Two Days in Brussels, Belgium

Posted on May 3, 2021May 4, 2021 by Vicki

Next stop on our one-year anniversary road trip through Europe was Brussels, Belgium! Although we weren’t staying there long, we still had an amazing time exploring the city. We were mesmerized by the beautiful architecture, ate delicious foods, learned about the history, and were so pleased that we added Brussels as a stop on our trip!

In case you missed it, we already wrote several posts on the Netherlands, and our most recent post covered fun attractions along the drive from the Netherlands into Belgium.

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Our Hotel

When booking our hotel, we looked for the best rating for the cheapest price. We ended up finding the four-star Crowne Plaza Brussels – Le Palace for an affordable price, and that was the winner!

Having never been to Brussels before, we should have done a little more homework before we booked. It wasn’t necessarily a bad location, but it reminded me of the financial district in Manhattan versus the heart of Times Square. We were in a sleepy area of town where everything closed early and wasn’t open on the weekends (it seemed like a business district), and though it was walking distance from everything, it was a little far from the main attractions. Having been to Brussels now, I know we should have not cared as much about four-stars and rather selected a hotel right in the heart of the city. We were hardly in the room anyway, so it didn’t matter how nice the room was.

And on that note, the hotel was very nice! The lobby and common areas downstairs had a 1920s art deco vibe. Our room was plenty spacious and nicely decorated. We were impressed with the lobby and décor as well. For the little time that we spent in the hotel, there was nothing to complain about.

Activities

Planete Chocolat – When in Belgium, I think the most important activity is to indulge in Belgian chocolate. The Planete Chocolat chocolate shop was a place we had just stumbled upon as we were exploring the city. They offered an amazing demonstration of how to make pralines, and then the chocolatier asked for an assistant. You know I threw my hand up and was selected first 😊 It was so fun. I think my husband had just as much fun watching me make pralines as I had making them. I highly recommend you investigate the demonstrations. Not only was it entertaining, but we were gifted a baggie of chocolate that I made, and it was delicious!

Grand-Place – The heart of the city is the Grand-Place market square. This was one of the most gorgeous city centers I’ve ever seen. The buildings were intricate and spectacular during the day and night. Every day we found ourselves at least once walking through admiring the architecture. All of the most popular attractions, dining, and tours were surrounding this square.

Guided Tour – Right in the Grand-Place square, you’ll find locals offering donation-based tours of the city. We hadn’t planned out our day, and when we made it to the square and realized this free-ish type of attraction, we were on board with it. We circled around a local woman with a group of tourists, and she explained how the tour would work. We would follow her around the city, she would point out all of the most impressive and famous spots, we would have ample opportunities for photos, and then at the end we can offer her a tip for what we think the value of the guided tour was worth. We loved this tour. The highlights were a history of Grand-Place, the Manneken Pis statue, the most famous waffle shop, the most famous chocolate shop, a beautiful church, and Monte des Arts garden plaza. There were so many more places she pointed out, but those were my favorite. As a local, she had a wealth of knowledge, and we learned a lot about Brussels on this tour. In the end, we tipped generously, because the value of the tour was awesome! We kept busy for hours, and this was the best attraction we experienced while in Brussels.

Manneken Pis – One of the most disappointing monuments that we ever saw was the Manneken Pis. I know, I know… why is it making my list if it was such a disappointment? Because Manneken Pis is the most popular statue in Brussels and among the most iconic in all of Europe. The only reason it was such a disappointment was that based off photos we’d seen before our trip; I expected the statue to be so much larger or grander than it is in person. The statue ended up being so teeny tiny, that had there not been crowds around it, you would have walked right by and not even noticed it. But when in Brussels… you see Manneken Pis. Ironically, even though it was nothing to write home about, our souvenir ended up being a crochet Manneken Pis Christmas ornament haha!

Comics Art Museum – If you enjoy comics or cartoons, then this museum may be fun for you. We didn’t plan to go here, but when we walked by, my husband remembered a cartoon from his childhood (Tintin), and we decided to stop in. It was actually really cute. Some of the comic strips weren’t in English, so the jokes went right over my head, but I still had a nice time. We weren’t there very long, because it was kind of small, but this was a nice attraction to just stumble upon.

Dining

Dandoy Restaurant – This restaurant was recommended to us by our tour guide. They are well known for the liege waffles. A liege waffle is a thick rounded-edge and chewy waffle that contains little clumps of sugar. These were heaven!!! I highly recommend these snacks while in Brussels. We’ve actually looked up how to make these at home in NYC, and though they don’t compare, they are so tasty!

Nüetnigenough Brussels – When we had stumbled upon the Planete Chocolat shop and learned they offered demonstrations a few times a day, we decided to stop by a local restaurant and kill a little time before the demo began. This restaurant was just down the street, and we sat at a cute table, grabbed a beer, and I ordered a very delicious beef and fried dish.

Drug Opera Restaurant – The Drug Opera was a large two-story pub style restaurant. They were very busy when we visited. One of the main reasons we chose to eat here was because the hubbs had a craving for moules frites (mussels and fries), a classic Belgian dish. He was very impressed, so it ended up being a wise choice for dinner. I really liked that the menu was extensive with many options.

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Brussels, Belgium, was a really awesome city. I know we were just driving through Belgium to get from Netherlands to France, but I’m so glad that we decided to stop for a few days and experience this amazing country. Ever since we experienced a long road trip, I feel stronger than ever that it’s not only the destinations that matter but also what happens along the way. We didn’t plan most of what was going to happen in Brussels. We flew by the seat of our pants but stumbled upon the greatest finds and really enjoyed ourselves.

DISCLAIMER: Any brands listed above are not sponsors.

One Amazing Day at Rotterdam’s Maritime Museum & Antwerp’s Chocolate Nation

Posted on April 5, 2021May 4, 2021 by Vicki

While on a road trip, you could easily stop at a gas station to refill the tank and stretch your legs, but why not plan something more adventurous? Continuing our road trip through Europe, today we’re driving from the Netherlands into Belgium for quite possibly the most surprising and delicious day of our trip! Road trips aren’t just about the destinations—the drive itself and random stops along the way help make the trip and build long lasting memories. For us, the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Chocolate Nation in Antwerp, Belgium fit the bill on the two best sites to see that day, and I can honestly say that we had an awesome time.

When investigating unique attractions to possibly stop at along your driving route, one of the key factors should be to not deviate too far off the highway. We would have loved to have seen The Hague, Netherlands. Although the highway did pass through the outskirts of this large city, for us to drive to any attraction in the city center, it would have taken a long time, and we’d likely have hit traffic, extending that day’s trip for us. Also consider the duration of time that it takes to fully experience an attraction. After all, you paid to get in, so you might as well enjoy it to the fullest. Museum or attraction FAQ pages often let you know approximately how long visitors spend on site. We ended up selecting two attractions we felt we could fully experience without being rushed and still make it to our hotel in Brussels by a respectable time to check in and grab dinner.

In case you missed it, this post is a continuation of our one-year anniversary road trip through Europe. We already wrote about the charming town of Volendam here, the best places to see tulips in the Netherlands here, the infamous Amsterdam Red Light District here, the best Amsterdam food here, and the best Amsterdam attractions here. Now, let’s drive from Netherlands to Belgium!

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Maritime Museum – Rotterdam, Netherlands

First stop along the drive was to the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This museum was right off the highway, and we easily found street parking, making it a very convenient stop. From our hotel the night before, it was a short 45-minute drive, but it was our last attraction in the Netherlands and allowed us an opportunity to see this city we would have otherwise driven right through.

As you’ve probably gathered from reading other Amarvelous Honeymoon posts, when the Hubbs and I visit coastal towns with rich histories of trade and commerce via the sea, we always investigate if they have a maritime museum. In general, we love cruising and boating and find the histories of sea voyages really fascinating. However, Rotterdam took “maritime museum” to the next level.

We’ve been to many maritime museums, so we have a good sense of what they typically offer. Most all museums of this kind offer to-scale ship models, marine artwork (featuring captains, boats, and maps), and then real parts of the ship (old anchors, captains’ wheels, figureheads, portholes, and diving gear). The unique part about Rotterdam’s museum, though, is that they offered all of the typical stuff mentioned above, plus several interactive experiences and exhibits that engaged you into a deeper understanding of what working on or near the sea is really like. Below I’ve outlined our three favorite exhibits:

The Offshore Experience: The focus of this experience is energy from oil, gas, and wind and an in-depth opportunity to experience what the offshore employees’ jobs are really like. This interactive exhibit begins with a background video to set the scene and some participants put on costumes to play their role. They immerse you in a few projected and in-person rooms. One looks like an oil rig, and the other looks like you are 3 kilometers (just under 10,000 ft) under the sea. Hubby is an energy nerd (he actually does energy for work!), so he really enjoyed this experience.

Dealing with Drugs: Let’s face it… Drug trade plays a heavy role in illegal port activities. This interactive experience takes you through a few perspectives—the port employees, customs officers, drug dealers, and the judge. You start off sitting at a small bistro table in a creepy and desolate setting, then you get called to enter the next room. I won’t spoil anything else, but there are several opportunities where the choices that you make change the outcome of your drug dealer’s fate. In one of the pictures below, you can see me pushing a button that ends up “electrocuting” the dealer in a pre-recorded scene.

Cruise Ships Through the Ages: As I noted above, we love cruising. Our first cruise was in 2010, and since then we’ve traveled the sea to many countries and on many cruise lines. This exhibit was a series of several rooms that showed all different areas on a cruise ship throughout time, the types of extravagant clothing that people used to wear on ships, and the types of old and modern entertainment offered on the ships. As avid cruisegoers, it was interesting to see the history of cruising. I don’t believe that this exhibit is still in the museum unfortunately.

An adult admission to the Rotterdam Maritime Museum costs €14.00 ($16.46 USD), and I’d say that it was definitely worth the price.

An hour and fifteen minutes further on our road trip journey, and we made it across the Netherlands border into Belgium and to the heart of Antwerp. It was fairly easy to find a paid parking garage in the city center.

Chocolate Nation – Antwerp, Belgium

Belgium is world-famous for its chocolate industry since the invention of the praline, a chocolate shell with a soft center, so I’d say that a trip to a chocolate factory or shop is a necessity. “When in Belgium,” am I right? The Chocolate Nation (https://www.chocolatenation.be/en) chocolate museum was one of my favorite parts of our Euro road trip and one of the best values. Adult admission costs a mere €16.95 ($19.93 USD) and includes access to the museum, a chocolate demonstration, and LOADS of Belgian chocolate to eat while you’re at the museum. Note the new health precautions below however

Upon arrival, every guest is provided with a museum headset, so as you walk through the museum you can press the corresponding numbers and listen to the audio tour history of chocolate. During part of the experience, you are walking through with a group, and then towards the end you are at your own pace. There is a unique “le petit chef” room where everyone sits at a table and a projection overhead creates a scene right on the plates and table in front of you.

My favorite part was all of the tasting opportunities. Near the start of the tour, in one of the first rooms, they actually had walls lined with candy machines. These looked like the types of machines you’d normally put a coin in (except these didn’t require money), turn the dial, and a whole bunch of candy would pour out the bottom opening. These machines were full of small milk chocolate pieces. There wasn’t a limit to the offering. We filled our hands and then ate the scrumptious chocolate pieces as we walked through the museum.

Another tasting opportunity was in the middle of the experience. It began as a demonstration on how pralines were made. The chocolatier held up a mold and filled it from a machine pouring chocolate. Then he used a tool to maneuver the chocolate and ensure all the gaps were filled. Then he flipped over the mold to run off the excess chocolate. This left a coating of chocolate in the mold which would become the outer shell of each praline. From there, he inserted a filling piece into each praline, then began the process again of pouring warm chocolate over the mold. This time he ran his tool over the edge to ensure each praline cup was filled, and then the mold went into the fridge to set. Once he put the fresh warm mold in the fridge, he surprised us by pulling out an already chilled and finished product and banging it on the counter to reveal other pralines that he had made that day. We were all able to taste a praline.

The final tasting opportunity was right before the exit. The most glorious of rooms was filled with machines of warmed churning chocolate in all the flavors imaginable. Flavors ranged from white, milk, dark, ruby (a new red-colored fruity-tasting chocolate), and then multiple shades in between those most common flavors. The various brown chocolates come from different percentages of milk, sugar, cocoa butter, and cocoa beans, as well as different origins across the globe. Everyone was given a plastic spoon, and we had free rein to walk around and turn the dial at any machine to fill our spoon with warm chocolate and eat it. As much as you want. Serious chocolate heaven overload.

Right after that room, you walk through what looks like a vault door into the gift shop. The whole experience is an opportunity for them to show you just how good their chocolate is, so much so that you need more before you depart. And though we had already had our fill of chocolate by this point, we did pick up a few souvenirs for family. We visited in April right before Easter, so they had a bunch of chocolate bunnies and eggs.

We visited in 2018 when health restrictions were not as strict. Below are the new Covid-19 precautions that Chocolate Nation has listed on their website.

How to have safe enjoyment as a visitor?

Buy a ticket online and stick to the chosen time slot
If you already have a day ticket, please contact Chocolate Nation ([email protected]) to reserve a time slot
Wait times will be respected for your own safety
Limit the number of personal items so that you don’t have to use the lockers
Stick to the safety guidelines that are communicated in the museum
If you feel sick or have symptoms, please stay at home

What is Chocolate Nation doing to ensure safety?

Plexiglass is provided at all contact zones, and our employees always wear a mouth mask
Upon entry, through the museum, and at the exit, there are disinfection stations to disinfect the hands
High touch areas such as sanitary facilities, banisters, and doorknobs are cleaned regularly
There is signage throughout the museum to guarantee adequate social distancing
At the end of your visit, you will receive a goodie bag so that you can taste the delicious Belgian chocolate at home in safe conditions. So you don’t have to miss any of the delicious chocolate!

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I hope that this post inspired you to do some investigating on fun attractions while on your next road trip. Especially on long stretches of the trip, it’s a lot more fun to have something small to look forward to and a stop to get out and stretch your legs for a bit. Not to mention, if you can learn something unique about the town that you’re in, or taste some of the local cuisine, then that provides you with more memories, and you’ll actually remember the drive and cities where you stopped along the way. Also, if you’re ever in Rotterdam or Antwerp, then you MUST check out these two great attractions!

DISCLAIMER: Any brands listed above are not sponsors.

Best Attractions in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Posted on March 1, 2021March 9, 2021 by Vicki

Today we’re taking you on a rollercoaster ride through the best 21 attractions that Amsterdam has to offer. Through our four days in Amsterdam, we experienced a lot, but there’s so much more to see that we’re already making another must-see attraction list for our next trip. Come along as we explain the best attractions, when you should book your tickets, and how to avoid making some of the mistakes that we made.

Due to Covid-19, access to Amsterdam is currently limited. All public venues and non-essential shops are closed until March 2, 2021. Some of the attractions listed below may continue closure and open later this spring with a reduced capacity. If you’re interested in a particular attraction, then I highly advise you to visit their website and reserve tickets. We visited pre-Covid-19 and had a difficult time acquiring tickets to some attractions. My best advice for this exciting tourist destination is to plan your trip as early as possible and purchase all of your attraction tickets in advance too. We didn’t do that, and some attractions were totally sold out when we arrived in the country. I can only imagine how much more difficult it will be when attractions open with less tickets available than before.

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A’DAM Lookout

We had a lovely time visiting the A’DAM Lookout. This observation deck towering high over the city landscape provides a panoramic view of Amsterdam. We spent a lot more time at this attraction that I thought we would. The rooftop offered multiple photo opportunities and a bar with large beanbag chairs where you could lounge with the best view in the city overlooking Amsterdam Centraal. I could have probably stayed up here all day if we didn’t also have tickets for the This is Holland attraction next door. This is definitely not an attraction to miss.

Anne Frank House

I am most saddened that I did not get to experience the Anne Frank House on our trip. This was the number-one attraction I was interested in seeing. Months before our trip, I began looking into tickets, and they were already sold out. Though we booked our flights a couple months before I started looking up attraction tickets, it hadn’t occurred to me that they would sell out. It makes sense though. This attraction is the actual house where Anne Frank went into hiding in 1942. It’s a regular house, so the flow of people moving through a home-turned-museum can’t be that much. Book this the second you book your Amsterdam trip. It is one of the most desirable and coveted attraction tickets.

Artis: Amsterdam Royal Zoo

ARTIS is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and sits in the heart of Amsterdam. ARTIS isn’t just a zoo though; the ticket also includes access to an aquarium, planetarium, arboretum, and a large collection of art and sculptures that also reside on the ARTIS campus. I wish we’d have had one more day in Amsterdam, because I’d have loved to have seen it. Adding this to my next Amsterdam must-see list!

Bike Rentals

Amsterdam is a very bikeable city. InfactBicycling is one of the ways locals commute and travel around most. You’ll see in front of transportation hubs such as Amsterdam Centraal that there are what seems like thousands of bikes chained up on bicycle racks. In fact, there are bike rentals on many streets. So, this isn’t necessarily a recommendation on any particular company to book as much as a suggestion that a bike ride would allow you to explore like a local, take in the sights, and enjoy the waterfront canals.

Boat Tour

Just outside of Amsterdam Centraal, you can find many boat companies that offer guided tours of the canals. Since we didn’t select a hotel along the canal, we knew that we wanted to experience the water via a boat tour. We booked our day tour with Stromma Canal Cruises and had a great time. The tour included headphones that you plug right into your seat and then select your language to learn as you ride through the waterways. Don’t miss the photo of the Seven Bridges. It’s quite impressive, and you only have the vantage point to capture it from inside a boat in the river.

Dam Square & National Monument

The National Monument and Dam Square are two sights you could easily see for free as you are walking from one attraction to the next. They sit conveniently in front of the Royal Palace of Amsterdam and only an 11 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station. The National Monument is in remembrance of the casualties of World War II, and there is a ceremony every year on May 4th.

Diamond Museum

The Diamond Museum Amsterdam is an attraction that we just stumbled upon. We were in the area after having just been to Moco Museum, then we grabbed lunch at The Burger Room (highly recommend), and then we walked past the entrance of the Diamond Museum, and it piqued our interest, so we stopped in. The museum is self-guided and explains the history of Amsterdam as the City of Diamonds. They also have many gorgeous crowns and gemstones on display. It was a small museum but fairly inexpensive and a nice bonus attraction in this area of town.

De Wallen

De Wallen, or the Amsterdam Red Light District as some call it, is a lively canal-lined neighborhood in Amsterdam most known for its bars and sex shop scene. Thought I knew I wanted to include it in this post, the neighborhood has so much more to offer, so if you’re interested in learning more, check out my full post which you can find here.

The Heineken Experience Amsterdam

If you like beer, or Heineken beer in particular, then the Heineken Experience is for you. This one-and-a-half-hour tour takes you on a journey from the creation of Heineken, through the process of how beer is made, the iconic Dutch Gelder horses, interactive experiences and games, and finally taste-testing.

My Friend who moved to Amsterdam and works at the Heineken Experience

Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam

If you are visiting the Netherlands during tulip season in the spring, then I highly recommend that you take a day trip (or a few days) to explore more rural areas where farmers grow fields of tulips. I wrote a whole post on where to see the best flowers in the Netherlands here. However, if you only have a few days in Amsterdam, or are not visiting during spring, then vising the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a great way to get your flower fix.

I Amsterdam Sign

There are actually two I Amsterdam signs. One permanently lives at the Schipol Airport, and the other sits within the city center but moves around every few months. Due to the large size of two meters high by 23.5 meters wide, the sign draws quite the crowd and over the years has been moved around the city to several locations to help alleviate excess continued congestion in neighborhoods. In 2018 when we visited, the sign was in front of the A’DAM Lookout across the river from Amsterdam Centraal. We were already across the river experiencing a few attractions, so it worked out nicely to squeeze it in. Though there wasn’t a formal line to wait in to take pictures, there were mobs of people hanging on the letters, so it’s unlikely that you can capture a photo of just yourself with the sign. If visiting, this is a fun free photo op. Just click this link to read where the sign is positioned before your trip.

Moco Museum

Moco Museum is a boutique museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art that sits in close proximity to Rijksmuseum. During our visit, many pieces on display were from Banksy. We loved the interactive augmented reality art experience where you hold up your smartphone and the static piece of art comes to life with movement on your screen. This is the future!

National Maritime Museum

The Hubbs and I love to visit maritime museums when traveling. There’s just something extremely fascinating in learning about how a port town used to operate, and then comparing it to modern day. Though nowadays there are significantly less ships coming in with goods, the Amsterdam National Maritime Museum gives you a glimpse into the 500-year-old history of Dutch Maritime.

Nemo Science Museum

The Nemo Science Museum is a boat-shaped building with hands-on immersive science and technology activities indoors, as well as a rooftop observation deck on top of the museum outdoors. The building sits right on the waterways, and you can recognize its distinct shape from boat tours and the A’DAM Lookout.

Rembrandt House Museum

Though there are Rembrandt pieces in the Rijksmuseum, the Rembrandt House is the home where Rembrandt lived and features an almost complete collection of Rembrandt’s etchings on display. There are also temporary exhibitions where modern artists that were inspired by Rembrant are featured.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to art and history of Amsterdam and arguably the most famous and popular museum in Amsterdam. This museum houses The Night Watch by Rembrandt, The Threatened Swan by Asselijn, Self-Portrait with a Felt Hat by van Gogh, and The Battle of Waterloo by Pieneman, among so many other treasures. On our final day in Amsterdam, we arrived right when they opened, with tickets in hand that we had purchased the day before, and we spent the morning at the museum until we had to depart for the airport.