The summer in the Netherlands is the nicest time of the year. Although so many people travel in the summer, for us, it typically makes sense to sit tight and enjoy the sun when it finally comes out here. But, in this case we decided after being in the Netherlands most of the summer it would be nice to sneak away for a weekend.
Bruges and Ghent have been on my list for a while; the only place I have been in Beligum is Brussels and that was many years ago now. With an open weekend and that being a relatively easy place to visit we made our decision!
Although you hear how connected Europe is by train, I must say, booking the train only 2 weeks ahead it was quite expensive for 2 people. It was actually cheaper to rent an electric car from the airport so we decided to go that route instead.
We picked up our car and after a few hour drive we arrived in Ghent. Of course, after parking the car within the first 10 minutes we saw an American cinnamon roll bakery (Ma’s Bakery) so we just had to stop. It did not disappoint! Cinnamon rolls are one thing I miss from home. Here, you can really only find “cinnamon buns” which don’t have the enormous amount of frosting on them that is typical in the US. 😂
Our next stop was the castle! We got an audio guide and enjoyed wandering around for a while.
After the castle we walked across the street and joined a boat tour. It was fun to see the town from the water.
Next, we of course tasted some beers at bier central and then wandered around the old town and took some pictures. I have been to a lot of old towns in Europe by this point, but I must say that this one was really cool!
The next morning we made our way to Bruges. It was under an hour drive so not too bad. We got up early which was nice to wander the town with fewer tourists and also to get into a brunch spot (Balthasar Bruges) without a reservation. Loved the fried egg and outdoor table.
Next, we wander around some more on the more outer part of town. It was so much quieter a few blocks away and you still get to enjoy the beautiful architecture. I also loved the flower boxes along the canals. We made a few spots for coffee (Basiel Urban Greenhouse) and a late afternoon waffle at Lizzie’s Waffle. Lizzie’s was good, but a bit on the expensive side so I might suggest stopping at a street stall instead.
We then stopped at brouwerij halve maan for another beer and some relaxing time playing games before heading back to the Netherlands. Spoiler for my next blog spot, but we didn’t head straight back, but stopped at Kimderdijk on the way home.
Overall, we had a relaxing and nice weekend spending time together and exploring. I would maybe suggest 3 days instead of 2 if you are ambitious, but with our slower pace and not needing to see everything 2 days was perfect.
Cheers and look out for a few more posts coming soon!
❤️Melanie
Smiles from Miles Away 