4.Belgium
2 Days in Belgium
Travelling is a diverse art: you can stay in five star hotels and eat out all the time or you can sleep on strangers’ couches and live off of sandwiches. There is no right or wrong way; it totally depends on your budget, time frame, and level of adventure.
For myself and my backpacking buddy Jenna, we knew in advance that in order to spend more money on experiences we had to cut corners on our budget. Rather than pay for a plane/hotel from London to Bruges, Belgium; we decided to kill 2 birds with one stone and travel by night via. Mega bus. The bus was only 60$ CAD, left at 11pm and would arrive in Belgium by 6 am. We could stash our bags and start our adventure right away, right? WRONG. To skip to the Run Down of our trip click here. To read about our Night Bus horror story and the rest of our adventure READ ON.
The bus info never indicated any stops so I took a sleeping pill assing I would wake up in Belgium. We woken up 3 hours later and told to board a ferry. I was so disoriented and felt like ass… I puked my brains out the entire ferry ride.
We arrived in Brussels and had to take a train to Bruges. By Murphy’s law we took the train for a while and ended up somewhere that did not sound like Bruges. Panic set in. It was still dark, we were exhausted and had no clue which part of the country we were in. We asked a man leaving the train if we were near Bruges and he had a disheartened look on his face. “I’m so sorry ladies, you have been travelling the wrong way”. Jenna and I immediately exchanged the “oh fuck” look. Which for those of you unfamiliar it looks a lot like this:
The man however, was so kind he walked us to the station and made sure we got on the right train platform. These small moments of kindness when you are travelling and having a hard time mean the entire world. Faith in Humanity Restored!
By the time we arrived in Bruges, It was like we had stepped back in time as we passed through castle arches over a draw bridge. This town was like a little medieval village and I wish we had more time to explore it. The main reason for our trip to Belgium was because Jenna really wanted to see the war trenches. We have an interesting travel dynamic because she’s into architecture and history of towns, where as I’m more into the wilderness and Harry Potter. But It was OUR trip so I dragged her along to Harry Potter World in exchange for a day at Sanctuary Wood Hill 64 Museum in Ypres.
It wasn’t my favourite spot, but it was definitely an interesting experience. The walls were lined with artifacts and artillery, but it was really the trenches got to me. I couldn’t believe how well preserved they were. It was an eerie feeling imaging all the young men there before us, terrified and fighting for their lives. It was a really somber, reflective experience. If you are interested in visiting, it is just a short 6$ train ride from Bruges.
We stayed at Hostel, St. Christopher’s at the Bauhaus. This place was generally clean, but unfortunately the rooms are right over a bar so you can hear music blasting all night. Not the best place for sleep but the staff was really friendly and the free breakfast was great! We stopped to get some Belgium chocolate before we left the next day and let me tell you, it was one of the most creamy delicious chocolates I’ve ever had. My one regret was not designating enough days to explore Bruges and Belgium in general. What are your favourite spots in Belgium?
The Run Down
Where to stay: St. Christopher’s Bauhaus 52$ for dorm(if music doesn’t bother you), Other places to look into: Passage Bruges 93$, Snuffle Hostel 76$
Where to eat: Park Restaurant, The Olive Tree, De Stove
Best Place to grab a quick bite/Coffee: Frite carts, Oyya (waffles)
Nightlife: Although we didn’t get much time for this part, these are the top dogs: La trapiste, ‘t Poatersgat, Duvelorium
Sights and Excursions: Sanctuary Wood Hill 64 Museum, other big ones: Chez Albert (waffle house), Bruges Beer Museum, frietmuseum, Groeningemuseum (classical art museum)