As a funny aside, the directions we got from the backpackers were along the lines of:
- Go to Brussels North train station
- Walk 3 blocks north
- Walk 5 blocks East
- Walk 3 blocks South
We followed them on the day we arrived, but thought it was a bit strange. On the 2nd day of our trip, we had to go back to the train station to go to Bruges, so we took to more direct route of just going 3 blocks east. It turns out the reason for the detour was that the 5 blocks between our hostel and the train station were the red light district.
At least that is what I think it was, but it might be a Belgium tradition to put red neon lights around the corner of your full length street level window, and then sit on a chair and watch passers by. In a bikini. At 9am on a Sunday.
For some reason all the ladies seemed to be Black, but maybe that was just the streets we walked down.