In Bruges (and Brussels)

Continuing with our whirlwind trip to Belgium, here's the pictures from Bruges and Brussels! Like Ghent, we knew very little about Bruges, other than the fact that people kept saying we needed to visit.

To tell the truth, I definitely prefer Ghent over Bruges. Yes, Bruges is beautiful and old, but Ghent is so medieval and unique compared to most other cities.

Side note: I have never seen In Bruges but everyone keeps telling me I need to especially after visiting. Movie night soon?

When we left the train station, we found Bruges dead quiet and nearly empty. Sundays in Europe aren't exactly the busiest days...but it makes for better pictures without throngs of tourists in the shot. 

Hogwarts or Belgium?

I saw a few sites mention that Bruges was the 'Venice of the North' because of it's canals. However, Amsterdam is the true 'Venice of the North,' and has way more canals than Bruges. You can definitely see more of the city on foot than you could by boat, where in Amsterdam you will be fine either way. 

While Ghent stole our hearts, Bruges was charming. I think both cities would be better on a Saturday or even a weekday when more shops and exhibits are open. But pictures always come out better on empty streets!

Speaking of things being closed, I only have a few photos from Brussels because, well, everything (read: all the museums) are closed on Mondays. This was probably poor planning on our part, but we wanted to take advantage of our day trips. Still, we made our own fun and wandered around.

I feel like this semester is starting to whiz by- we're already into March and Belgium feels like it was months ago instead of just two weeks ago. I have quite a few trips planned already, and I can't wait to share my travels throughout the semester!

If anyone has suggestions for Prague I would love to know because I'm currently clueless! But stay tuned for more posts, coming soon!

Ghent

I was going to make one big post about our weekend in Belgium, before I realized that I took nearly 400 photos from a two-day trip...oops! So, here's just a few pictures from our trip to Ghent, Belgium.

Our roommate getaway to Belgium was pretty last-minute and we didn't really plan anything other than our bus tickets and arranging to stay with a friend of a friend (which ended up being perfect). Which is why, Saturday night after arriving we decided we were going to visit Ghent and Bruges in the same day. While Belgium is still a tiny country, undertaking two cities in one day was pretty ambitious on our part. But hey, this semester in Europe is all about going with the flow, so why not?

We headed out bright and early on what ended up being the only sunny day we saw in Belgium. Ghent was closer to our home base, Brussels, so we made it our first stop.

I knew absolutely nothing about Ghent when I got off the train. I had no idea what there was to see, do, or if things would even be open on a Sunday. We arrived and figured we would wander towards the city center. 

15 minutes later and we were in love with Ghent. It was like stepping into a medieval fairy tale or something straight out of a classic Disney movie. Yes, it probably helped that it was the first day all week the sun had been shining and we were able to take our coats off, but still, Ghent was perfect. 

After wandering around for a few minutes we headed towards the old castle in the center of Ghent, and figured it was worth a visit since we had nothing else planned. 

The castle was built in the 12th century and is known as 'The Castle of the Counts.' While I don't have any photos of the outside, it doesn't matter because....

LOOK AT THIS VIEW.

You wind your way through the castle, up tiny spiral staircases and through huge ballrooms with fireplaces that reach the ceiling, until you reach the ramparts of the castle, where you can wander along the edge of the roof, seeing all of Ghent for miles around you. 

Feeling like princesses in our castle. 

Ghent was completely unexpected but well worth the short train ride from Brussels. If you have even half a day to spare, make some time to see the city! I would love to go back on a weekday when more things are open and I can explore a little more!

This was just the first half of our day, I'll have more posts up soon from the rest of our trip to Belgium and a few Amsterdam adventures! And...we're headed to Prague this weekend (cannot wait), so if anyone has suggestions for things to do I would love to hear!

Weekend in Holland

Hello! I've been having the worst computer trouble, but after 2 hours in the Apple store, transferring everything to an external hard drive, and wiping my computer, I'm back up and running and can finally blog again!

SO, it's finally here- my recap of my weekend in Holland. This post is super, super photo-heavy but hey, that's what I'm here for!

First, let's get something straight; the official name of the country is 'The Netherlands.' 'Holland' refers to the provinces of North and South Holland. If you are in any way confused, watch this amazing video from C.G.P. Grey and you'll understand everything!

Moving on, my roommate and I joined a trip with the university's International Student Network and headed out to 'Discover Holland' for the weekend. We made stops in Zeeland (as in New Zealand), Rotterdam, and the Hague.

Our first stop was Zeeland, way in the southern part of the country. It's pretty empty in the winter but apparently is a popular camping spot in the summer time.

Note: it looks like I'm wearing the same outfit this entire weekend- I promise you I had fresh clothes on every day! But when you're bundled up under a hat, scarf, and coat, things start to look very similar...

Biking through Zeeland. 

We stopped to let the rest of the group catch up, and someone happened to climb up the hill and realize that this view was just behind it! Definitely worth the pit stop. 

We continued biking through flat country roads and through a state park, riding along the shore for a long time until we reached an old lighthouse, where we stopped for what seemed like an hour because we couldn't stop snapping pictures!

The view from the top of the lighthouse.

Freezing, wind-swept, and a little claustrophobic after climbing up a narrow, winding staircase, but worth the view.

After one night in Zeeland we climbed back on the bus and headed to Rotterdam. I didn't know much about either of the cities we visited, but the best part about going on what was essentially a school trip meant I didn't have to plan much- tours, hostels, buses, everything was planned, giving us more time to enjoy our trip!

Rotterdam looks nothing like any other city I've visited in the Netherlands, or really Europe. Most of the city was bombed during World War II, so a majority of the buildings are modern and brand-new.

Rotterdam's underground shopping center, designed to save space. 

This church was one of the few buildings in the city center to survive the bombings. 

THIS is what I was most excited about seeing in Rotterdam- the Markthal, or Market Hall, opened in October and has become one of the most popular tourist spots. The massive indoor market hosts dozens of stalls, and the outer part of the market holds apartments!

This is the only part of Rotterdam that we saw that sort of looks like the rest of the Netherlands. 

Not sure who thought these were a good idea to put in a hostel...

My fabulous roommate got me the biggest bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day!

Sunday morning we piled back into the bus and headed to The Hague, the political capital of the Netherlands; Amsterdam is the official capital but most government buildings and embassies are in The Hague, as well as the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Peace Palace. 

Our first stop was the Escher Museum, housed in one the former palaces of Queen Emma. Though I recognized quite a few of M.C. Escher's drawings and etchings, I never would have visited the museum on my own. Even if you don't love Escher, the museum is 100% worth a visit, if not for the surreal tesselations than for the incredible palace and ornate rooms that once held a royal family. 

After a quick stop at the museum we headed out for a short canal cruise through The Hague. The city doesn't have near as many canals as Amsterdam, but enough to get a quick view of the old perimeter of the city that once separated the wealthy from the poor. 

Totally, completely in love with The Hague.

I'm still convinced that this picture is fake because no one could make the sky look that perfect in a photograph. It looks like the castle was cut from a book and placed over a blue piece of paper it's so perfect. 

Stumbled upon this shopping mall while wandering!

The crowns hanging over the street guide you to the king's palace!

The United Nations' Peace Palace. Unfortunately it was closed, but I would love to return to The Hague for a day trip to visit the palace and a few other sites. There is only so much you can see wandering around for a few hours!

Julia had to find the Canadian embassy, of course. 

Sorry this post has taken 2 weeks...oops! Stay tuned for another post on our weekend getaway to Belgium!!