many times, but never went in it. It is kind of pricy for some reason. You should have climbed to the top of the very impressive Koekelberg basilica.
I really dislike the 'European area' in Brussels. It is a total bubble that functions like an island in Brussels and Belgium. It has nothing to do with the real Brussels.
For the fries you went to a Turkish snack place. Real Belgian fries can be ffound in friteries/frituurs. Fries there are different from the Turkish snack, much better, backed the right way. Shame you missed that.
When he said he was going somewhere controversial, I thought he'd find something like a statue of King Leopold (if any survive). Is the EU parliament considered controversial?
I hope you didn’t pay much for that hotel.
Mozarts all right but he hasn"t done anything new for ages.
The most overrated city in Europe? 100%! I feel for the poor couples who don't know much about it and book a long weekend break in this hole because they think of it as the capital of Europe! However, the Paris- Brussels Thalys in 1st Class at 300kmh. A real treat
When aliens say "take me to your leader", we should actually send them to Brussels just because so many global entities are based there. Change my mind
With so many foreigners living in Brussels already they'll fit right in.
When you said you were going somewhere controversial, I expected the red light district, which is convenient to the Flixbus drop off. Disappointed.
I went to Brussels in 2019 and liked it much more than I expected. Only real issue was that there are tons of beggars.