Part of our Christmas gift to each other was a trip to Belgium. We rented a car, booked a hotel for a couple of nights, and drove the 2 hours across the border. I have to say that I really enjoyed Belgium. Decadent chocolate and delicious fries aside, the architecture and the ambiance of each of the cities we visited were very appealing. Although, Belgium was affected by WWII, there was less damage than in Nijmegen and it showed in the layout of the cities, the large towers and churches, and the everyday houses.
Our first stop was Antwerp and I was immediately impressed. The size of Nijmegen usually doesn’t bother me but with Antwerp being a proper city, I realized how much I miss the energy that comes with a bigger city. Nijmegen is a sleepy village compared to Antwerp. We generally just walked around, stopped for lunch, and then walked around again. Lucky for us, the Christmas markets in Belgium were still going strong and all of the holiday decorations were still up which added to the festive atmosphere. Another bonus of Antwerp is that I got to speak Dutch. Here in the Netherlands when I try to speak Dutch I get answered back in English. My accent gives me away every time. I have to admit that I felt good ordering falafel in my growing second language.
Inside the train station in Antwerp. We almost missed it but saw it while trying to get back to the car and couldn't resist stopping.
Not my first and definitely not my last stop in front of window filled with chocolate delights.
After a few hours in Antwerp, we made our way back to the car and headed 45 minutes away to Bruges. Our hotel was in Bruges and the original plan was to walk around Tuesday evening and then half of Wednesday before heading off to Gent for the evening. However, Bruges, literally one of the most romantic places in the world, was too charming to rush a visit. We did spend Tuesday evening walking around but decided that all of Wednesday needed to be spent meandering around the city as well. It was completely picturesque and romantic. Bruges was practically untouched during WWII and the city center itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At one point, overlooking a canal and trying to find space amongst the other visitors to take a picture Gearoid commented,” It’s ridiculous. It almost looks too beautiful.”
Cool looking house in Bruges
This picture was the result of Gearoid making a snide comment. The location is the béguinage in Bruges.
Ice skaters in Bruges. The rink was in the middle of the Christmas market and played continuous Madonna songs.
Fresh waffle with Nutella and powdered sugar. Although a begrudgingly smart decision, we unfortunately shared this delicious treat.
Dinner of champions. Fries with curry ketchup and Coke Zero. This was the same night as the waffle! We vowed to eat non-fried veggies the next day.
Our hotel was not in the center of town so we had to pass this fortress like thing to get into the center. I could be wrong, but I think there were four of these- one at each entrance-to get into the center.
Experiencing mouth ecstasy while standing by a life-size chocolate statue of President Obama. He smelled delicious but looked nothing like the president.
We did spend part of the morning inside at the chocolate museum where we had a recap of the origins of chocolate (we had already learned all of this during our visits to the Hershey Park in Pennsylvania) and learned the history of some of the Belgium chocolate makers. After you’ve crammed all of this chocolate knowledge in your head, you’re allowed to visit the chocolate carvings and observe some pralines (what they call the delicious filled chocolates) being made. The chocolate making was not as impressive as the man who made them. He fluidly gave the presentation in 3 languages- French, Dutch, and English- with no stumbles or stutters. After this linguistic and culinary feat, we each received one of the pralines he made and our mouths experienced true ecstasy. I was tempted to stand through the presentation again for another one of those delicious chocolates.
By the end of the day, we felt we had truly seen a significant portion of Bruges. We compromised at times with me convincing Gearoid to put the map away and just wander and him asking every once in awhile to refer to the map as a reference point. We made long and short loops around and through the city center. By the end of the day I had a blister covering the entire bottom of my foot. However, the beauty I witnessed and the chocolates I brought back to the hotel made it totally worth it.
The next day we left Bruges and headed to our last destination of Ghent. It took us awhile to warm up to Ghent. We were tired from all of the walking the day before, it was cold and rainy, we had difficulties checking out of our hotel, and we got lost looking for the city center. I’m afraid that Ghent didn’t get our full appreciation. At the same time, I think I preferred it more than Bruges. There were still tourists but it was less saturated with them. Bruges felt like the tourists owned the city but Ghent felt lived in with only some appreciating tourists present in the city.Ghent also was pretty much unscathed during WWII so the medieval buildings are still standing and there is a fairly intact castle near the center. We only stayed for a few hours but plan to visit again.
I plan to return to Ghent just to take a tour of this castle.
Before we left Ghent, we made a stop in the Saint Bravo Cathedral. It was one of the most impressive cathedrals I've been in. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures inside and being rule-followers we only have our memories and post cards to remember the awesomeness that exists within the hundreds of years old walls.
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