The after life

Hello hello :) long time, no see! Ever since I left Belgium, I am back to my routine in Portugal, but still doing all the traveling I can on my vacations and holidays. I still have some good friends in Brussels and Antwerp, so I think Belgium will be a preferred destination every year, even if just for a weekend (thanks to the low-cost companies which introduced some competition in the monopoly of the Lisbon-Brussels route that TAP and Brussels Airlines had back then!). Here I'll be posting about my returns to Belgium since my departure in March 2014:

• May 2017 - I spent a weekend in Brussels, to visit friends and participate (again) in the 20km of Brussels. I wandered around the center, had lunch at KoKob (eat like an Ethiopian = run likean Ethiopian?!), passed by Delhaize for the usual supply of chocolate and cheese and gathered with 40.000 people in Parc du Cinquantenaire for a run around this dear city of ours (with a surprinsingly hot weather of almost 30º - hotter than Lisbon, actually!).

• April 2016 - I went two times to Brussels on the same week. One for work (to attend a meeting in the EC) and the other to visit our friends (which I had scheduled long before, to make use of a long weekend given by a national holiday). Again, I split the time between Brussels and Antwerp, passed by our usual places (restaurants included!) and visited a new one: Hallerbos. Luckily we were there when the bluebells were at their peak and the views were amazing. Only 30 minutes away south of Brussels, this is definitely a great place to spend some time.

• May 2015 - When I did the EC traineeship I noticed that many of my colleagues liked to run and were very excited about participating in the 20km of Brussels. At the time, I didn't run, so I didn't understand the buzz, but when I returned to Portugal I started running and participated in some events and finally understood all the fun. So I kept in my mind that this Brussels' race was something I was going to do some day. This year we got a good flight offer for the weekend and decided to go. We were there for 3 days and got the chance to: stay at our friend's place, have a cone of frites upon arrival at Place Jourdan, wander around the center and have lunch at KoKob, pass by Colruyt and buy some cheese and chocolates (you can see a pattern on these visits already!), have dinner at L'Amour Fou, visit our friends in Antwerp, do the 20km race, have a recovery lunch at Mama Roma, take a look at our friends' new home and return to Lisbon. The race was amazing and it was the first time ever that I ran 20km (even when training, I only ran 10km max), so I was very proud of my result. There were so many people on the streets throughout the entire route, cheering for the runners, even though it was raining a bit! The environment was fantastic.

•  November 2014 - I was in Brussels for just 24h, but I still had time to take a train to Antwerp to visit my friends, wake up at 7h to wander around (a very empty) Grand Place, see (a very lonely) Manneken Pis, buy cheese and chocolate for the boyfriend and friends, attend a work meeting organized by the EC (so nice to be "on the other side", representing my authority and our Member State), have a fast lunch to use the lunch hour to visit HEMA, go back to the work meeting and then straight to the airport.

Stay tunned for more returns to this city and country from which I have very fond memories of :)

Bye Belgium!

Well, that was short! Maybe that's what many of you are thinking right now. A little over a month since I reactivated this blog, I am already closing it again (this time I think for good).

Indeed, I have early finished my traineeship in the EP, as I returned to Portugal to start a permanent job here. I was in a recruitment process for a while now, that was taking too long to be completed (5 months!), so I decided to come to Brussels meanwhile and do the traineeship in the EP that I had been invited to. It so happens the said recruitment process came to an end last week and they chose me :) a permanent contract (not another traineeship, yay!), in Lisbon, in the area of work that I wanted. So I am quite happy about it and have already left Brussels last week to start my new job here tomorrow.

So, no more traineeships or Brussels for me in the future (only as a tourist!), so the time to close this blog for definitive has come. I started it when I found out I had been selected for the EC traineeship, kept it in a pause for a while and returned to it when I found out I was going to Brussels again, this time for the EP. It was great having made this blog, as it served as a diary for me of all the things I have done and also as a help for the future/current trainees in Brussels, that found my tips useful. I had an average of 500 readers per day, a total of around 120.000 visitors, 1.600 followers of the Facebook page and over 120 posts made. So all I can do is thank you for having passed by and reading my adventures :)

I received great feedback both here, in Facebook, by e-mail and even in person from all of you who read me during this year and I am glad my blog was useful for you. I am quite an active person that likes and wants to make the most out of the places I pass by, so all the things that I have shared here can serve as ideas for the people living in Belgium to do. Most of them are events that are annual, or trips that can be made at any time, so they can be enjoyed in the future by anyone interested.

Finally, one last remark about doing what makes you happy. A year ago I had left my permanent job in Portugal, as I wanted to change my career path and gain more knowledge on European issues, as well as having a work experience abroad. I did the EC traineeship always with the goal of returning to Portugal for another permanent job, having very clear in my mind what I wanted to do this time. Once the EC traineeship finished, I went back and applied to some positions back home, the first of them being the one job that I ended up getting now. Meanwhile having any answer, I worked in an Embassy in Lisbon and after that in the EP. 

So, a year later, I finally got what I wanted: to return to my country for a career that I desire and in a more long-term perspective, having enjoyed a last year working 3 different (very) nice jobs, travelling a lot, meeting new people, practising foreign languages... basically, feeling free again! So all of it was so worthy and I am glad I followed my heart and left (with the risks that it carried) the job I had and that I always continued to look for opportunities to do what makes me happy. I wish all of you the best of luck for your future and that you follow your happy path as well :)

Last but not least, I have tried my best to share here most of what I know and have lived in Brussels, so check the topics on the right for the subject you may be looking for. If, in the end, you still have something you believe I can help, feel free to contact me (I cannot promise I will be paying the same attention to that email address now, though!). Be sure to enjoy your time as trainees in Brussels, as there's so much you can do and learn there during that period!

Au revoir :)

Mariana

Final tips on Antwerp

If you're looking for a green area to spend some time in the sun, go to Park Spoor Noord. A good place to play with the kids, go for a pic-nic or just laying on the grass.

Every Sunday, in the city center, you have the Vogelmarkt, which is a market a little bit about everything: clothes, food, animals. Since most shops close on Sundays, this is a nice thing to see, when strolling in the center.

The most known street for shopping is the Meir, where you have the normal brands (like Zara, H&M, C&A, etc) and then some that are not so common in continental Europe (like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, River Island). They close on Sundays, but on any other day the street is pretty crowded.

On that same street, you will find The Chocolate Line, which is one of the most famous chocolate stores in Belgium. Even if you're not planning on buying anything, just enter to see their delights and to enjoy the space where it is located, as it is a very nice and fancy palace.

The Central Station is very beautiful too, both on the inside and on the outside. If you go through the back entrance/exit of the station (Lange Kievitstraat), you will pass by lots of the famous diamond stores and will be in the center of the Jewish neighbourhood. You can see lots of orthodox Jews and their families passing by, all dressed up traditionally.

Not as famous as Amsterdam's red light district, Villa Tinto is, on the other hand, known to be the world's most hi-tech brothel. It is located near the pier and basically is a shopping mall turned into windows for prostitutes. It has a police station on the inside, lots of security and modern technological features. It can be interesting to pass by there (you can cross on the middle of it and the adjacent streets are also from Antwerp's red light district) just to see this one-of-a-kind thing.

Final tips on Brussels

The buses numbers 21 (until the stop NATO, airport not included) and 22 are free for the workers of the European Institutions (including trainees), upon presentation of their badge to the driver.

Something I noticed as a difference from Portugal was the shortage of ATMs around the city. As soon as I realized that, I identified already two or three of them that were either close to my house, or on my way to work, or near the supermarkets I visited regularly and I would take some more money than what I usually carry with me, just for the case that I might need it and not have an ATM around. It is common that you see, especially during the night, but at daytime too, queues of people next to ATMs, because they are indeed not very abundant. It happened to me that my card was not working in the terminal of a taxi and we had to go around the city during the night looking for an ATM for me to withdraw some cash (because during the night some of them don't allow withdrawals, or don't allow that you enter the bank, when the ATM is inside). So make sure you always have some reserve money with you, in the event you may need it (this taxi thing ended up costing me an extra 15€!).

As a trainee in the EC, you have the right to take 2 days of vacations per month, so you have a total of 10 days to take during your traineeship. Plus, there's also several holidays during each session. Check the calendar for the EC and see which days are holidays (for example, the Spring session gets several days during Easter and the Winter session gets various days for Christmas and NYE's as well), because that may be a good time to return to your country or to do some trips around. If you add to these the vacation days you are entitled to take, you have more than time to travel around and Brussels, being so centrally located, is an excellent place to make use of this possibility.

A great place to gather on the sunny days is the Bois de la Cambre. You'll find lots of people there, riding their bikes, jogging, having a pic-nic, playing with their children, walking their dogs, etc. The place has a lake and an immense green area, so it's great to just spend some hours laying there in the sun. 

Pay attention to all the events that are happening in the city. I feel like every week there are conferences, seminars, festivals (of music, cinema, documentary films, theatre), activities, open days at museums and galleries... and most of them are free, or for a reduced price. Check the Facebook group for your traineeship session, as well as the Stage Committee website, as people usually post there about the things they find about. Look for other Facebook pages about Brussels, where you can be updated about what's going on, so you don't miss a thing. This is a city that if you want to be busy everyday doing things, you can. There's always so much going on!

Pay attention when recycling! In Brussels you have to buy specific bags depending on which garbage they hold (blue for plastic, yellow for paper and white for general trash). You can find them easily in rolls with lots of them in every supermarket and they are cheap. Then you have to see what are the collection days for what type of garbage in your commune and put that trash outside in the evening of such day. Usually it's a good method if you look around in your street and neighbourhood and see many bags of the same colour outside, then you know you can put that one out. If you put a bag out on a day that it was not supposed to, or if you put on that bag some garbage that doesn't belong to it (yes, sometimes they check!), you can get a warning or even a fine.

Be prepared for weather changes. Last year, at this time, it was snowing and negative degrees. This year it has been sunny and temperatures reaching almost 20 degrees! So the weather in Belgium is really unstable... enjoy the sun while you have it, but never discharge your winter coat and your umbrella, as you may need them even in July (happened to me last year!).

Amadeus Antwerp

When I returned to Belgium this second time, there were some things I knew I wanted to do again. One of them was to eat the famous ribs, that I had tried before in the Amadeo restaurant in Brussels. This time, with a plus: I could do it in Antwerp, experimenting one of the two restaurants they have there. I opted for their first restaurant, near the pier, although they have opened a new one in the center.

Again, we had to go for the ribs, the potato and that marvellous butter sauce! Accompanied with the house's red wine, of course.

The restaurant is quite famous there too (the street and surroundings were kind of empty on a Saturday night, but the inside of the restaurant was crowded!). The quality remains, so as the price and the fact that you can order as many ribs as you want. My greediness was satisfied and I left the place full, as always. Definitely a must-do for everyone in Belgium!

Amadeus

St-Paulusplaats 20

2000 Antwerpen
+32 03/232 25 87

ives@mail-box.be

http://www.amadeusspareribrestaurant.be/F/antwerpen/info.html

MAS

Two weeks ago I went to the Museum aan de Stroom, which is located near the port area, in Antwerp. I didn't visit the museum itself, as I just went to the top floor to get the panorama view of the city. Though I have heard the museum is good, not expensive (5€ for the permanent exhibition) and you have plenty of floors (10!) full of artwork to explore. Nevertheless, if you want to do like myself, you just have to go up through the automatic stairs until the last floor and admire the view (it's for free). You can get a magnificent view of the cathedral and the old town buildings!

Stadtpark

In Antwerp there is this park in the city center that is well worth a visit! You have lots of space to jog, a lake and a children's area for them to play. There's also a bridge and birds passing by. I went there on a sunny day and it was a great place to stroll around and soak up the sun :)

Antwerp's Zoo

A week ago I went to visit the zoo in Antwerp. I hadn't been to the zoo since I was little and it was great to have this experience again. The zoo is located right next to the main entrance of the central station and is now having a "winter offer" that makes tickets cheaper than usual. Even though they are not that cheap (we paid 15€ per person), I thought it was totally worthy it! They have lots of animals, open air or in some galleries (for example, the fish, the monkeys, the reptiles) and during the day you can see several shows (for example, playing with the seals and feeding the elephants). We saw all the animals and it took us 3h! It was a sunny day, so perfect for strolling around. And, even though on a weekend, there were not many people around.

The sea lions being fed

The decoration of the space is really nice too!

Funny!

They have a Nemo :)

The lions resting in the back.

Some humans got into the animal spirit too!

This is how my eyes look when I wake up every morning to do the Antwerp-Brussels ride...

Camouflage!

I saw many exotic animals I had never seen in my life (I specially recommend the nocturne section, where you can see some strange mixes, like pig-rabbit, squirrel-kanguru and mouse-deer). It was such a great visit that made me eager to visit other zoos when travelling. The Lisbon one will be next :)

Royal Palace

Every year, the Royal Palace in Brussels opens its doors to visitors, during summer. During that time you can visit the rooms of the palace, free of charge and admire the artwork exposed in them. Last year this started in August and since I was still in Brussels for the first couple of days of that month, I took the chance to go there. Pay attention to the dates this year and go there if you like, as it's definitely worth seeing!

Wagamama

I found about Wagamama last year when I went with my parents to Antwerp, as it was recommended to us by a friend of theirs. Now, since I am living there and liked the place, I went back. Apparently this chain of ramen-bars is quite popular in the UK, where they have over 100 places open, but in Belgium there's only one, which is this one located in Antwerp. The interior is quite simple, with long tables and benches and space for many people. They are specialized in these warm soups with noodles, meat/fish and vegetables and those were what I ate both times.

Teriyaki salmon ramen

Wagamama ramen (noodles in a miso, ginger and chicken soup topped with grilled chicken, barbecued pork, prawns, mussels, a tea-stained egg, chikuwa and wakame. garnished with menma and spring onions)

Their price is around 15€ and you get quite satisfied with one, as it is quite rich in ingredients and warm. As it's a soup, I never needed to order a drink either. So, if you're in Antwerp and into this kind of food, or want to get a bit warmer in a winter day trying this one-of-a-kind restaurant in Belgium, you should definitely pass by there!

Wagamama

http://www.wagamama.be/

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