Week 6 (29/03/16 - 06/03/16)
So this week was finally spring break and before setting of on another trip to Belgium I decided to be a conscientious student and spend the first couple of days starting some assignments. It appears motivation problems have followed me from Belfast to Leeuwarden but after persevering for 2 days I felt accomplished enough to warrant the break to Hasselt on the Wednesday.
Having stocked up on movies and snacks for the train journey I was pleasantly surprised to be provided with a cheaper train ticket with 2 less changeovers. However it was still near 6 hours on trains which can get rather tiring and uncomfortable. I was delighted to be met at the station in Hasselt by Lucy and even more delighted by the news that she had bought steaks for dinner. That evening and the next day was just spent relaxing together and planning later trips. Within Belgium it's possible for young people aged 18-25 to travel for only 6 euro so we planned to visit Bruges on the Friday and the capital Brussels on the Saturday.
It was an early start on the Friday morning as we wanted to be in Bruges by lunch. After making a new friend of the 4 legged variety on the train we arrived in Bruges. Unfortunately, like most other days, it was quite cold but for a change it wasn't raining. Having been there once before Lucy knew her way around quite well and we immediately headed to the main square. Here we climbed the Belfry which consisted of 366 stairs of spiral staircase which at parts was only as wide as my shoulders. However the view from the top was incredible as you could see the whole of Bruges in all directions. With narrow cobbled streets, old architecture and canals it was easy to see why Bruges is considered one of the most scenic towns in Europe. Thankfully the weather picked up in the afternoon and we were able to spend it enjoying what Bruges had to offer before heading back to Hasselt in the evening. The trip to Bruges also included my first experience of the Belgian waffle which is definitely worth the hype.
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| Belfry of Bruges |
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| View from the top of the Belfry |
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| Sun makes a rare appearance |
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| Weirdest trees ever |
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| Church of Our Lady |
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| Delicious Belgian Waffles |
Saturday morning was a later start as its only just over an hour to Brussels. We had arranged to meet Kim, a friend of ours from home, who is also on Erasmus and was visiting Brussels the same day. We found Kim and after a quick lunch we set off for the main square. Here I was blown away by the sheer size and architecture of the buildings, everything was incredible. Like Bruges we spent the day exploring the streets and seeing the sights as well as visiting a home favourite of Marks and Spencer. One thing that is especially clear to me is that the Dutch and Belgians love their dogs as they are everywhere, including in shops. After a great day spent in Brussels we said goodbye to Kim and we headed back to Hasselt to relax and for me to rest up for my long journey home the next day.
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| Brussels |
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| Brussels Grand Palace |
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| Brussels main square |
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| Brussels main square |
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| Tintin's a big deal in Belgium |
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| Chocolate covered strawberries |
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| (Right to left) Lucy, Kim and I outside the Grand Palace |
I had a fantastic spring break seeing Lucy and catching up with Kim as well as scratching 2 more places to visit off my list. However I'd definitely like to visit Brussels again in the future.
It was an early start on the Friday morning as we wanted to be in Bruges by lunch. After making a new friend of the 4 legged variety on the train we arrived in Bruges. Unfortunately, like most other days, it was quite cold but for a change it wasn't raining. Having been there once before Lucy knew her way around quite well and we immediately headed to the main square. Here we climbed the Belfry which consisted of 366 stairs of spiral staircase which at parts was only as wide as my shoulders. However the view from the top was incredible as you could see the whole of Bruges in all directions. With narrow cobbled streets, old architecture and canals it was easy to see why Bruges is considered one of the most scenic towns in Europe. Thankfully the weather picked up in the afternoon and we were able to spend it enjoying what Bruges had to offer before heading back to Hasselt in the evening. The trip to Bruges also included my first experience of the Belgian waffle which is definitely worth the hype.
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