Belgium is certainly an incredible country, unique at that. As far as language divide goes, it reminds me of Canada, where English is one language of the nations, while French is the second. Same goes for Belgium in its own way. One side, Flanders in the north, speaks Dutch, while the other side, Walloon in the south, speaks French with Brussels the sandwiched capital sits in between the two (It’s mostly speaks french).
Coming from Rotterdam, we started with a night stay in Antwerp at another Airbnb whom we met up with around 6pm due to work schedule. For several hours we threw our bags in a locker and explored the city on foot. Antwerp didn’t get too much of a good rep from some people I spoke to, but I think it’s an incredible city. Public transportation sucks asshole there as it is always crammed and never runs on time. Other than that the city is great, the city center is beautiful and the skyline from the other side of the river is incredible. One thing that blew me away was the mile long pedestrian tunnel that lies under the river. It was built in the 1930’s and is in my opinion, one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced, thanks to my travel companion. 🙂
Next stop was Bruges but before I get into that, I find it ridiculous how much a train ticket costs between age 26-55. A train ticket at 27 vs. 25 is fucking drastic. I payed $25 for a one way to Bruges from Antwerp after the ticket agent explained the age thing and after I said my girlfriend is 25 years old, she only paid $6. What in the actual fuck? Anyways we arrived in Bruges, took the bus to our next Airbnb where our host awaited our arrival and took us into his home. While we really were anxious about Bruges, we were turned off at how expensive it was due to the heavy flow of mass tourism. I personally hate places that get ruined like that, and can say Ashley agreed. I wasn’t too proud of buying a large bowl of Friets for 4 Euro just to avoid an overly expensive 10 Euro pizze that barely fed me. But aside from that the city is gorgeous and you can get away with really cheap 2-4 Euro beers in some of the local pubs (Priests ass, trappist bar, and Beert’j)
Next stop was possibly one of my favorite cities so far, and that is Ghent. Ghent in my eyes is a mashup of a big city with village charm. A pinch of tourism on a plate of local vibe. I love it. But our Airbnb and host was a huge contribution to this incredible 2 night stay. Originally, I had though of a day after realizing how gorgeous it was. Then I convinced both of us to go for two nights and don’t regret it. Unlike Bruges where we were slightly dissapointed, we unexpecetly had an incredible expectation of Ghent where we had a great view of the skyline and beyond. Our host allowed us to use his kitchen for breakfast to help with the budget and local pasta was 4-5 Euros per plate of delicious spagetti. The canal system and old town center is great for slow walks.
The last city in Belgium for my little companion was the bi-lingual capital city of Brussels. People who expect a city like Paris and Rome really don’t appreciate Brussels. And a lot of people don’t appreciate Brussels as a city to spend time in. But for me, I loved Brussels, and staying in an apartment in Brussels for 5 days really made me feel like I lived there. I live in a small town where I can appreciate a small town vibe. But I forever remain a city guy at heart and Brussels is great. What I really do like about Brussels is the different eras there are in the city. The city centre 13th century, some buildings 1800’s, and most places the golden age of the 50’s while still giving off that European charm most cities have.
Ashley left for the U.S. on a Saturday morning and the goodbyes were incredibly hard knowing the long term seperation and the incredible time we had. After I headed back to th aprtment the realization hit that I was on my own as was tough. Hence why I stayed in all day to prepare for the solo journey ahead of me. Next morning I set off for an hour trip to Abbaye Villers-la-Ville, a former abbey from the 13th century now in ruins, but still stands tall and beautiful. It is MASSIVE and is a must see in Walloon. My evening ended in the not so pretty former industrial city of Charleroi. There is no tourism and the city reminded me of Newark, New Jersey. Some locals I spoke with are not too proud of the bad reputation of the city and I saw why. But Charleroi is the perfect place for urban exploration and too see some abandoned places. The one place I saw was the IM power plant tower, a lonesome tower that you can walk into that is incredibly surreal and made Charleroi perfect for a night stay.
Next city was Namur where I Couchsurfed for the first time during this trip. I had the pleasure of walking around the city, river, and up the citadel that overlooks the split of the rivers, city and beyond. One thing that is incredible about this city is that it is a city, but farmlands exist so close in the horizon. It was gorgoeus. Most of the trip I had a beer or two in different places to try beer. But I hadn’t actually really DRANK heavy since my bon voyage party a week before departure. With my hosts, we went to a local college bar and downed plenty of brews, had good chats, played foozball, and had a great time. Don’t ask about my hangover the next day.
4 hours of sleep without a shower and a migraine later, I set off for Dinant where my next hosts a Belgian travel couple picked me up and drove me to their beautiful home on the Meuse river next to a church. Every BNB should have a host that loves what they do and care for their guests. This place really defined that, as they were possibly the nicest people I’ve ever met. I loved them! The rest of the day I walked around Dinant and both sides of the bank and up the citadel to get nice pan ams of the city. The city was also destroyed and attacked by Germany during WW1, a part of history that fascinates me incredibly. On top of that, i am ther 102 years since that war. Next day was a rough day for me but I saw a castle, an abandoned home/castle and bike around some gorgeous countryside.
Throughout the 2 weeks spent in this country, I’ve met some amazing people, tasted some incredible brews, ate delicious Belgian waffles (Which I understood are mostly from Liege), learned some important French words, understood the concept of kissing on the cheek with other men, and enjoyed some Belgian chocolate. Best of, I am happy to have spent half of the country with someone. Onto Luxembourg… to be continued. 🙂
