Wanted to be somewhere else for Christmas 2005, (rather than St Albans) but didn't want to travel too far.  Brussels caught my eye ..... only two and a half hours aboard the Eurostar, plenty of history .. not completely closed over Christmas and the delightful town of Bruges only an hour away.  I found a cheap hotel, the Vendome, which offered Bed and Breakfast, and was well situated on Blvd Adolphe Max to be only a few minutes walking away from most of the older part of Brussels.  The pictures should give you an idea of what the city offers, and hopefully whet your appetite for a weekend away trip ....