Advertisement
Published: October 22nd 2015
Edit Blog Post
Welcome again to my travel blog! This time I would like to tell you about my travel to Belgium two years ago. As far as I did not have much time, I visited only two cities, namely Brussels, the capital of the country, and Ghent, which I heard so much about. I really wished to visit some other cities as well, but I had only one week, so I had to make the choice. To tell the truth, these two cities I have visited impressed me so much that I really wished to see at least some other locations in Belgium. So, I hope I will come back again there to view other highlights of the country. Now, let me share some of the impressions and feelings I’ve got in Belgium in details.
What I would like to say is that Belgium is a real paradise for gourmets, candy hounds and beer fans. The first day of our trip was, unfortunately, gloomy and rainy, but as far as our mood was just great and we were eager to see as many places of interest as possible, we did not pay special attention to the weather. Anyway, it is the same all
around the world!
Brussels – the Capital of Belgium During three days in the capital of Belgium, Brussels, we managed to see such places of interest as the Royal Palace and the Our Lady of Laeken Church, Le Grand Place (the square surrounded by the most spectacular sightseeing places in the city), the St.Michel Cathedral, the Cinquantenaire Arch and the Atomium. Of course, we couldn’t but visit the Brussels' Manneken Pis statue, which is one of the most famous sculptural icons in the whole world. The statue is even considered the symbol of the city. Occasionally, the tourists or the residents of the city dress the naked boy into new costumes. This is very spectacular. By the way, we have also seen the “friend” of the peeing boy – the statue of the peeing girl located not far from the boy. An interesting couple, I should say…
Even though the statues, cathedrals and other monuments impressed me a lot, there was one more thing I will always associate with Brussels – extremely delicious and unique food! Having visited one of the cafes, I’ve ordered a bucket of mussels for 17 Euros only! The dish was exotic, but
so tasty – I’ve never eaten such mussels before. The chef told me that the mussels are imported from France and the Netherlands, but only the Belgian cooks know the secrets of their cooking.
Belgium is also famous in the whole world due to its waffles and chocolate! These products are really fantastic, I should say. I could not but visit several candy shops to taste these delicacies. So, if you are a sweet tooth, Belgium is definitely your travel destination!
Although the second and the third days of our journey were sunny, I still managed to catch a cold. However, even that fact could not prevent me from getting pleasure from this European town! So, I have ordered some medications from the
Canadian Health and Care Mall online (the drug stores are quite expensive in Brussels) and had them delivered in less than an hour. Such a speedy service surprised me as well. During these two days, we visited the following places of interest: Galeries St-Hubert, the traditional shopping arcade on the city constructed in 1847, the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art, where the works of more than 600 artists are found, the Buda Bridge and the European Union Building,
of course, which is one of the main tourist attractions of the city.
Ghent – The City of Lights Having left Brussels, we went to Ghent, where we spend 4 remarkable days. As far as I know, most tourists prefer to travel to Bruges after they leave the capital of the country, thus underestimating the significance of Ghent. I should say that Ghent is worth the attention as well, because it is not the same as other Belgian towns. I would call it “natural” and this is really so!
When you get to Ghent for the first time, you will certainly be impressed by the amount of students and young people in the streets. Don’t be, because one of the largest universities in Belgium - the Ghent University founded in 1817 - is located in this city.
There are many places of interest in Ghent and we were lucky to see many of them during the four days spent in this Belgian city. There is much to be seen in Ghent, because the city has rich history. In the 13th century, it was the second largest city in Europe after Paris. It was also one of
the richest cities, due to the fact that the residents manufactured and traded wool at those times. Nowadays, Ghent looks very attractive, cozy and taken care of. Among the sightseeing spots that impressed me most of all were the Belfry and Cloth Hall with its fabulous observation deck, which makes it possible to see the whole town in plain sight, the Cathedral of St. Nickolas, the Emily Brown Square, the Theatre Building, the Town Hall of Ghent, the Friday Market Square and the famous water canals of the city. Ghent looks fantastic at night, when millions of multi-colored lights illuminate the streets and buildings.
To sum it up, I should say that the travel to Belgium was one of the most memorable and pleasant journeys I’ve ever had. And I definitely recommend everyone to visit the country as soon as there is such an opportunity.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.184s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 48; dbt: 0.089s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb