Hey all, it's been a while (well, been 2 years)!
Someone mentioned about my blog which reminded me that I haven't been updating my blog at all. There were few times I tried to update it, I even wrote a draft! but decided not to post it.
Now, since I have some edited pictures ready to post, I will continue the overdue Europe trip post series. Went to Europe in February 2015, right after I completed my master thesis defence and before officially starting my full-time job. Kindly read the first two post of this series from links below.
An Overdue Post (Part 1 - Amsterdam)
In part 3, I will try my best to write what still remains in my memory from the trip to two Flanders cities in Belgium; Ghent and Bruges.
After some googling we did the night before, we figured that it would be cheap for us who were under 26yo back then to buy train ticket Go Pass 1. First stop of the day was Ghent or Gent. First impression after I saw the view outside the main train station Gent-Sint-Pieters was I liked the view better than Brussels. While you may want to take the tram ride from the station to touristic area, tourism spots in Ghent were close to each other and within walking distances. So I would recommend going around on foot if you have plenty of time. That way, you can enjoy the view of the city that is sooo beautiful. Climbing the Ghent Belfry, a UNESCO world heritage, would allow you to enjoy city view of Ghent from above. I also visited the Castle of the Counts, which amazed me as it was different than castles in Japan. We can also see the tools used to torture people back then.
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| GO PASS 1 Ticket recommended for young traveler (under 26 yo) |
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| The Ghent Belfry "Het Belfort van Gent" and the Castle of the Counts "Gravensteen" |
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| St Nicholas Church seen from the Ghent Belfry |
After spending few hours in Ghent, we continued our journey to the next Flanders city, Bruges or Brugge. The city has different atmosphere to the one in Ghent. I would say the view and the atmosphere of Bruges was fantasy-like but kinda gloomy (well maybe because it was cloudy the whole day). After being greeted by the swans in the Lake of Love "Minnewater", we had a quick look of Begijnhof (Beguinage), a world heritage, then decided to walked out. It was sooo quiet and we were not sure how to look around there as the 'religious' feels was strong even in silence. We didn't want to be impolite. Many famous places to visit in Bruges are churches.
Most recommended thing to do which you shouldn't miss is to take a boat trip around Bruges canals. Look for Rozenhoedkaai for the boat pier. From this point, you can enjoy an iconic view of the city which is said to be the most photographed location in Bruges.
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| One corner of the Market Square, with the Provincial Court and the Belfry of Bruges |
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| The famous picturesque canal view in Bruges from Rozenhoedkaai |
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| Enjoying the city view both from the canal boat ride and on foot |
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