Every 18 year-old girl has dreamed about backpacking through Europe. Not only because it sounds cool, but also because we imagine the feeling of walking through a small town in the middle of nowhere Belgium with a 40lb backpack, friends, and no plans. This past weekend three of my friends and I went to Belgium for almost exactly 48 hours. I'm living in London right now so it was just a short train ride away, and I definitely learned a lot, not only about Belgium, but also traveling and myself.
We left Saint Pancras station Friday night and got into Brussels around 22:00. The train ride was actually really nice; I highly recommend Eurostar, and if you book far in advance it's pretty cheap.
Our Airbnb was located in the heart of the city which was perfect. It had the cutest wooden windows that overlooked city. We climbed up the fire escape to the roof which had an incredible view. It was the type of moment that makes you think "Holy 3$%^%, I can't believe this is my life." Got to love those.
Our first night we tried to save money, so we bought pasta and wine (we're legal in Europe don't worry Dad) and made dinner in our cute new home.
The next day we got up early, packed, and hit the road. It was hard saying good bye to our humble abode, but we were in desperate need of coffee. A cute cafe that has a quick and easy breakfast is Cafe de Capital. I'm pretty sure it's a chain in Belgium, and they have wi-fi which is a necessity if your phone is broken like mine was:)
After breakfast we slowly made our way to the main market area that actually had a beer festival going on (it was 11am and filled with people enjoying a cold one). Honestly, we didn't really have an exact plan of what to see and do other than eventually making it Bruge and Ghent by the end of the day. Usually when I travel, someone has made an itinerary or knows exactly where to go, but having no exact plan is actually really nice. We just walked around, ate some waffles, got some vintage postcards from places we didn't know. It was a good time.
In the early afternoon we caught a train to Bruge which my friend Caroline is obsessed with. It is a quant little town that is known as "the Venice of the north" because of all its canals. We had a little trouble finding someplace to eat because most restaurants only serve drinks in the afternoon. All I bought here was chocolate because when in Bruge.
A few hours later we took the train to Ghent where we'd be spending the night. Fun fact about Ghent that is slightly important to know when planning is that Ghent does not have Uber. We found that out the hard way; after getting off the train we went out the back-door exit of the train station because we're stupid and walked for 20 minutes as it started to rain until we saw a Starbucks. I have never been more thankful for Starbucks. The barista kindly directed us towards the taxi stand and we made it to the Airbnb.
Not that Ghent is a sketchy city, but four 18 year-old American girls lost in Ghent, Belgium is not a ideal situation. After our little taxi adventure we decided that we needed to chill for a bit.
Our Airbnb was not exactly the best. It was on the canal which was nice, but we shared it with the owner, Kevin, who was really nice, but it was a little strange especially since it said we would have the flat to ourselves.
Later that night we finally rallied and went to dinner at a sushi restaurant which was actually pretty good.
For our last day in Belgium, we had nothing planned. After waking up we headed to this little cafe on the canal called "The Barista" which I highly recommend. Sometimes in Europe, and especially the smaller cities, it's hard to find a cafe that has real food too and not just croissants. The Barista has a full menu in english, and the food and coffee was amazing. I got a goat cheese and honey sandwich and a caramel latte.
After breakfast we wandered around heading towards the market place, and on the way we saw a building that looked like a church, so we go in and it was actually a vintage market. They had everything from jewelry to dolls to paintings. I ended up finding the ring pictured above for only 10 Euros. I love buying jewelry in foreign countries that I'll wear everyday because it reminds of the trip and all the good memories plus it's always something that no one else will have.
We walked around a little more after the market, and went into St. Michael's Church which was insanely beautiful. Even if your not religious, visiting churches in different countries tells you a lot about the culture there and is a good way to see different art and architecture forms. St. Michaels was enormous with the most beautiful stain-glass windows and a lot of attention to detail on the architecture. They also had a choir signing in the background, so you felt like you were in a movie.
It was early afternoon by now, and all throughout the day we had see canal tours going by, so we decided to take one. Normally boat tours in touristy areas are crazy expensive, but since Ghent is just now becoming a tourist destination, it was only 7 euros. During the boat tour we learned a lot of history about Ghent and Belgium. We also saw the beautiful canal side streets with the colorful townhouses and gorgeous flowers. The weather was perfect, sunny and 70, which made the tour even more enjoyable.
After the tour, we caught a train back to Brussels. Brussels today was a struggle. Not going to lie. It was around 3 in the afternoon, and we decided to walk to the palace from the train, and we thought we could find food on the way. False. Every restaurant in the entire city only served drinks, because it was at an odd time of day. So here we are, four hangry American teen agers carrying 40lb bags on their backs. It was not a pretty sight. We finally found a vegan restaurant that was open, so we ate there.
Once we finished our spicy vegan burgers, we headed up a hill to find a waffle truck. Honestly I have no idea what part of town it was, but we ended up on top of a big hill that had a ferris wheel, waffle truck, and really pretty view. I tried to use my french skills on the waffle truck guy, and I think it went pretty well. He was also impressed that I could carry my bag because of how heavy it was.
"You strong."- Waffle Truck Guy
"Oui"- Me
The view on top of the hill was insane. You could see the whole city, so we just sat there, eating a waffle and taking it all in. It was weird because that was one of the moments where even in the moment you could feel yourself looking back on the moment. It was the perfect way to end the trip.
5 THINGS TO DO IN BELGIUM:
1. Eat a lot of Belgium Chocolate
2. Take a canal tour
3. Talk to other backpackers on trains
4. Make sure to communicate well with the Airbnb host
5. Go to the little side markets because they have everything from fur scarfs to vintage postcards
5 THINGS TO NOT DO IN BELGIUM:
1. Don't have a strict schedule for what to do
2. Don't rely on Uber
3. Don't wait to eat until mid afternoon because most places will be closed
4. Don't pack a heavy bag, especially if your backpacking
5. Don't forget to charge your camera
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