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!