Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

BRU-HEL (2h 25m) Embraer 190 ETD: 7.20pm (GMT + 2)  ETA:  10.45pm (GMT + 3) It was time for another flight with Norra (Nordic Regional Airlines), Finnair's regional wing. Having tried the Business Class cabin onboard AY1141 that brought us from Helsinki, Finland to Warsaw, Poland, my BFF and I flew in the Economy Class of AY1546 from Brussels, Belgium back to Helsinki.

Upper Level Opposite Gate A42, Brussels Airport, Zaventem, Belgium Daily: 5.00am - 9.00pm Brussels Airport provides two lounges named Diamond Lounge that are accessible to all travellers, one each in the Schengen and non-Schengen areas. One can gain access to the lounge by paying €32.00 (~S$49.70) , but my BFF and I used our Priority Pass cards to enter.

Zaventem, Belgium Brussels Airport is located at Zaventem, a Belgian municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant. It's among the top 25 busiest airports in Europe. Besides serving as a hub for Brussels Airlines and TUIfly Belgium, did you know that it's also one of the global hubs for Singapore Airlines Cargo?

Brussels, Belgium Brussels is the capital city of Belgium, covering an area of approximately 32 square kilometres with a population density of close to 5,500 inhabitants per square kilometre in 2017. It used to be Dutch-speaking until a gradual shift to French took place from the late 19th century. Today, it's officially bilingual in French and Dutch.

Brussels, Belgium We've come to the last post of 2018! Brussels has been the de facto capital of the European Union (EU) since the early 1960s. Its modern-looking European Quarter is contained within an approximate triangle of formed by Cinquantenaire Park , Brussels Park and Leopold Park.

Rue des Bouchers /  Beenhouwersstraat , Brussels, Belgium Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (French) or Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen (Dutch) is an enclosed shopping arcade designed by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, a Belgian architect who was involved in more than 200 projects during his lifetime. The construction of the 213 m passage began in May 1846, lasting for 18 months.

Old Town, Brussels, Belgium La Grand-Place (French) or Grote Markt (Dutch) is the central square in the old town district. Considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe with its surrounding opulent buildings, it has been listed under the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998. 

Place Sainte-Gudule / Sinter-Goedeleplein, Brussels, Belgium Mon-Fri: 7.00am - 6.00pm Sat: 8.00am - 5.00pm Sun: 1.00pm - 6.00pm Yet another place of worship that my BFF and I visited is a Roman Catholic church that was elevated to a cathedral in 1962. It took approximately 300 years for the Gothic style building to be completed, eventually ready before the reign of Charles V commenced in 1519.

Elizabeth Park, Brussels, Belgium Daily: 8.00am - 5.00pm (winter) or 6.00pm (summer) Pikachu and Melon are back! Let's continue from where we left off. Basilica of the Sacred Heart in the capital city of Belgium is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica. Its construction began in 1905, but it was fully completed only in 1970 as it was halted by the two World Wars.

Rue au Beurre / Boterstraat, Brussels, Belgium Daily: 9.00am - 4.00pm Église Saint-Nicolas (French) or Sint-Niklaaskerk (Dutch) is one of the first four churches in the city of Brussels. It was built in 1125, though much of the original structure didn't live to see this day as it suffered from heavy damages due to the French bombardment of the city in 1695.

European Quarter, Brussels, Belgium Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for 'Park of the 50th Anniversary') or Jubelpark (Dutch for 'Jubilee Park') is a 30-hectare public park built in 1880 during the reign of King Leopold II to commemorate fifty years of the country's independence. It's located at the easternmost part of the European Quarter of the city.

Rue de la Fourche / Greepstraat 17-19, Brussels, Belgium Smacked in the middle of the old town area of the capital city of Belgium is Floris Arlequin Grand Place Hotel (3*), where my BFF and I stayed at for two nights. It's located 150 m away from Grand Place. For bigger groups, the hotel offers triple and quadruple rooms.