Belgique & Nederland

Because I can't just stay in 1 place for too long . . . . I decided to take the rest of the week off after the Berlin Conference and head to the Netherlands and Belgium!! Allons-y! (And whatever the phrase 'Let's Go' is in Dutch)!

Wednesday, March 21st & Thursday, 22nd: Amsterdam

Canals as far as the eye can see

I hopped off the plane in Amsterdam Schipol with a dream and my cardigan (??). Sadly, the wind chill was brutal, but that didn't stop me from catching a few views that evening. Certainly, the 22nd was a much better day! Starting from the windmill in the east, I hit the Dutch Royal Residence, the Dutch Resistance museum, all the parks imaginable, and some great pics of the architecture! I absolutely loved the canals, the cyclists, and the constant cuteness of the city. I'm upset I didn't stay longer or get a ticket for the Anne Frank museum, but I saw everything that I could! Amsterdam is a must!

Windmill!

The Dutch Royal Residence was absolutely gorgeous

Rijksmuseum!

Poster in the Dutch Resistance museum

Friday, March 23rd: Antwerp & Gent

Taking the bus to Belgium, I stopped for only a few hours in Antwerp. Antwerp had a cute city center, but it wasn't something I was impressed with. On the other hand, Gent was AMAZING! After my short stint in Antwerp, I took the rather efficient train there. Boy was I excited when I found out that those under the age of 26 get a student discount on the trains! Instead of paying 10 Euros, I paid 6 and change! Ballin' on a budget, those 4 Euros meant everything.

Castle in Antwerp

Center Square Antwerp

Train Station Antwerp

Anyway, I accidentally got off at the wrong stop in Gent which was totally okay because I took the scenic route in the city. What was meant to be a 30 minute stroll to my hostel lasted about 2 hours because I kept seeing another cool church/castle/building and simply kept wandering. My love for the city persisted with 2 of the best Belgian waffles (gauffre) I ever had! Belgian waffles with Belgian chocolate is a thing and one of the best reasons to go back.

Castle Gent

Belgian Beer (I enjoyed a rather good one in Brussels later on)

Love of my life: simple yet so delicious

Ghent still charming

Gent still showing off

Europe's best kept secret: Gent

Honestly, the city is that photogenic

March 24th: Brussels

Because I can't get enough of trains, I took another gem to Belgium's sparkling capital for some more fun. Brussels is much more of a city while Gent comes off as a cutesy village. I loved the parks, the churches, and, of course, the waffles! I caught a glimpse of the EU parliament, the Palais de Justice, the city square at sundown, and the Cinquaintenaire! The evening couldn't have been better without a ~soiree avec mes amies~ in a cafe that night. Shoutout to Brunelle and Camille for seeing me while I was there! The next morning I caught that 7 o'clock flight to Sofia! It's good to be 'home' :D

Cinquaintenaire

I think this was a part of the Belgian palace??

Definitely the Belgian Royal Palace

Most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen! Eglise Notre Dame au Sablon

Porte de hal! Castles/Gates are everywhere!

EU Parliament

Sundown in the center square

Side street of Brussels!

Random Takeaways:

Many of the grocery stores in Amsterdam did NOT take cash which took me off guard; I could only pay with card. Along the same lines, I spent 6 Euros on bread, hummus, and a kilo of apples which lasted me several days! This would explain my lack of food pictures (except the waffles were well worth the 4 Euro!!) Because i'm anticipating these questions . . . the Red light district was a lot smaller than I expected and all rather surprising. Prostitution is legal and regulated there which made the area seem a lot more 'business professional' than I imagined. Of course, that was all ruined by the hordes of drunken British men. Overall, quite a learning experience indeed!

This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.