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by stef25 853 days ago
Lived in Brussels my whole life, some general thoughts

- Yes the trash situation is bad. It is actually due to political infighting. As you may know Brussels has 19 communes, 19 mayors, a whole lot of pencil pushers and 4 differently colored trash bags that each have their own pickup day, so this leads to some ridiculous situations.

- There's much better bars or introductions to beer than Delirium, which is basically for tourists (as are those meters of beer on a plank). There's Moeder Lambik in 2 locations, a whole bunch of bars around Place Flagey and about another dozen at the Parvis of St Gilles.

- Public transport tends to suck unless you're lucky with the stops / lines and the rental bikes / scooters are the best way to get around. That, or walking. It's a pretty small city.

- The city is safe, just be careful around the Gare du Midi esp at night, and pick pockets exist almost everywhere. Don't lose sight of your valuables.

- Belgians are discreet and modest, almost too much. Any lack of enthusiasm and fireworks is for this reason :)

- Winter is drab around here. Humid, gray, cold.

8 comments

So, I get that beer samplers are "for tourists," but it is also hard to try a wide variety of beers when on a relatively short trip without them. Also, as someone who also lives in a tourist town, it is much better to herd them all together. Ironically, they end up having more fun because the locals are there to interact with each other, and the tourists are much more likely to inter-mingle.

This is counter to their stated preference, but the actions end up revealing themselves.

> Also, as someone who also lives in a tourist town, it is much better to herd them all together. Ironically, they end up having more fun because the locals are there to interact with each other, and the tourists are much more likely to inter-mingle.

Reminds me of Temple Bar in Dublin. Anyone from Dublin will always advise you to avoid the place as it is full of overpriced tourist traps, but tourists consistently go there and any I've spoken to always report having a great time. Leave them to it I guess!

I tell Dublin tourists they should definitely check out Temple Bar for one night. It's loud, has dozens of pubs and restaurants, is packed with people, and is just generally good craic[1]. I don't go there myself all too often, but it's not like I don't go to Times Square at least once when I visit NYC. I think we forget sometimes that the average tourist is on holiday and pretty happy to just switch off and go with the flow.

[1] https://www.ceastudyabroad.com/blog/content-creator/2017/12/...

The thing about Delirium is that it's where the (unofficial) FOSDEM Beer Event happens¹, so that's where you meet all the other FOSDEM people.

[1] there used to be an official FOSDEM beer event there before COVID, but people just still go there.

Ooh is that why Delirium was so utterly overcrowded, with loud shit music playing? The time I was there about 6 years ago outside of FOSDEM it was quite full but not overcrowded, and at least the loudness of the music was bearable. I assumed it just finally tipped over and turned into a crappy tourist place, but it's just FOSDEM then?
I was surprised how brazen the pickpockets are. One of them approached me at a station (not Gare du Midi) being friendly. I reciprocated having had a few beers at this point. The next moment I feel his hand in my pocket trying to fish my wallet out. Luckily he ran off as soon as I noticed, he wasn't a particularly good pickpocket.

Maybe it only happened because I looked strongly tourist. Thieves and pickpockets are more quick and sly in London. Frankly, every visit I have always felt a bit unsafe in Brussels. Someone I met at FOSDEM last year had their car window smashed in.

FYI Moeder Lambic is now as touristic as Delirium since every beer nerd tells people at Delirium to go there instead …
- Public transport tends to suck unless you're lucky with the stops / lines and the rental bikes / scooters are the best way to get around. That, or walking. It's a pretty small city.

I found public transport in Brussels pretty decent. Especially the MOBIB card system just works. This is completely different where I live in Germany.

I only had difficulties on the day of my arrival on Thursday because of the farmers protests and that is where an E-Scooter saved me. That you can just pick up a scooter even when you signed up in a different country is fantastic.

Apart from that, I have the hunch that Germany is the only remaining country where people pay cash. That you can pay everything with your card is quite convenient.

The subway was pretty good indeed, combine with some walking and it gets you many places. I for one wasn’t brave enough for the scooters…
I do not understand the attitude of being location tracked plus details of your transactions, stored by corporations, is "convenient"
>Yes the trash situation is bad

>Public transport tends to suck

Yes, it's clear you have never lived in another city in Belgium ;) The public transportation is by far the best in the country and thrash pick up days couldn't be easier. It's always the same day of the week, every week of the year. It's just that people suck at it in Brussels.

Second Moeder Lambik. Went to the pre-FOSDEM party at Delirium once. Never again.

And though I've taken the bus from near the Place Royale to the university for FOSDEM, it's very walkable.

Sounds a lot like London.