Neighbouring country trips from Amsterdam

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I did a lot of driving to neighbouring countries from Amsterdam. Most were longer trips, but some were just day trips across the border, mostly to Belgium and Germany. Here is a description of those days out.


Antwerp, Belgium (Sep 2022)

We did a day trip once from Amsterdam to the city of Antwerp, as it just a 2 hour drive one way. And though nothing extraordinary, it was definitely a good day out of Amsterdam. The drive to Antwerp was mostly through highways. We encountered fog on the way which was surprising, given the rest of the day was so sunny. And the roads deteriorated as soon as we got to Belgium, with lot more potholes, though they had a higher speed limit 😂.

Antwerp city centre

Once in Antwerp, we mostly did what we do on any trip to Belgium. Walk and eat. We walked around the city centre. The streets were all cobbled and looked charming, the houses were all built in the Flemish style, similar to Dutch houses but a bit different. We passed by a few diamond district streets, checked out the cathedral and the city hall. Then we stopped to have waffles at Waffle House. We bought some chocolates from Pierre Marcolini and I finished most of mine while my friends were still purchasing theirs 😂.

Old library

We walked through a few church squares and sat at one for a bit where someone was playing music in the sun. I think this was the highlight of the day for me, what European towns represent for me. We walked into a very old library where book restorations were going on, and observed what they were doing. We then walked towards the river Scheldt and saw the ruins of an old fort, the Steen castle, which was impressed. We then stopped at Quinten Matsijs, a 450 year old cafe.

Rubens' House

Our last stop of the day was Rubens' House which has been converted into a museum now. He is one of my favourite painters. But somehow the paintings in his home were less impressive than I expected. Maybe because all his paintings are decorating churches and museums around Europe 😀. Interestingly, the one painting I liked and photographed at his home was a Bruegel. Ha!

It was a very sunny day that day plus the Antwerp marathon was going on. So there were more crowds than usual. Overall, we didn't find a lot to do there, so after walking around a bit, eating some more fries and waffles, we were ready to come back.

The city does have an impressive history though. It was an important port in the middle ages before its importance fell. Also the visit made us realise that even though close, Belgians are very different from the Dutch. Their language, Flemish, is similar to Dutch but not the same. There aren't as many bikes as in the Netherlands. The Belgians are shorter, friendlier, more relaxed, and dress and eat better. It was definitely quite surprising to see so much of a difference within a two hour drive.


Bruges, Belgium (Dec 2022, Sep 2023, August 2024)

Bruges is a city which had been on my list of places to travel, for a long time. And I finally managed to visit it from Amsterdam, not once but thrice 😂. The first time in peak winter, the second time in fall and the third time in peak summer. Every time, I found the city to be so dazzlingly beautiful, just like a painting. Also every time, after a day, I did not know what else to do there 😂. All we could do is walk the same streets, admire the same buildings, and eat the same waffles, fries and chocolates. And that’s it! Still it always felt like a nice day out.

On our first trip to Bruges, in winter 2022, we passed by the beautiful islands of Zeeland which are large islands on the west coast of the Netherlands. They are quite green, full of forests, and refreshing to drive through. After we left the Netherlands, in Belgium, as usual the road quality dropped. But the beauty around increased.

There were a lot of fall colours everywhere, yellows and oranges. We took some detours and drove through rural roads in Belgium, loving the vibe. There were many villages on that route, with green fields in between. The village houses were picturesque, with pastel walls and orange roofs. We first stopped at a random cafe on the way, and then had a meal at a restaurant called Biestro d’Pleintje in the village of Maldegem. It was fun to stop at such a small place somewhere. The rest of the drive was lined with yellow and orange trees. And hills! Something we don’t realise how much we miss in the Netherlands!

Bruges winter sunset

When we reached Bruges, it was already night, even at 4pm. But the city looked magnificent at night. At sunset, all the differently coloured houses cast colourful reflections in the many canals in the city. And at night, the lights casting shadows on the trees and the water created many beautiful images. As it was winter time, we first walked around the Bruges Christmas market. Then had dinner at Oud Handbogenhof which was quite a big letdown. After that, we went to La Trappiste for drinks which was in an underground cave. The rest of the evening, we just walked around town looking at its wonderful sights. 

Bruges winter sunset

I really liked the city, it was so charming. Apparently Bruges had been a very rich city in the past, with a deep and old history, and a city of importance in the middle ages. And then it had been suddenly abandoned when the port silted up. So it is almost fully preserved as its slow urbanisation and modernisation never happened. And that is the reason it looks so surreal even now, like a perfectly preserved medieval town. Walking its streets is so much fun, with the old orange brick houses, narrow streets and many churches, separated by picturesque canals everywhere.

Oostende waterfront

On that trip, we had booked rooms at the last minute (while driving to Bruges!). So we had got the last available room in town, in the seaside town of Oostende. After the evening out, we had to drive to the sea, about 30 mins away, to our Hotel Leopold. The town felt quite different, quite modern. In the morning, we walked out to the seafront for a bit, just to get a look. But it was so cold and windy, we didn't last long.

Bruges canals

We then drove back to Bruges and walked around in town. It felt like a dream - all the canals and canal houses. I just wanted to walk around in this dream, just like that. I have done that on every trip to Bruges, but still feel I haven't seen all its hidden spots. It's just so damn beautiful! As the sun set, the day became very windy and chilly quickly, so we soon left for Amsterdam.

Bruges canals

On my next trip to Bruges in summer, the city felt quite different. There was more greenery around, and a lot more people and energy. The streets looked so cute, cobbled roads with blossoming flowers everywhere. Every building around was old, all orange and colourful. There were so many parks, all green. And churches and old buildings and squares full of people sitting outside and chatting away. On this trip too, we just walked and walked, by the canals, the central square, the markets and so on. We ate at the Waffle House, the same waffle chain from Antwerp. And then explored all the shops for chocolates. And laces, they were lovely. But the weather was so hot, we had to take breaks during the day to rest.

Concert in the square

As it was summer, there was a concert going on in the main square (and the next day too), which was lovely to sit at. Then we went for a short walk around, checking out the local fish market, churches, city hall, bridges over the canals and so on.

Bruges at night

There was this spot we saw which was just heavenly, both at night and in the day (I painted it later and I think it’s one of my best paintings). It felt heavenly to be in Bruges in summer, walking around. As I said, I just wanted to walk and walk there. The next morning though, some of the places did not look as great 😂. After a few hours, we did not know what to do, and so left soon.

Bruges canals

I visited Bruges a third time in summer 2024 and did the same - walk around all its streets, enjoying the stunning-ness of the place. It was as picture perfect as ever, a place which hasn’t changed for centuries. Here are some photographs from all my trips to the city.

Bruges winter sunset

Bruges at night

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Bruges canals

Overall every time I visit Belgium, I feel I am visiting a poorer cousin of the Netherlands. They earn less in terms of per capita and have less infrastructure, but the country feels happier, friendlier, warmer, and better fed and dressed than the Netherlands.






Ghent, Belgium (August 2024)

Ghent city hall

Ghent is a town quite near Bruges (just 40 mins away) and very similar to it though a bit smaller. It has the same Flemish architecture and many canals adding to its graceful beauty. I have visited Ghent twice before, but as it’s so close to Amsterdam, I visited it again in August 2024 for a few hours. It was a lot of fun to walk its streets, eat waffles and french fries and just admire its beauty. I have always found Ghent not to have a lot to do for a long stay, but for a few hours stop, it never fails to deliver as a great day out.

Ghent is a gorgeous city, sharing a few pics below.

Ghent canals

Ghent castle

Ghent city centre

Ghent

Ghent

Christmas markets at Essen, Germany (Nov 2022)

Burg Vondern castle

In winter 2022, we drove one day to Essen, a nearby town in Germany, famous for its Christmas markets. There were some fall colours on the way which were pretty. On the way, we stopped at two places. Once was the castle of Burg Dinslaken, and the second was Burg Vondern. They were both quite small actually but cute in a way, though neither was something to write home about. The villages around were also quite boring but had nice decorations and Christmas festivity all around.

Essen Christmas market

Essen was a huge modern city which did not feel like the typical christmas market place initially. And there were four separate markets. We went to the main one and walked around all evening. There were loads of small shops everywhere, and huge lighted animals decorating the market. We tried langos for the first time at the market. To be honest though, I wasn’t impressed. Generally by Christmas markets and specifically with the Essen one either.

For me, the highlight on the trip of course was the autobahn - it was my first time driving there. I touched 200 kmph+ then 😃. Also the difference in roads from the Netherlands was quite stark. Netherlands generally has 3+ lane highways, less traffic and is all lit up along the highways. Also Netherlands has habitation all along the roads. Germany on the other hand had just 2 lanes and worse quality roads. But still you can drive faster there 😁. That was interesting.


All these city visits were quite a change from Amsterdam, and always fun. Writing these blogs, I am just asking myself why I didn't do more of them 😃.


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