Actual destinations – Beyond Brussels

Not so far away

The most obvious place to travel to is of course the continental Europe – or, as I like to call it, the mainland.

When you think about Europe, you probably think of places like Paris, Amsterdam,Rome, Prague, and Madrid. These are of course excellent places to visit and I’d choose any one of them over a night at the Staines Premier Inn any day, but there are other places too – towns and cities that may not be world capitals, but are still worth a night or day en route.

Let’s have a look and see what we can see…

Aachen, Germany

A German city just over the borders of both Belgium and Netherlands that was once the seat of the Emperor Charlemagne. His (rather uncomfortable) throne can be found in the upper gallery of the ‘Dom’ (Cathedral). Aachen is a nice place to stop overnight en route east from Brussels, perhaps before continuing next day towards Berlin. A couple of decent ‘Ibis’ hotels add a cherry to the top of this tasty cake of a town.

Kevelaer

You won’t stumble across this quaint little pilgrimage town by accident, as it’s half way up a branch line from nearby Krefeld (a city once known as the murder capital of Germany). However there are few murders in Kevelaer, which is not surprising as it is one of Germany’s two most famous Marian shrines. The town is packed with churches, two basilicas, and a cute little chapel containing the miraculous image of Our Lady of Luxembourg. Quite what the association is with Luxembourg nobody seems to know, but why not mull it over with kaffee und kuchen at the famous ‘Cafe Heilen’ Konditorei?

Antwerp

Bustling, industrial Antwerp is one of Europe’s key port cities – but it’s also a fine port of call for rail travellers. Regular trains link Antwerp with Lille, Brussels, and destinations in the Netherlands. Antwerp is one of the key global centres of the diamond trade, with as much 80% of the world’s rough diamonds passing through, and spending their evenings in local bars.

The diamond quarter is close to the monumental rail station – which is itself one of the city’s main sights. The Cathedral, packed full of works of art both new and old is worth a visit – not least for a cup of tea in the ‘Sacristy Cafe’. The old town is full of charm, and if you do go, I wouldn’t mind some homemade treats from ‘Philip’s Biscuits’ in the city centre.

Phantasialand

Imagine Disneyland, Thorpe Park, and Blackgang Chine all rolled into one, and you’ll have a rough (well, very rough) idea of what Phantasialand is like. The theme park, a short bus ride from Bruhl station (a few stops south of Cologne) is perfect for primary school age children and their families, with everything from a Disney-style ‘main street’ to a on-the-verge-of-terrifying rollercoaster set in the wild-west style gold mine. It’s obviously a gold mine for the owners too, as you’ll see from the admission charges. But still, it is worth a visit.

Trier and the Mosel valley

I’ve not mentioned Luxembourg yet, as this city of banks and go-go clubs is mainly of interest as a transport hub. An hourly train from Brussels will connect here with the local train over the German border to Trier, an ancient Roman settlement on the banks of the River Mosel. It’s a lovely place, with the Roman Porta Negra being one of the key monuments, but after a night or day, it’ll be time to head further up the Mosel valley, perhaps stopping for lunch in the picturesqe town of Cochem, before joining the Rhine valley at Koblenz.

From Koblenz you can then either head north to Cologne (and Phantasialand) and then via Aachen back to Brussels – or you can go south down the scenic Rhine valley line, stopping in other pretty little towns or heading fast to destinations further afield.

In my next installment we will go a little further…