All the way back to March, I got the opportunity to spend a week in Belgium. This experience was brought to me as part of an international marketing week held in the EPHEC school in Louvain-la-Neuve (near Wavre).
I made and uploaded a vlog on my YouTube channel at the time and thought that would be enough but it was just now that I realised that a written experience is completely different and it would complete perfectly all of the info gaps of the vlog. So here we are…
The mission of the week was to meet a client that needed help with packaging their product to which my team worked with ‘Full of good’. I really liked the brief and was really excited about the design part of the project to which I created a welcome pamphlet and helped on the box design that was being made on Adobe Illustrator.
However, what I was most excited about was to travel. I had never been to Brussels and this was a great opportunity to know more about it and explore.
Between our working days, we had our fun. Me and my travel buddy, Matt, hopped on a train ride and decided to go to Brussels and that was definitely the best day of that week.
Grand-Place
Unfortunately, I have no pictures of mine as I only took video of this magnificent square. This is where your Brussels adventure has to have its start. Beautiful buildings and wonderful waffles. We decided to take our waffles and check the Hard Rock Caffee – tourist mandatory.
I couldn’t help but notice the similarity the buildings have with the French architecture as I was in Paris in 2014. However, I felt guilty for saying that out loud as they hate for us for comparing them to the French – even though they speak French.
Mannekin Pis
Right down the street from the ‘Grand Place’. This is what I consider a ‘Mona Lisa’ situation. When you go to the Louvre you have magnificent art pieces but the only one that they are coming to see is tiny ‘Mona Lisa’. With so many amazing sculptures and buildings, everyone was around this 61 cm tall peeing boy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing sculpture but I don’t believe it deserves this much attention, but yet again, culture must be respected.
Shopping
Even if you are not thinking of buying anything this ‘shopping’ is still worth seeing just even if you want some vintage inspiration. Every detail, every collum breathes ‘a time that was different’. Full of ‘magazines’ selling Belgian chocolate and tiny figurines. If I weren’t a student I would spend all of my money there.
Mont des Arts
A great place to relax and take some photos. Get lost in between the trees and enjoy the sun.
I know I did.
Unknown
If you are a traveller you know that you always end up in a gorgeous unknown place. A place that you don’t see in your tourist map. Well, we found this great relaxing/photo taking place with a nice fountain and garden.
Here we planned our route but it was too late for museums. Unfortunately.
Random street art
Love unpredictability. Love art. These were all over the city and certainly added the needed flourish among the detailed tall buildings.
I was way too excited about this Margritte reference. I was also the only art affectionate in the group.
We didn’t win the packaging contest but we ended up winning so much more than that. Memories. From Eurostar to being back home. So many things to laugh about and keep with me.
And finally, I also have to say that if it wasn’t for my friend Matt I wouldn’t have survived so, thank you, Matt.
Random Chipmunk 