Belgium

Belgium

After Amsterdam, I took a train down to spend several days in Belgium. I visited Ghent, Bruges, and Brussels. Charming, romantic cities. :)

In Ghent, stayed at a hostel by a castle. Found my favorite nook, a little corner tucked by the river overlooking out onto the water where you could get a front-row seat to the castle as well as any boats drifting by. 

Did a guided walking tour around the city which was nice. Walked by the graffiti area where there were tons and tons of layers of graffiti. 

Visited a local market, bought myself a couple of hand-made rings for 5 euros each. The black one pictured above. Also got some shorts for 2 euros each that make an appearance in photos above and later down the line.

I didn't want to spend a lot of time and money on food, so I would squirrel away food from the hostel breakfast each morning and that would last me all day. See the eggs and bread above, they fit cozily into my day purse. 

Spent a good amount of time just hanging out by the water. There's something so serene about being near water, whatever type of body it is. I was traveling alone at this point, and a woman saw me and asked if I wanted a picture. I had taken pictures of her and her family too. It was very nice of her, she made me do a little catwalk to get some cute pictures. 

Took a spontaneous day trip to Bruges, on recommendation of a friend of mine. Glad I did! A charming, magical little city. Felt very fairytale. They also had amazing chocolate/truffles! Got to sample some, also on a guided walking tour around the city. 

Made my way to Brussels where I met up with a friend who I'd then travel with through 6 countries! We stayed at a local's apartment (through Host-A-Sister), and it was so lovely and magical. Her backyard had wild blackberries and flowers blooming in this magical fairytale garden. So serene. 

Soo many pastries! So good. We also took a walking tour through Brussels, and hit the major food/drink items: fries, chocolate, beer, and waffles! They also recommended mussels, but it wasn't the season for them, so we didn't get any. 

God, I love bookstores. :)

Lots of time walking around the city, both in tourisity and local neighborhoods. Spent hours sitting in a park, talking about life and consuming chocolate and waffles. It was good. :)

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