Back in 2017, my husband and I wound up travelling to Europe, again. Our plan this time? To hit up Belgium, and figure out which city or cities to visit. We threw a quick visit to the Netherlands, but after Belgium. Small countries, but big adventures ahead! We had been in Europe the year prior, in England and Scotland and said we weren’t going back until 2018. Small countries, but so many great memories. Travel adventures can happen no matter where you go.

London is always a good time

We always seem to fly into London, UK (Gatwick) when we travel to Europe; an easy and direct flight from Vancouver, with excellent flight times through our favourite airline, WestJet. No matter where we are going, we will always spend a day or two in London as we have friends there we try and connect with. Not to mention, that this is great way for us to adjust to the timezone, and gives us a break from immediately flying somewhere else. There may also always be some rooftop bevvies …a rooftop beverage crawl, if you will. Even if we have not settled which country or countries we want to visit, London is always our jumping off point.

After spending a couple of days in London, we took the train from London, through the Chunnel, to Brussels, BL. We did not stay in Brussels, but our first stop was going to be Brugges. So, we hopped another quick train, checked into our hotel, and hit the town.

Beer + Fries + Waffles

Basically, if you like good for the soul type of carbs, you must visit Belgium. I was on board the carb train, since I had just run a marathon, and what better way to treat yo self! The fries are delicious, and the Belgians have converted me to being a lover of mayo with said fries. The amount of beer available, even as someone who lives in Vancouver, and travels to Portland, OR once or twice a year, is unreal. And finally, the Belgian waffle. Now, I don’t eat waffles very often, but damn were these delicious. They are just perfectly made – light, crispy edges, and small.

Bruges is a Belgium Must Visit City

We headed straight to the square, grabbed some fries from a food truck, and then sat and people watched. We ate our fries, soaked in a little culture, and then hit the beer wall. Beer Wall is definitely a must visit destination while in Brugges. However, you should be aware that the lines can be lengthy, but if you are a lover of beer, definitely stick it out. While you wait in line, there are menus hanging – in multiple languages – and then you should know what you want when you get to the bar. The beer wall sits on the canal, so you get to enjoy gorgeous views and delicious beer. We wound up staying here for most of the afternoon, and neither one of us regrets anything.

We did pretty much the same thing the next day, but it was recommended to us to do the Brugges at Night Tour. After our experience in Edinburgh, we were totally on board. So we spent most of the day wandering the town, checking out local shops, eating, beer-ing and people watching. That evening, we met the walking tour in the square, and neither of us had any idea what was about to be in store for us.

Night Tour + Beer Tasting = Lessons & Memories

I will start by saying that this sightseeing tour was definitely worth it. You got to hear stories about this small & historical town, and the history behind it, that you may not know otherwise. We don’t typically do a lot of tours when we are traveling, but when we do, we love them. The tour was great and afterwards, we finished near a pub/hostel. Friendly tip; don’t forget to tip your tour guide.

The tour director had mentioned that he does a beer tasting and invited anyone who attended the tour to join. Beer? Count us in. A fair amount of us joined in on the tasting, and had so much fun with the group. There were a group of American girls that were partaking in this beer tasting as well. All of them were so kind and open – we had a absolute blast getting to know them.

Let’s keep the party moving

After the beer tasting, we were invited to another restaurant for more drinks before calling it and heading back to the hotel. We headed over with those left from the beer tasting/learning, had some drinks and continued to get to know those we were with. Chatting with people when away on holiday is always fun, and there’s no pressure since you’ll usually be going separate ways the next day. My advice is to never let someone know where you are staying – better safe than sorry. This is where the night got …interesting? Oh, and the place we went to was closed to the public. Looking back, this should’ve been a red flag, but what’s the worst that can happen in a small town?

Let me preface this by saying that I’m not here to shame or call anyone out. I think for all involved, we learnt some pretty valuable lessons. Not to mention, I walked away with someone I am proud to call one of fave people, and we made her an honourary Canadian. Alcohol can make people do crazy things …I get that.

Trust your gut

Everyone was having fun, getting to know each other and enjoying some beverages. After about an hour or so, we were asked to leave except for two. Now, having the spidey senses we do, we didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but rather leave as a group. Someone wound up locked in a bathroom, and we were sent out of the restaurant but we refused to leave from outside the front door, wondering what on earth we should do. Banging on the door, talking to passerbys – which are few and far between because small town – until one local dropped everything to help us. He knew the owner of the restaurant and was trying to reach him, while everyone was inside.

It felt like hours had passed by, and the evening ended when the Brugges Police showed up. Heads up fellow travellers – always, always, always have your passport on your person. None of us foreigners were in trouble, everyone was helped, and we all made it back to our hotels for a few hours of shut eye. I didn’t know at the time, but this was the evening that Jason had wanted to propose. Don’t worry – he’d waited nearly 11 years so he could wait a little longer 😉 But you know what? We wouldn’t change a thing because everything happens exactly the way it is supposed to.

I would still highly recommend connecting with other travellers, but always trust your senses if you think something is off. Never put yourself in danger necessarily, but most importantly, stay safe. And of course, keep your passports on you …just in case 😉

More Belgium To Explore – Visiting Brussels

After spending the day after wandering around Brugges eating fries and waffles, it was early to bed. The following morning it was time to head to Brussels for a quick minute, before heading to the Netherlands. Brussels was highly recommended to us, and we did enjoy our time there. However, it being a bigger city, we find the bigger cities in Europe to be more Museum focused, which is not how we enjoy spending our time. There is always a time and a place for Museums, but for us, we prefer to be out immersed in the city. See the day to day of the locals, and always avoiding tourist hot spots.

Wandering through Brussels, finding spots to nibble on food and enjoy a beverage, is something both of us would highly encourage others to do. But, in our opinion, if you’re not a huge Museum culture kind of person, you likely only need one full day in Brussels. But if you love to eat, you won’t be disappointed.

Breathtaking Belgium

Visiting the two cities in Belgium was definitely a highlight for us. From the scenery, to the architecture, to the food, and of course the beer, our time in Belgium was well spent. Not to mention we walked away with one incredible friendship, and a ton of memories. #cradlesinthenest

And don’t forget; if you’re a lover of museums, make sure that Belgium is on your list. Belgium may be a small country, but it’s big on beauty.

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If you have traveled to Belgium, what is a city – or cities – that you would make sure someone visits? Let me know in the comments. We’re not ruling out another trip to Belgium, so always looking for new spots to hit!