Part IIII x Final | CHIC Travels | Brussels

Roaming around the gorgeous Parc Royale, also known as Parc de Bruxelles and Brussels Park. Something that I truly love about European cities are there parks, some of them run for miles and own some of the most beautiful landscapes. Almost in every city we've been to here in Europe, we always find ourselves walking through a park, they are just too amazing to avoid. 

While in the park we let out little monster (as we call him) Barney Stinson run wild, and as you can see, he really enjoyed his free range roaming.

Upon running into this vintage looking iron cast bandstand, I almost sprint to it because it was just so pretty, it reminded me of one of my favorite rides...carousels. So naturally I had to take photos of it, because it had to be photographed with me in it of course. 

We ran into another Christmas Market, this one was a bit smaller but still with lots of charm close to the Galeries Royales St. Hubert. 

Galeries Royales St. Hubert is the first passage shopping mall in the world and the predecessor to the shopping malls we know today, pretty cool huh? the architecture of the mall is marvelous, grand and royal and during the holiday season it is dressed with enchanting decor. It has a few chocolate stores, and is a must on Belgium Chocolate tours, so you mustn't miss it. It also has a few cafes you can unwind in after a few hours of walking, we had a late breakfast at one of their cafes, Le Pain Quotidien, famous for their fresh bread,

This was the day we had to return to the hotel, as snow began to fall. Although it cut our touring session short, it made for a magical experience in our hotel, more so because we had a terrace balcony with nice views of the city. I, of course was so giddy, this was officially my first time seeing snow fall that much in which settled on the ground. Funny that I do not like cold weather too much but I do love to watch snow fall, I find it so soothing and breathtaking. 

Barney also seemed to enjoy the snow, as I caught him glancing for long periods of time out through the windows. 

Hope you enjoyed all four of my Brussels stories, if you didn't catch the previous three, see them HERE, HERE x HERE.

Part III | CHIC Travels | Brussels

Streets of Brussels are so magical, but then again all streets in Europe are the same. They ooze these sort of intrigue, as if they have seen life go by for years and years, and so they have. Brussels more so though has this chicness that most likely comes from its french influence yet cool that comes from the dutch influence, creating this atmosphere like no other. 

Entering heaven, also known as Pierre Marcolini Haute Chocolaterie, which has endless floors of goodness and is the place I want to call home, yes because nothing gets better than this for those who are chocolate connoisseurs as I like to call myself. It is a chocolate mecca in Brussels, it is the a sensual experience and one you most not miss if you ever visit this charming city.

I went stepped out happy with my Olympa Le-Tan for Pierre Marcolini designed chocolate box, which I still have and plan to transform it into something useful. I got two of each kind of chocolate pieces, they had from Venezuela, Brazil, to Mango and Strawberry, so many options that there is no way you can go home without any. 

Cutest Mini Cooper I ever did see.

Barney ran into his twin while we strolled the streets on the second day, right before the snow began to fall, which forced us to seclude back to the hotel as it was way too cold for our furry baby. We actually never left the hotel that day because it was snowing way too hard, making it difficult for us to navigate the streets. But it was actually a very relaxing and welcoming experience, as this was actually my first time seeing snow settle on the ground. Watching snow fall was so beautiful to me, just as I had seen it happen in countless movies, and made me feel just the way I thought, magical (my favorite word). 

I have a thing with lavish door knobs, they look so regal, so glorious and look so beautiful hanging from large doors. You see so many of these beautiful details all throughout the city,from regal knobs, so gracious statues to picturesque structures. 

See PART I x PART II of my Brussels story.

Part II | CHIC Travels | Brussels

Barney and I in front of Mont des Arts, which is located in the center of Brussels and is considered a historic site. In the photo above and below you get to see Brussels Town Hall tower (which you saw HERE) peeking through the landscape of buildings. This area was highly populated way before the garden existed, and was known as Quartier Saint Roches, but by the end of the 19th century, King Leopold II had the idea of converting the hill into a temporary garden and ordered to do monumental staircases and cascading fountains. Between 1956 and 1958 the garden went under a major reconstruction and it is what you see now. 

Barney has become quite the traveler, he came with us and although it was a bit of a challenge when snow fell during one of the days we were there, we love traveling with him because it's a whole different dynamic when he comes along.

Place Royale

The Music Instrument Museum (MIM) is located in the central of Brussels and is part of the Royal Museums for Art and History. MIM is internationally renowned for its collection of over 8,000 instruments, the collection was created in 1877, to educate students of early instruments. 

Oh and let's not forget the millions of waffle shops/trucks located all over the city, that fill your nose with happiness. I love waffles, well I love sweets period, but waffles are one of my favorite treats and I made it a point I could not leave Brussels without trying the famous Belgium Waffles...I will tell you a story about that on the next edition of Brussels. 

The photo that inspired one of the shots from this outfit post, and has become favorite of mine. There is something so romantic and solitary about the look of this photo that I just love.

You can see Part I of Brussels HERE.

Part I | CHIC Travels | Brussels

Eglise Sainte Catherine (St. Catherine Church) in festive holiday wear as Brussel's Christmas Market sits across from it. During this time of year, almost all around Europe you will find some type of market or festival to celebrate Christmas, and where you will experience a sensory overload with all the aromas that gently breeze by you. I find myself unable to decide what I want to try, I always want to select the best piece of food their is, as to not miss out on an enjoyable experience. Each city in Europe provides its own unique flavors, but almost all have the same feeling of excitement. 

People also gather in local eateries as they themselves provide a enticing menu, most notably, in Brussels, as the culinary experience here is superb, with several Michelin Star restaurants and other up to par establishments, it makes for quite an adventure for those who have a foodie heart. I, myself was highly looking forward to coming to this charming city, solely for the purpose of eating, drinking their delicious beer and chocolate hunting and eating as well. I did just that.

"Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light." | Yogi Bhajan

Grand Place is Brussel's center square, where guildwalls are ostentatious and towers are impressive. There are two large towers that lay on the square, the city's Town Hall which is what you see below and was completed in 1420 and the Breadhouse building which contains the Museum of the city of Brussels, and opened it's doors in 1887. Grand Place is the most visited area in Brussels, in part for it's magnificent buildings but most importantly for its historical significant as it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

See more CHIC Travel stories here, here x here.