Dates: 13-17 November 2014.

The qualifying campaign for Euro 2016 was going so well that I wanted to go to as many away games as possible. Liz and I therefore decided to combine a few days in Bruges (or Brugge in Flemish) and Brussels (or Bruxelles in French or Brussel in Flemish) before meeting up with the #WalesAway crew for the crucial game with Belgium.

Flying was overly expensive so we took the more adventurous EuroStar to Brussels. From there we switched platforms and got the train to Bruges. After a painful walk involving trolley cases and cobbled streets we made it to our hotel.

A few days previously I’d had a job interview at Admiral. Within minutes of getting to our room I received a phone call from the recruitment agency with the news that Admiral had offered me the job!

After this we headed out into the cold for a quick look round and the first of many Belgian beers of the trip.

The Bonifacius Bridge with the Church of Our Lady Bruges towering above:

Creepy figures in the windows of the Gruuthusemuseum:

The beautifully lit-up Reie canal:

With so many beers on offer it would have been rude not to take a look inside:

His and hers Belgian beers:

The one and only pink elephant:

The 83-metre Belfort (as featured in the film In Bruges):

So many bars in the Markt area:

The Historium Museum:

As we only had one full day in Bruges we headed out early to take the whole place in. We started off by heading south to see Poertoren (the Powder Tower), Ten Wijngaerde and the Minnewaterpark.

The medieval Poertoren:

The whole area was leafy and peaceful with beautiful autumn colours, evidenced by the Minnewaterpark:

The tranquil courtyard of the Ten Wijngaerde monastery:

As we headed north we came across the Bruges Horse Fountain, unfortunately not working:

This statue is aptly a symbol of Bruges:

It was difficult to refrain from taking canal pictures:

From there we headed to the Zand square where there is a curious fountain involving cyclists and mermaids:

It was around this time that I received a phone call from Admiral to discuss the job offer. It was a little odd ducking and diving into side streets to get a decent reception but eventually I decided to take the job!

From here we made our way back to the centre of Bruges:

The Church of Our Lady Bruges by daylight:

And from a distance:

The Belfort in the distance:

We then took a short boat ride. Bruges was filled with brilliant colours, whether it be the buildings or trees and plants:

After the boat we went on a bit of a walk to see the famous windmills in the north east part of the city, Sint-Janshuismolen:

From there is was back into the centre for food and drinks:

Burg Square contains some fantastic buildings:

Palace of the Liberty of Bruges:

Bruges City Hall:

We went up the Belfort to get an elevated view of the city:

The views, which admittedly would have been better if we’d elected to go up earlier in the day:

We ended the day with a visit to the De Halve Maan Brewery for a short tour of the brewing history of the city. It left us very thirsty…

There could only be one place to go afterwards – Staminee De Garre, which is tucked away down a little cobbled alleyway in between the Markt and Burg squares. This place sells the famous and strongest beer in Bruges, De Garre Tripel, at 11% ABV.

It comes with cheese:

The next day we returned to Brussels on the train, found our accommodation (the excellent Hotel NH Brussels Bloom that I used the last time I was in Brussels), and headed straight out. We headed north of the city to visit the Atomium, the Mini-Europe park and the King Baudouin Stadium.

The Atomium museum:

We went in, not entirely sure what to expect, but there was an exhibition in each sphere and you travel between them via escalators!

Some views from the cafe at the top:

The King Baudouin Stadium, formerly known as the Heysel Stadium:

Hotel Bloom’s unique decor and reception furniture:

We headed for the Grand Palace area for food and drinks, and the place was lit-up spectacularly:

Why wouldn’t you want a triple blond…?:

On only full day in Brussels was also match day, so we had a wander around the Grand Palace area before meeting up with the #WalesAway crew.

The botanical gardens near our hotel:

The royal theatre en route to the centre:

Grand Palace by daylight:

Time for pre-match food and drink:

As we made our way to the game, we came across Manneken Pis, the best-known symbol of the people of Brussels:

Curious street art:

A monument to former mayor of Brussels, Charles Buls, and his dog:

The King Baudouin Stadium prior to kick-off:

The match itself was a tense affair with the hosts having the bulk of the possession but  only testing Hennessey once in each half. Bale naturally had our best chances but it was a relief when the final whistle went.

Bale led the way at the end, with the players applauding the fans as much as the other way around. Then the likes of Ash and Gunter joined Bale in throwing their shirts into the crowd:

The journey back to the centre took a while with many trains being packed, but all the Cymru fans were happy.

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula en route back to the centre:

Het Zinneke (Brussels dialect for “mutt”):

More Grand Palace at night:

We found Liz and drank the rest of the night away…

For our last day Liz and I went on a free walking tour. Normally these are done by natives but the guy was Irish and had lived in Brussels for quite a few years and he was really knowledgeable and funny.

The Congress Column, which commemorates the creation of the Belgian constitution, with Belgium’s first monarch, Leopold I on the top:

The Brussels City Museum on Grand Place:

Brussels is the birthplace of Tinin:

“La Cycliste” by Alain Séchas:

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula by daylight:

Why?:

The Royal Palace of Brussels and the surrounding Parc de Bruxelles:

The Old England former department store is now home to the MIM music museum:

Le Carillon du Mont des Arts with its Jacquemart Carillion clock:

Both Bruges and Brussels are small cities and both are compact enough to walk around and see all their attractions in a short space of time. Bruges is like a little fairy-tail town but with (excellent) beer. Brussels, for all it’s political grandiose, still has plenty to offer in terms of architecture and art, but with (excellent) beer.

Perhaps one of the most important things we learned on this trip was the difference between a Trappist beer and an abbey beer.

Trappist beers are brewed in a monastery by Trappist monks that inhabit said monastery. Abbey beers are beers that are brewed in the style of Trappist beers but are done so by regular breweries.