Where in Europe Photo Quiz
Can you match the picture to where in Europe it was taken? Comment below with how many you got correct and which ones you didn’t know. All photos were taken by me and can be read about in my blog posts 🙂
Tag: belgium
Brugge, Belgium Travel Blog
Brugge (or Bruges) is a city full of canals, beer, fries, and of course the delicious waffles. It is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is described as “Venice of the North” and if you catch a boat and cruise the city via the canals, you will surely understand why. The canals are a part of the city nearly as old as Brugge themselves. They were built in the 12th century in order to help carry merchandise across the city and cross through the entirety of the city center. They allow visitors to see the attractions from a different angles, as well as to view some that would otherwise remain inaccessible. I went on an extended day trip with ITT at the end of March and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. One day was the perfect amount to see the highlights of Brugge, but two days would have been ideal. I felt a bit rushed toward the end of the day and I wish I had one more day to go in more of the attractions. The bus drops everyone off at the train station. From there, I headed toward the city center by crossing over Barge Bridge. This modern bridge will catch your eyes with its bright red color and unique shape. This takes you to the Lake of Love, which is surrounded by a park and has a terrace facing the lake for the perfect view. Near the lake is Beguinage. This complex was a home to Beguines, women of a Christian spiritual movement of the 13th century. These women decided to devote their lives to Christ, live in poverty, and take care of the sick and poor. It is the only preserved beguinage in Brugge. Since 1927, it serves as a convent of Benedictine nuns. After taking a stroll through the gardens, I made my way to Saint Salvator’s Cathedral. Along the way, I passed De Halve Man Brewery, the only family brewery left in Brugge. After seeing the inside of Saint Salvator (free admission), I walked toward the Church of Our Lady. On the way, I stopped in a shopping square to have breakfast. I quickly realized that Brugge was quite expensive. When I reached the Church of Our Lady, I was amazed at its colossal height. The church tower stands at 115 meters and is the second biggest brick tower in the world and also the biggest building in the the city of Brugge. The church possess a marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Michaelangelo, various paintings and wooden carvings, and even tombs of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold. You can visit the main part of the church for free, but if you wish to see the museum and artworks, you will need to purchase a ticket. Make sure to go around the back of the church to get a different perspective. Down the street from the church along the canal is where the city’s market is, which is supposedly there most days. Opposite the market is Groeninge Museum, if you are interested in an art museum. I walked through the market and noticed a brewery on the other side of the canal called Bourgonge des Frandres. It was time a great time to stop and have a drink on the outside patio as I watched the boats pass by. Next, I walked around the Quai of the Rosary, which a starting point of many boat trips. This place offers one of the most spectacular views in all of Brugge. I loved the atmosphere of this area. One drink wasn’t enough, so next on the agenda was the 2be Bar and Shop. As soon as you walk in, you will notice the very long beer wall. This work of wall art features a large display of beer bottles and glasses. This bar is an awesome place to try different kinds of local beers. The shop also has a wide selection of beers to take home with you. I came back at the end of the day to get a suitcase full of a variety of local beers. A little ways down the street is House of Waffles, which is a fantastic place to stop for all of your waffle cravings. You can get waffles all over Brugge, but this place stuck out to me because of the large selection of toppings. You can order at the window or go inside to sit down. You will have an option between Brussels or Liege waffles and Liege are way better in my opinion. I topped mine with vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and bananas. Mmm Mmmm Mmmmm. My next stop was the astounding City Hall, which is located in Burg Square on the grounds of a former castle. It was built in 1376, making it one of the oldest city halls in Belgium. This is where the ruling over the country took place for some 600 years. Nowadays, it houses a city museum. Not far from City Hall is Market Square, the very center of the historical heart of the city. The square is lined with wonderful sights, like the Bell tower and the Provincial Court. There are various restaurants, pubs, and stores around the square. Belfry is an 83 meter high bell tower. If you climb all the way to the top on a sunny day, you can see the entirety of the city below you. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time for this as the line was long and I didn’t want to miss seeing the rest of the city. When visiting, do not miss the chance to admire the Belfry’s 47-bell clarion. The bells are made to ring by hand every day at 11 o’clock. Keep in mind that there is no elevator at the Belfry, so it is not wheelchair accessible. It takes 366 stairs to reach the top of
Two Week Europe Itinerary: England, France, Belgium, & Germany Travel Blog
The first time my husband (boyfriend before the trip and proposed in Paris) and I travelled to Europe, we visited his twin brother, who was stationed in England, where we are actually now stationed. The planner that I am, made a complete itinerary full of activities for us to do and the destinations I wanted to visit. I will go into more detail on another blog post about the specifics but I will give you the general idea of where we went and a few things to do in each country. We flew round trip from RDU (Raleigh, NC) to LHR (London) round trip for $900 a person from Tuesday, December 17th to Thursday, January 2nd and had a budget of $1,000 per person for additional expenses (we bought all of our Christmas gifts while we were there). This trip can definitely be done for a lot cheaper, but we thought we would never be travelling back to Europe so we splurged a lot! Day 1: Stateside to EnglandTravel Day Day 2: EnglandRelax Day 3: GermanyLeft England and drove to Germany. We planned to stop in Cologne on the way to Frankfurt but I got sick in the car so we decided to drive straight to Frankfurt. It ended up being about an 8 hour drive but we stopped a lot. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we checked into our hotel and ate dinnerHotel Alleenhof in Frankfurt, Germany Day 4: GermanyMain attractions: City Hall, Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Main Tower, Christmas Markets Day 5: Germany to BelgiumWe checked out of our hotel and drove to Brussels, Belgium. We got to drive on the autobahn! It was definitely a terrifying situation. When we got to Brussels after the 4-hour car ride, we ate dinner and went to the Christmas Markets and walked around the City Centre.Brussels City Centre Apartments Day 6: BelgiumMain attractions: Musee Royal del’armee, Autoworld, Town Hall, Medieval Square Day 7: Belgium to EnglandThe drive from Brussels back to England took about 5 hours and we were able to stop at the Cliffs of Dover on the way back. Day 8: England (Christmas Eve)During the next 3 days, we just spent time visiting with family and friends and exploring the town we were in. Day 9: England (Christmas) Day 10: England – Day in Cambridge Day 11: England to FranceWe took a 3-hour train ride from London St Pancreas to Pairs Gare Du Nord. We got the Paris Pass for the four days we would be there. We went to Montparnasse, Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Latin Quarter, the Love Bridge, and Saint-Chappelle all in this day. It was very easy getting around.De La Vallee Hotel in Paris, France Day 12: FranceMain attractions: Notre Dame, Orsay Museum, Opera, Grand Palais/Petit Palais, Alexander Bridge, Invalides, Rodin Museum.We also had dinner reservations on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower which was magnificent! I highly recommend it. The food was absolutely amazing! Day 13: FranceMain attractions: Palais of Versailles, Eiffel Tower (we wanted to see it during the day), Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge Day 14: FranceMain attractions: Le Louvre, Palais Royal, Camps-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Christmas Market Day 15: France to EnglandTook the train back to London St Pancras and went to Winter Wonderland (open from mid-December to a few days after New Years), London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey.We were right next to Big Ben for the New Year’s Eve fireworks and that is definitely something I will never forget. I plan to go back again! Day 16: EnglandNew Year’s Day Parade, St. Pauls Cathedral, Tower of London, Buckingham PalaceThe Master Robert Hotel in Hounslow, England Day 17: England back to the States This was our first big vacation that taught us a lot about travelling. There are definitely better routes, but because of the holidays, we wanted to be in England for Christmas and New Years. Ask me anything about my trip and check back to see more in-depth travel blogs that will also include Italy, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, as well as the many other countries I plan to go to this year!
Brussels, Belgium Travel Blog
Christmas markets have become a favorite thing of mine to visit during the holidays. This time I went to see the markets in Brussels, Belgium. While I was there for three days, I explored the city. I really liked the atmosphere. They spoke great English and were very friendly.Favorite thing: The WAFFLES!!! Oh my goodness! I crave them all the time now. I’m dying to go back to have another 🙂 Here is what we managed to do in 3 days (in order of our trip – not favorite to least favorite): 1. Place Sainte Catherine- Christmas Market 2. Musee Royal de l’armee – Military MuseumHighly recommend this to any interested in the military or war history 3. Autoworld – Car MuseumSo many cars, new and old!!! 4. Hotel de Ville Town HallGrand Place Medieval Square One of the most breathtaking views of a town square. The lights were changing as the music played. 5. Les Galleries Saint Hubert – Shops and Museum 6. St. Michael & Gudula Cathedral 7. Notre Dame du Sablon Church Have to add pictures of the waffles and beer. I would add a picture of the chocolate too, as everyone I was with said it’s to die for, but I don’t like chocolate…I know, I’m weird.