Bruges
Preserved medieval town which was spared physically during both World Wars, Bruges was picked by me as a tourist for the good stories I had heard about it, and the film In Bruges(2008) also helped in sparking interest.
Together with my buddy Michael, we were heading into a weekend of culture and night life. At Brugge, we toured first through the Half Moon's beer brewery, where it came as a surprise to me that the city has an underground operational beer pipeline!
We were unable to go inside the church Our Sweet Ladychurch as it was under construction, but we did not ignore it's size. The Begijnhof is a surviving house medieval community where religious women used to live in some kind of outcast state.
The Big Square in the center offering market space is what you would expect typically, and perhaps the Belfry Tower overseeing it all was the highlight for me, as climbing it's stairs would not only provide bells ringing, but also a good panoramic view of the city.
The canals and the authentic medieval setting completed the picture of Bruges for me.
Brussels
The capital of Belgium, Brussels is where we would stay in a private apartment via Airbnb, a site I have used several times over the years now. First we would relax and charge up from our jobs, then we would drink at a bar or two.
Then it was time for the city itself. We both agreed that the driving behavior of Belgians was objectively poor, as they would respond either slow or unexpected in several examples. We went to the Belgian Army and Military History museum as I like to include war museums in my itinerary.
The Big Square in the center was majestic and crowded to see, and nearby it, the famous little Manneken Pis statue is a hot spot, and has numerous origin stories. The architect of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral was also impressive.
We walked through the Jubel and the Warande parks while taking a peek at the Royal Palace, and we also witnessed the grand and unique structure of Atomium, with a positive symbolic meaning. Finally, we drank Belgian beer and ate Vlaamsche Frieten as the weekend was coming to an end.
A major benefit for visiting Belgium is because it's our neighbors to the south. Easy to travel and fun to see as citytrips, Brugge and Brussels, or the B's or Belgium, were worth it. Seeing Ghent and Antwerp is the only next logical and obvious step!
Then it was time for the city itself. We both agreed that the driving behavior of Belgians was objectively poor, as they would respond either slow or unexpected in several examples. We went to the Belgian Army and Military History museum as I like to include war museums in my itinerary.
The Big Square in the center was majestic and crowded to see, and nearby it, the famous little Manneken Pis statue is a hot spot, and has numerous origin stories. The architect of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral was also impressive.
We walked through the Jubel and the Warande parks while taking a peek at the Royal Palace, and we also witnessed the grand and unique structure of Atomium, with a positive symbolic meaning. Finally, we drank Belgian beer and ate Vlaamsche Frieten as the weekend was coming to an end.
A major benefit for visiting Belgium is because it's our neighbors to the south. Easy to travel and fun to see as citytrips, Brugge and Brussels, or the B's or Belgium, were worth it. Seeing Ghent and Antwerp is the only next logical and obvious step!
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