Europe Pt. 4 - Belgium
Flickr Album - Belgium
"Why would you want to go to Belgium?" - We were once asked by a Belgian couple we met on the road.
And that was our first impression of Belgium. Despite the “warning” we were keen to visit this mysterious Dutch and French speaking country that we both knew so little about. A last minute change of plans grew our original 4 days in Belgium into 9 in total, probably longer than either of us initially wanted, but looking back it was great luck as it took us to a beautiful part of the country we would have otherwise never seen. Our Belgian adventure started in Bruges, with our friends Denise and Daniel, who took the bus with us from Utrecht. From there, the four of us bussed it to Brussels (where we said farewell to our friends) and Fernando and I carried on down south to Namur (more on this random choice later).
In a nutshell, our initial reaction of Belgium wasn’t great: we found Bruges incredibly beautiful, yes, but also the most crowded city in Europe we had visited so far (and that says a lot when you are travelling around in the European summer!). Brussels again, had its charm but we felt it too was overrun with tourists, which took away some of its authenticity. Having said that, when we ventured down south we found places that were more to our speed and taste: beautiful views, long, winding, scenic paths perfect for cycling or running, and yes, a lot less tourists.
Bruges
Picture perfect Bruges
Google 'Bruges' and you are going to be met with some incredible images of cobbled streets and old buildings lining canals: such snapshots were enough to convince us that we had to visit this iconic city. When we arrived we were certainly not disappointed: Bruges has so perfectly captured and maintained that quintessential small European town charm, it is like walking through a storybook. The only problem being that there are hundreds of other people experiencing the very same thing as you - and they’re mostly in large groups overtaking sidewalks and viewing points everywhere you go. I understand how hypocritical it is to complain about tourists, when you yourself are one, but the longer we are on the road for, the more we crave to escape the crowds and the tourist traps in search of more authentic, real experiences. Unfortunately we found it difficult to do this in Bruges.
As we were with our two friends, Daniel and Denise, this didn’t bother us too much as we could simply find ways to escape the crowds and enjoy one another’s company. On the night we arrived, we were fortunate enough to get to see a friend we had made in Lyon, Grace, who happened to be doing a workaway in a nearby town. She joined the four of us for a nice picnic in the park, as we enjoyed the fading sunlight and warm weather. It’s one thing make friends on the road, but to get to see them again (and in a new country no less) before we reach home - that’s really remarkable!
Picnic in Bruges, Belgium
We spent our first day in Bruges exploring the heart of the town doing our favourite activity, a free walking tour. You can really see why all the tourists flock to this city, it is truly one of the best places to just walk around and immerse yourself in your surroundings, the level of preservation the city has maintained in the centre means you really feel like you’ve stepped back in time.I have vowed we will come back to Bruges,but perhaps in winter for a different perspective.
House fronts of Bruges
We just so happened to be in Bruges whilst their Triennial was on, where sculptures and artworks get planted all over the city corresponding to a certain theme, this year was “Liquid City” with artists and architects responding to the consequences of our liquid world - both figuratively and literally. As this event happens every 3 years we were certainly lucky to get to experience it; enjoying some off the beaten path walks to view the pieces.
Brussels
The biennial Flower Carpet, Brussels
The four of us took a bus to Brussels, which, after an afternoon of walking around the city and a necessary stop at the Delirium pub, is where we said goodbye to Daniel and Denise. We had two nights in Brussels, with my birthday in the middle. We have tended to keep all celebrations this year quite low key, as every day is a holiday for us. But Fernando managed to make my day very special. We were staying in a very nice hotel, a super treat for us, and he took me to a great breakfast place followed by a waffle tour and cooking class! Albeit quite straight forward, learning about waffles in its birthplace from a local was incredibly fun and interesting.
Breakfast with the birthday girl
Making some waffles
Also, as the universe would have it, we happened to be in town on the exact weekend when the biennial Brussels Flower Carpet took place! This is a massive event that (as the name suggests) happens only every two years, and the city puts up an amazing show by building a massive mosaic in the middle of the city's Grand Place (the main plaza).
Another look at the Flower Carpet, Brussels
Namur
Namur, Belgium
Due to some last minute plan changes, we didn’t have any idea what to do: we had 5 nights unplanned and we just knew we wanted to stay in Belgium to save money, as we would be able to get a cheap bus from Brussels to London. We didn’t know where in Belgium to go - initially we thought we’d just stay in Brussels and do some day trips but this idea wasn’t super appealing. In the end, thanks to a handy Top 10 List, we landed on Namur, the capital of the Wallonia region of Belgium and located down south. We chose Namur due to its location (only 1.5hr outside of Brussels by train), its surrounding towns (i.e. Beautiful Dinant which I will talk about later) and its cheaper prices.
What was indeed one of the most random and spontaneous locations of our trip turned into one of the best surprises. Namur itself sits on the meeting point of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, its key marker being the large citadel which sits on the hill, overlooking the city. Despite being the capital of the region, it’s not a huge city: you can walk quite easily around it in 30 minutes or so. It’s filled with charming cafes, bars and shops and the riverside is perfect for strolls, runs or cycling.
The citadel on the hill is the town’s biggest tourist draw card (mostly to domestic tourists, we observed) and with free entry we spent a delightful day making our way to the top, enjoying the view along the way. Photos do better than words here:
At the top of Namur Citadel
The eye catching sculpture of a guy riding a turtle
Fernando still had his bike, which had managed to make the journey from Utrecht thanks to some Brazilian sweet talking on the various buses we took. The long, never ending pathways along the river is a cyclist’s dream, so of course Fernando took advantage of this. We even hired a bike for me one day and did a long cycle all the way to Dinant, enjoying incredible views and mostly empty paths the whole way.
Fernando & Van der Bieke in Belgium
Van der Bieke and her new friend
Namur was a great pit stop for us: it was quieter and more chilled than its more popular northern cities but with less to do it allowed us time to unwind and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, by foot and bike.
Dinant
Dinant, Belgium
One of the big drawcords to come down to this region was Dinant and I am sure the photos explain why: the town is tiny but so picturesque and unique, we had to see it in person. We took a thirty minute train from Namur and spent the Sunday in the town. Unlike Namur, you have to pay to enter this citadel, it was worth it though as entry came with a free guided group tour of the place. Unfortunately this tour was only operated in French and Dutch and us nonspeakers were given papers to follow along. This was pretty much the first time in our entire trip that we were somewhere that didn’t have an English option, it was a shock for us but also quite pleasant to realise we had finally ventured somewhere far enough off the main tourist circuit.
Overall, I was definitely impressed with the waterfront of Dinant, just like the google images it didn’t let us down. We were there on a beautiful, sunny Sunday with families walking around and a local farmer’s market lining the river. However, the citadel wasn’t as captivating in my opinion as the Namur one (perhaps it lost some of its charm as it was more of the same as we had already seen in Namur). Nevertheless, it was a “see it to believe it” view, walking across that bridge in Dinant and if you ever find yourself in that part of the world, it is well worth a visit.
Dinant seen from the top of the Citadel
Dinant seen from the top of the Citadel
Also - as we both love a good fun fact - Dinant is the homedown of Adolphe Sax, the guy who invented the saxophone! So yeah, the city's main bridge has a lot of sculptures honoring his invention. Fernando had a go at one of them:
Fernando's only attempt at playing the saxophone (thankfully)
So - was Belgium worth it in the end?
I don’t regret going to Bruges or Brussels, the people we were with and the beautiful birthday experience I had made it well worth it. The luck we enjoyed too, being there for the Triennal and Flower Carpet wasn’t lost on us and I am grateful for the experience. Having said that, for future friends or family planing to go, I will be recommending for them to go on shoulder seasons to enjoy the atmosphere of the cities to their maximum.
The beauty of this year long trip is that we have the time to take risks; on any other holiday I don’t think I would have wanted to “waste” a single moment, especially on a wildcard like Namur when there are so many amazing cities in Europe to visit. Thankfully, with expansive time ahead of us, it allows us to take chances, give places the opportunity to show their true colours and move slower. Namur is a prime example of this and I am so grateful that we took that chance. Taking a step back from all the planning and allowing ourselves to be more spontaneous and flexible has been a challenge for me, but what this leg taught me was the possibilities it can bring.
Fernando in Dinant, Belgium