Belgium: Brussels-Capital Region: Brussels: Grand'Place

TajLV
Las Vegas

Not worth visiting!

The G'Spot... Not

Don’t be fooled by the photos. If you think the colorful lights at night or the long banners flying in the sunlight or the carpets of flowers in the center of the square are everyday occurrences, be prepared for the dank, grey reality. It’s just a bunch of decaying old buildings, nothing on par with Paris or Amsterdam. I was totally unimpressed.

What made my stop there particularly unsatisfying was the waiter who served us lunch. We wanted to dine al fresco at one of the little cafes on the perimeter. Nobody would speak English to us, so I tried German. Strike two. Finally, using a French phrase book, I managed to get seated…inside only, not out. Nonetheless, we struggled with the menu and ordered our meal in broken French phrases. The waiter then brought us TWO of everything! How hungry did he think we were? He insisted that I had ordered two, not one, of each drink and dish. I asked him to take the extras back. He refused. He wanted us to pay for everything. I refused. Big scene. Lousy service. No return trip planned, ever.

Anyone who has read my travel posts know how high I am on the places I visit. I recommend pretty much every location. I almost always find something to like. But the Grand’Place? Manneken Pis? Even the EC HQ? No thanks. I’m no fan of Brussels. And I have more reasons to feel that way, but I will have to save them for another entry. Suffice to say, I suggest you give this a miss.

Comments:

sundogg99
Oregon

Surprised at this

I agree with your comments – you seem to typically find something good about every place you go. So I’m doubly surprised that your experience in Brussels was so negative – I’ve been there any number of times and have always been treated fairly. Summertime crowds make things a bit less pleasant for everyone, but in off season, I’ve always found Belgians to be unfailingly pleasant folks.

Sorry your experience was such a drag.

TajLV
Las Vegas

Other incidents

The problem I had with the waiter at Grand’Place was only one of many. I first traveled there in the mid-1980s with my wife of the time. She’s Japanese. I’m Caucasian. I went into a hotel to book a room. They said fine. I came back in with her and they said, “No vacancy.” This happened at a second hotel. We finally got a room at a third. I requested a room with a television, even though it cost extra, because I was in advertising then and liked to see local commercials. They brought us a TV, the only one supposedly available. It didn’t work. When I checked out, they charged me the extra fee for the TV. I refused to pay. They insisted. I got no sense of customer service anywhere I went, except from the Flemish-speaking Belgians (who make up less than 10% of the population). I’m glad you had good experiences. If I’d had only one bad one, I’d let it slip, but there was nothing I liked about Brussels, even on return visits on business in the 1990s.