In the midst of all this crazy I would like to share our trip to Ghent and Brussels!
A few weeks ago one of my longtime best friends (Taylor) came to visit! We explored Ghent, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin. However, I have already shared Amsterdam and a 1 day trip to Berlin so I am going to mostly post about Ghent and Brussels. :)
If you want to read about my previous Amsterdam Posts click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. And for Berlin click here.
If you want to read about my previous Amsterdam Posts click here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. And for Berlin click here.
Day 1 of our journey we drove to Ghent, Belgium.
The view from our hotel! We stayed at the Ghent Marriott. It was the absolute perfect location!
A different angle of the street our hotel was on!
Saint Michael's Church
Saint Nicholas's Church
Saint Bavo's Cathedral on the right.
Saint Bavo's Cathedral
Magical streets in Ghent.
Beers at Dulle Griet.
Dulle Griet is a popular beer bar in Ghent for a couple reasons. One - they have TONS of beers, I want to say somewhere between 250 and 300 different kinds! Second - The picture above! You can get this fancy glass that must be placed in the holder, but only if you give them one of your shoes! CLEARLY we thought that was too much fun!
A close up of the glass.
Day 2 we set out to see the Gravensteen Castle.
Gravensteen originated in the Middle Ages, it was originally built in 1180. Gravensteen was restored in 1885. The name means "castle of the counts" in Dutch.
Entrance to the Gravensteen.
City views from half way up the castle!
Being an explorer :)
Tay and I amidst the castle grounds.
The cost was €6 for people 25 and younger. It was well worth every cent! We had so much fun exploring the castle and learning about the history of Ghent.
If you find yourself in Belgium, carve out a day to visit Ghent. It is one of my favorite cities that we have been too. It is full of so much charm. A few weeks ago we also visited Antwerp, Belgium. You can read about that here. Personally, if I had to choose between the two, I would pick Ghent.
We ate a quick lunch after touring the castle, and then we drove to Brussels. After driving to Brussels, we all agreed that it would've made more sense to take the train from Ghent. Brussels is not car friendly and many streets were closed off due to construction. It wasn't a very long drive, but it also wasn't a fun one. Our hotel offered parking - which was literally one space! But hey, our car was parked so who cares!
Before I share Brussels, let me share what I have heard. I have heard great things and I have heard not so great things. Many people feel that Brussels is an underwhelming European city, while others love it. I guess it depends on your tastes.
That being said, here we go.
The famous Manneken Pis. Yes, it is a little naked boy peeing into the basin of fountain.
A close up courtesy of Google, since apparently I forgot to do that!
After seeing the statue, I smelled waffles. So naturally, it was snack time!
Belgian waffle with chocolate.
Now, I am sure there are people who pay attention to where they get the waffle and what makes it good. HOWEVER - I have one rule of thumb: I want to see it made fresh. Other than that, I don't really care. Chances are they are all going to be delicious.
After our snack, we headed to Grand Place. Grand Place is the central square of Brussels. Some of the buildings that surround Grand Place are Brussels Town Hall and The City museum of Brussels.
After Grand Place, we walked over to the Cathedral.
Tay in front of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral.
Blake and I in front of the Cathedral!
Brussel city views.
After we explored a little more of the city we sat down for dinner at Drug Opera. It was this neat looking restaurant in the center of town. The prices were reasonable and we were seated right away. The reviews on Yelp said that the food was good but the service wasn't. We agreed. :)
Grand Place at night.
We sat down at The Golden Bar to try the Belgium beer sampler!
I am sure there is more to do in Brussels than what we did, but based off my research I have to agree it is pretty underwhelming compared to other places I have been. Grand Place is LOVELY - Truly! Plus the beer is good, so I am glad I visited at least once.
The next morning Taylor and I hopped on a train and headed to Amsterdam!
Here are some pictures from Amsterdam round 2.
Some things we did different this time: we stayed in a hostel, we went to a fair, and we took a smaller canal cruise (which I HIGHLY recommend).
Amsterdam canals at night, because really this view never gets old!
Remember how I said we went to a fair! Well in the center of town, right in The Dam Square, there was a giant fair. Complete with this massive ferris wheel.
Views from the top of the wheel!
The giant wheel we rode! This was a fun activity that I didn't do last time in Amsterdam - Because it wasn't there! So that was fun. :)
Riding through the canals.
This time around, there were maybe 15 people in the boat and it was entirely open! I loved this cruise so much more than the other one we did! We simply just walked down a street and the boat was about to leave so we hopped on.
We also did a repeat of The Lobby for Eggs Benedict, because I was serious when I told you last time that they serve the best Eggs Benedict I have ever had.
Two words: YUM!
This visit offered beautifully colored trees.
And one more thing I need to ensure you do if ever in Amsterdam - Eat poffertjes (little mini pancake things). They are probably horrible for you, but oh so good!
Come back Friday to read all about Madrid.
The view from our hotel! We stayed at the Ghent Marriott. It was the absolute perfect location!
A different angle of the street our hotel was on!
Saint Michael's Church
Saint Nicholas's Church
Saint Bavo's Cathedral on the right.
Saint Bavo's Cathedral
Magical streets in Ghent.
Beers at Dulle Griet.
Dulle Griet is a popular beer bar in Ghent for a couple reasons. One - they have TONS of beers, I want to say somewhere between 250 and 300 different kinds! Second - The picture above! You can get this fancy glass that must be placed in the holder, but only if you give them one of your shoes! CLEARLY we thought that was too much fun!
A close up of the glass.
Day 2 we set out to see the Gravensteen Castle.
Gravensteen originated in the Middle Ages, it was originally built in 1180. Gravensteen was restored in 1885. The name means "castle of the counts" in Dutch.
Entrance to the Gravensteen.
City views from half way up the castle!
Being an explorer :)
Tay and I amidst the castle grounds.
The cost was €6 for people 25 and younger. It was well worth every cent! We had so much fun exploring the castle and learning about the history of Ghent.
If you find yourself in Belgium, carve out a day to visit Ghent. It is one of my favorite cities that we have been too. It is full of so much charm. A few weeks ago we also visited Antwerp, Belgium. You can read about that here. Personally, if I had to choose between the two, I would pick Ghent.
We ate a quick lunch after touring the castle, and then we drove to Brussels. After driving to Brussels, we all agreed that it would've made more sense to take the train from Ghent. Brussels is not car friendly and many streets were closed off due to construction. It wasn't a very long drive, but it also wasn't a fun one. Our hotel offered parking - which was literally one space! But hey, our car was parked so who cares!
Before I share Brussels, let me share what I have heard. I have heard great things and I have heard not so great things. Many people feel that Brussels is an underwhelming European city, while others love it. I guess it depends on your tastes.
That being said, here we go.
The famous Manneken Pis. Yes, it is a little naked boy peeing into the basin of fountain.
A close up courtesy of Google, since apparently I forgot to do that!
After seeing the statue, I smelled waffles. So naturally, it was snack time!
Belgian waffle with chocolate.
Now, I am sure there are people who pay attention to where they get the waffle and what makes it good. HOWEVER - I have one rule of thumb: I want to see it made fresh. Other than that, I don't really care. Chances are they are all going to be delicious.
After our snack, we headed to Grand Place. Grand Place is the central square of Brussels. Some of the buildings that surround Grand Place are Brussels Town Hall and The City museum of Brussels.
After Grand Place, we walked over to the Cathedral.
Tay in front of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral.
Blake and I in front of the Cathedral!
Brussel city views.
After we explored a little more of the city we sat down for dinner at Drug Opera. It was this neat looking restaurant in the center of town. The prices were reasonable and we were seated right away. The reviews on Yelp said that the food was good but the service wasn't. We agreed. :)
Grand Place at night.
We sat down at The Golden Bar to try the Belgium beer sampler!
I am sure there is more to do in Brussels than what we did, but based off my research I have to agree it is pretty underwhelming compared to other places I have been. Grand Place is LOVELY - Truly! Plus the beer is good, so I am glad I visited at least once.
The next morning Taylor and I hopped on a train and headed to Amsterdam!
Here are some pictures from Amsterdam round 2.
Some things we did different this time: we stayed in a hostel, we went to a fair, and we took a smaller canal cruise (which I HIGHLY recommend).
Amsterdam canals at night, because really this view never gets old!
Remember how I said we went to a fair! Well in the center of town, right in The Dam Square, there was a giant fair. Complete with this massive ferris wheel.
Views from the top of the wheel!
The giant wheel we rode! This was a fun activity that I didn't do last time in Amsterdam - Because it wasn't there! So that was fun. :)
Riding through the canals.
This time around, there were maybe 15 people in the boat and it was entirely open! I loved this cruise so much more than the other one we did! We simply just walked down a street and the boat was about to leave so we hopped on.
We also did a repeat of The Lobby for Eggs Benedict, because I was serious when I told you last time that they serve the best Eggs Benedict I have ever had.
Two words: YUM!
This visit offered beautifully colored trees.
And one more thing I need to ensure you do if ever in Amsterdam - Eat poffertjes (little mini pancake things). They are probably horrible for you, but oh so good!
Come back Friday to read all about Madrid.
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