Nerds Who Travel: Belgium
Leaving Toronto to travel Europe I had no clue what to expect. Now, two weeks into the trip, I still have no idea what to expect. Every day is different, with new experiences, places to explore, and people to meet.
As we arrived in Brussels, Belgium, the afternoon of June 3rd, Zack and I were filled with excitement and complete exhaustion. We had travelled for roughly 14 hours, over what was night back home, with minimal sleep. Naturally, our first order of business was food. We hopped a tram to Luxembourg Square, not knowing that this was one of the most expensive places to go in Brussels. Excited at the idea of breakfast, we ordered “breakfast bowls” that cost way too much money, but after munching on granola bars and chocolate, we were happy to finally enjoy a meal. This did, however, lead to our first lesson learned.
Lesson #1: Know the average price of a meal and don’t pay more than you have to. If you walk around for an extra five minutes, you might find better food for cheaper!
Begrudgingly putting our packs back on, we started to wander Brussels, killing time until we could check into our Airbnb. The concept of being in Europe still hadn’t quite sunk in, but with the beautiful architecture and countless statues it was clear that we had stumbled upon quite the adventure. We followed a pathway that took us through a busy square and to a beautiful park, all the while carrying all of our belongings for the next two months. Now…arriving at our Airbnb was an adventure in itself. Zack had insisted that we stay with a young musician who promised a great time and cheap living, and despite my concerns, I was ultimately fine with anywhere that had a bed and a shower. So we arrived at the address provided, a seemingly abandoned building from the bottom floor. Our host greeted us at the door and we walked through the empty first floor, up a spiralling, narrow staircase to find a foyer lined with beer bottles. Walking past a kitchen overflowing with dishes, we reached our room for the next four nights. Relieved at the idea of shedding my bag for the rest of the day, I barely noticed that our bed had not yet been made. As a recent graduate who spent countless hours at a house full of boys, I am not overly phased by a messy house. It was only when I went to shower and there was no shower head, just a hand held hose with the cap unscrewed, that I played the “I told you so” card.
Lesson #2: Don’t book an Airbnb based primarily on the fact that you have a similar interest with the host @Zack Harley.
I swear I’m not exaggerating, the place really was a dive. The thing is, we were also in Belgium! We had cheap (yet strong) beer and fries around every corner. Life was pretty damn good. We explored at night, finding a square that had great beers and amazing fries. Fun fact: fries are actually Belgian and they load them with crazy amounts of sauce which is surprisingly delicious. Over the next few days, we indulged in great beer, fries, and the view at the Grand Place.
Brussels Highlights: Delirium Tremens Bar, friendly people at every corner, makeshift sandwiches in the Grand Place square with a bottle of cherry flavoured beer, and the Alexisonfire Concert.
Eager to see more of the country and to meet up with friends, Zack and I left Brussels earlier than we intended and booked a hostel in Ghent…on a boat! We trained to Ghent and met up with some of our friends from Queen’s. Seeing friendly faces was a huge comfort. It can be lonely knowing that your family and friends are miles away, even when you have a travel buddy as great as mine. And so, after that first day together, meeting up with Chris and Wes would become a regular occurrence. Ghent was a dream, with beautiful castles, cathedrals, and canals. The architecture won me over and Ghent is up there with one of my favourite cities.
Ghent Highlights: the Castle, running into one of our friends from home (Katie working there for the summer), two-for-one beers, our “Ecohostel” with organic food and showers with shower heads attached.
Belgium was a crazy eventful experience…definitely need to return for those amazing beers and fries :)
Next Up … the Netherlands !
