After our day in Rotterdam Iona had sailed down the Channel to dock in Zeebrugge. Rather than spend the day in Blankenberg we took a P&O excursion to see the Christmas Markets in Brussels.
Day 6: 12th December 2024: Zeebrugge
Iona was docked in Zeebrugge by 7:50 am.
After breakfast from room service we were ready to head off the ship for our trip to Brussels. There were lots of excursions leaving the ship. We passed through familiar countryside and then were on the roads to Brussels.
Day 6: 12th December 2024: Brussels
We left just after 8:30 am.
The coach stopped for a break at 10 am at a services. Most of us spent the time at the services queing for the toilets waiting as everyone had to sort out their change to pay!
The coach was then in heavy traffic all the way into Brussels. We made a detour to “look” at the Atomium after the sports stadium and exhibition halls. Then we past the royal botanical gardens – not open it seems. The gate was to the Royal Palace of Brussels.
We then drove through a business district with lots of office blocks before hitting a serious traffic jam and not moving.
At this point our guide decided it would be better to leave the coach and start our walking tour of Brussels.
The walking tour of Brussels
The description of the excursion did not explicitly define what form the “tour” of brussels would take, As it turned out it was an extensive walking tour. Not what we had expected.
After walking past the traffic jam we turned down into the centre of Brussels.
The arcades were fascinating but unfortunately we had very little time to explore the shops as passed through.
From the square we passed the TinTin art and came to the famous Brussels little boy statue.
By now we had passed through two Christmas Markets.
We past this spot at least four (or five) times…
Just past here we had to walk underneath scaffolding that covered the pavement. Outside one of the shops the homeless guy there said “hello again” after the second or third time we went past him!
The final Brussels Christmas Market
This fanal market was our intended destination. Unfortunately the vast majority of the cabins were for food or drink , very few sold anything remotely for the festive season. We were late arriving and we told to meet by the ferris wheel in a couple of hours nit the three as advertised.
The square’s statues were protected from the Christmas crowd.
We had a drink of hot wine and later had some Belgium fries.
The market had tow long rows of cabins with a ferris wheel at the end.
When it was time we walked to the ferris wheel and sat and ate our fries while we waited for the tour guide. We spotted a small supermarket and went inside to pick up my favourite French jam – this time it was a cheaper alternative of the the supermarket’s own brand.
And waited we did.
And waited until we were only missing two couples. I moved to try and capture people walking past the rolling advertising under the ferris wheel.
Finally after nearly another thirty minutes of waiting it was just one couple missing. They had phoned to say they were delayed(!), it seems they had gone back to find shops, probably some of the ones we had marched past earlier!
And we were off on another march to the coach. Crossing streets, passing office buildings and navigating more scaffolding…
Once at the coach we sat and waited for yet another 30 minutes !
Leaving Brussels
The traffic leaving Brussels was not as bad. We passed the church modelled on Paris’ Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre.
And an interesting piece of street art.
The art on the motorway was either on the back of signs or on bridges.
Day 6: 12th December 2024: Zeebrugge
No stops as this trip was clearly very late returning to the ship in Zeebrugge. All onboard was 4:30 pm and we were still travelling then.
The cruise terminal at Zeebrugge is some distance from the ship. We left the coach and were surprised to see a queue all around the car park. We could hear the part sail away in full swing on the ship as we queued in the cold!
Even inside the building the queues were again very long.
And after security we then queued to catch a shuttle bus to the ship – wow what a strange day we had had!
Iona finally left Zeebrugge after 6:15 pm.
The Limelight Club
This evening we went to the Limelight Club tboth eat and to watch a show from Matt Cardle.
And the show interspersed with lots of chats
The last port of this Christmas markets cruise was Le Havre.
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