March 22nd. Does this date tell you anything? It was the day of the terrorist attacks in Brussels in 2016. And it was precisely this day, a year later, that I landed for the first time in the Belgian capital.

I went to get to know the new station of the future of Europcar group and, despite having stayed only 48 hours in the city, of course I couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the city.

I arrived in Brussels at the end of the day and I couldn't visit the city center but the adventures started anyway. It was really difficult to find a restaurant to have dinner that would serve the group at that time (10pm). Almost all restaurants close earlier but, at the third attempt, we found an Italian restaurant that served us dinner.

The following day started very early: even before 9am I was already having my breakfast at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel. Then I went to the Sofitel hotel where it would hold a press conference that took me to the Belgian capital: a new agency of the Europcar group, considered "of the future". And why? Because Europcar is no longer a rent-a-car company: the group is focused on the new forms of mobility possible for its customers, which includes carsharing, scooters, segways and the awareness of the most young people (and not only), who here have the opportunity to experience what it's like to drive under the influence of various substances, such as alcohol and drugs, through virtual reality.

"This new station of the future represents the change of Europcar and the group's focus on the experience that it offers to its customers," told me the most recent CEO of Europcar, Caroline Parot, "on the other hand, we want to transmit to our customers that we aren't just a rent-a-car company but a company that provides mobility services in every way" she said.

And tourists and travelers are also included: renting segways, for example, or carsharing and carpooling (do you own a car and want to share your trip to make it greener and more accessible? This is for you) are some of Europcar's new services, which can be adapted to citizens who don't want to own a car and visitors to a new city as well.

After seeing and trying out these new Europcar's solutions, I decided to take advantage of the free time to visit the European Parliament - which is close to this Europcar agency - where there is also a piece of the Berlin wall, which was destroyed in 1989, and the Cinquentenario Park. Along the way, I passed the recent monument built in memory of the victims of the 2016 attacks.

Then, a short – but, well, it's better than nothing! – visit to the center of Brussels. Our driver, Jean, was super helpful and took us for a walk around some of the best known spots in the city, such as the Royal Palace, until we reached Grand Place, a huge square where I took the opportunity to go to the famous Godiva to buy chocolates and some souvenirs.

I would have liked to stay at least one more day in the city but unfortunately it wasn't possible. Next time maybe! And, despite the amount of armed soldiers I saw on the streets (another consequence of the attacks), I didn't feel insecure for a second.

In these 48 hours I got an idea of what Brussels is and I really enjoyed going to know Europcar's station of the future, it was a different experience and I had the opportunity to get to know the concept and the most recent work of the group.