I highly recommend putting Belgium on your bucket-list. The beautiful countryside and many rivers make it a great weekend getaway. Belgium residents speak Dutch, French, and German, it depends on where you go. Where I was, they spoke Dutch and French.
The first city that I spent two days in was this cute little city along the river called Bruges. It is easy to travel either by car or train. The nice thing is that the train station is just a ten-minute walk right into the historical part of town. There are places all over the town to stay in: hotels, hostels, and Airbnbs. Bruges is a good place to check out if you want to stick to a budget.
I spent the first day heading to the coast that is just a fifteen-minute train ride. By train, you can either check out Blankenberge or Ostend both fifteen minutes from Bruges. I personally went to Ostend and it was cool. You can make it a day trip out to the beach. It was a short distance from the train station to the beaches. The day that I went to the beach was really windy, so I recommend doing your homework on what the weather will be like before you go anywhere. I made the most of the cold day and walked out of a pier that had this statue of this conch shell. A pair of seals played around in the water. On my way back through town, I came across some interesting restaurants that are a little pricey which is expected coming from being on the coast. I ended up eating at this restaurant called Poppy’s Pizza and Pasta which I recommend checking out if you decide to come to Oostende. The town is known for having cool street art and its cathedral not far from the train station. Overall the day at the beach was a lot of fun seeing another beach and trying to speak some Dutch along the way.
The Second day: Before I came to Brugge I signed up for a chocolate-making class. I highly recommend it, we got to create our own chocolates and hot chocolate. It was fun getting my hands covered in chocolate and eating the end results. After I was done with my class I walked the short distance into the historical center. Through the city, there were different types of markets that were selling fresh goods and souvenirs. There were so many cute corners and narrow streets that held so many chocolate shops.
I don’t know about you but when I have heard Belgium I hear Belgium waffles and there were plenty enough shops to support it. A good place to get a good waffle for a decent price was Otto Waffle Atelier, it practically melted in my mouth. They offer toppings to add on but I recommend just having them plain. I really enjoyed my time there in Brugge and I would want to go back.
The Third day: I took the train to Brussels. I got off in the city center where the royal palace and many museums were located. Like the past two days, I hit the ground running. I made sure I researched where all the places I wanted to go, beforehand so then I just needed to just go.
Brussels was a cool place to check out. For people who like museums, there are many to check out. I wasn’t able to check any of them out as they were closed for the day I was there. I enjoyed touring the cathedral that wasn’t far from the royal palace, where many coronations and weddings took place. Parts of the cathedral was under construction but I still was able to enjoy it. I found myself in another chocolate shop and got to watch another demonstration of how they made their chocolates.
Margaret Sucher is a student at the University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN, IV) She is an ISA Photo Blogger and studying with ISA in Prague, Czech Republic.