First day of the girls' weekend in Brussels
Delphine and Marie take you with them on their girls' weekend in Brussels. On the first day, visit Brussels with a Greeter, a genuine local and then learn all there is to know about Europe with a free visit to the Parlamentarium, the European Parliament's new information centre.
Consult our map and the first day of the "Brussels with the girls" itinerary. It is full of things to see and do and has a selection ideas for shopping, eating and going out specially tailored to ladies.
Breakfast and a walk in the Ixelles lakes district.
Café Belga on place Flagey (point A on the map) is the strating point of the first day with the girls. It is nestled at the feet of the old television and radio building that is nicknamed passenger ferry due to its unusual architectural style.
The brasserie atmosphere favours chatting and reading. Coffee, croissants, clarifying the day's plans and recommandations from the two organisers. We'll stick together and watch out for boys. LOL.
To get to the nearby avenue Louise, where a surprise awaits, we go for a walk through the Ixelles lakes neighbourhood.
We gaze at the beautiful facades (notably Art Nouveau) of the 19th century town houses, we bump into Amélie Nothomb, who's on her way back from the market, and we walk on until the La Cambre Abbey (point B on the map ) and walk through its magnificent gardens.
The girls visit Brussels with a Greeter. But what is a Greeter?
Our surprise is waiting for us once we get to avenue Louise (point C on the map). Yes! Delphine has planned a unique and original meeting for us with a genuine Brussels resident!
We're meeting the "Greeter" who will take us on a visit to show us the Brussels that the locals know best and to show us some of her favourite spots.
She suggests that we meet her in the nearby Bailli neighbourhood (point D on the map), which is bursting with some of her favourite places for shopping in the city for fashion and vintage items, make-up, decorative objects...
There are lots of nice shops of around the Place du Châtelain (point E on the map) selling all sorts, even lingerie and kinky objects!
And speaking of shopping girls, did you know that Brussels is a major city for fashion and design? Brussels' fashion districts will satisfy all your fashionista needs as far as chic, trendy and vintage shopping are concerned.
Lunch with the girls in the Bailly neighbourhood
The neighbourhood looks like a village. It's vibrant, often full of Europeans and it's a great place to take a stroll or have a bite to eat.
Our new friend takes us for lunch at l’Epicerie, on rue du Page. This lovely quaint little place seduced us with its delicious little dishes and the friendliness of Magali, the owner. We share all the little treats, and the latest gossip and stories about our men, in the pleasant cafeteria atmosphere.
As we leave we stop off, in the same street, and pick up a few cupcakes for later in the afternoon at chez Lilicup.
A visit of the Parlamentarium, to brush up on Europe
We bid our charming greeter farewell and thank her once again for her insight, company and advice (point G on the map).
We head to the place du Luxembourg (point H on the map) where the European Parliament lies. We find the entrance without any trouble.
The centre is incredibly high-tech and the staff welcome visitors (for free) in the 23 official languages of the European Union! We find ourselves diving into the European Institutions (Parliament, Council and Commission) in a fun and interactive way.
The visit was a pleasant surprise and very enjoyable. And after all... we now have a better understanding of Europe's politics!
As we leave, we all realise that we're a bit peckish. Sarah, who's always looking out for us, reminds us that we still have our little treats that we bought earlier. "Who wants a cupcake?" she shouts. Me, me, me! ... We find ourselves sitting on the grass in the middle of the place du Luxembourg like a group of girl guides holding a meeting to organise the evening ahead.
A girls' night out in Brussels... and girls just wanna have fun
After a great day of European discovery, we head back to freshen up and get ready for the evening. Dresscode: heels or trainers, jeans or classy dress, make up and smiles guaranteed because everyone knows that girls just wanna have fun!
We've booked two large three-person rooms so that we can have a good laugh like the old days at boarding school where we all met.
Once we're all ready, Sophie uncorks the two nice bottles that she brought with her to celebrate getting her dream job! Now that's the way to start the night!
To sample the Brussels party atmosphere, we decide to head to the terraces of the Saint Géry quarter (point I on the map).
For dinner we go to the rue Borgval, which has plenty of lovely restaurants, and choose a tapas bar.
We decide to continue the night, which has started so well, by going out dancing at one of the numerous club nights organised every weekend in the capital.
We choose the Havana Club (point J on the map) for incredible coktails and latino beats on rue Haute, and Madame Moustache (point K on the map), a cabaret/café with explosive cocktails in a circus-themed decor on quai au Bois à brûler.
Its late and we're hungry so we order a couple of portions chips with andalouse sauce that we share before jumping into a taxi and heading back safely to get a few hours of sleep.
The pillow fights of the past will have to wait until the morning.
