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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Champagne-ing on Easter long weekend

Reims cathedral

This spring, we took a short break in the Champagne region of France. We drove there from Amsterdam, stopping on the way there and back in Belgium, in the towns of Ghent and Dinant. And while in Champagne, we just explored the villages and vineyards around, as well as the towns of Epernay and Reims. The trip turned out to be quite a relaxed holiday and a place that can definitely be visited again.


Getting there and Ghent

We had booked our airbnb in a small village of Champagne, called ‘Chateau Porcien’. The drive till there takes about 4.5 hours, with the Netherlands part mostly being through motorways, the Belgium part took us through some small towns (and honestly not great roads), while the French part was also through the highways. Though the roads in France were mostly 2 lanes, going up and down and constantly turning. It’s when you drive at places like these that you realise how flat the whole of Netherlands is.

Ghent city centre

On our way, we stopped at the Belgian town of Ghent and spent a couple of hours exploring its city centre. It was stunning – with its Flemish houses lining the canals and the many cathedrals dotting the city centre. The place looked directly out of a fairy-tale. That day was also very lively with lot of tourists everywhere, especially on walking tours. 

Ghent riverside

While there, we spent most of our time walking and eating. To eat, we tried all the famous Belgian offerings – Belgian waffles, Belgian chocolates and Belgian chips. The chocolates were definitely my favourites – they are heavenly.

(An update from Aug 2024: I visited Ghent again in summer 2024. The city centre was as gorgeous as always, and surprisingly not very crowded. It was sunny that day and all places felt very inviting. We visited a few churches, the St Baafs (it was quite impressive and had some magnificent marble works inside), the St Niklos and a few others. We walked by the Stadshuis, along the bridge, along the canal lined with the warehouses, a small castle and the 3 towers. For the first time, I did the whole walk and it was stunning. And when we stepped away from the centre, the rest of city felt quite empty and average. You could see that it was rich earlier, but not anymore. My verdict on Ghent remains the same, it's pretty but very small to keep one entertained for too long) 

We reached our village quite late that night, and driving on the small roads through fields and unlit villages felt a bit spooky but it also had its own rustic charm to it. On the way, I also had to stop and charge my Tesla. It was the first time I had tried a Tesla supercharger and I was super impressed – a 40 mins break and you are ready to take off. At one point, the Tesla supercharger charged 200kms in only 13 minutes! Hats off to Elon.

View of Chateau Porcien

Our airbnb was a huge house with a garden outside and a view of the village outside. It was lovely to stay there, wake up late everyday with the sun outside and laze in the morning. It’s sometimes so nice to stay in a village for a while.

Running through the fields

The village of Chateau Porcien was a very small non-descript village, with a bakery, a supermarket and lot of people who all knew each other. I went for a run one of the mornings and I could see everyone wondering who I was 😊), as they all knew each other. During the run, I caught a whiff of the French countryside which was refreshing, the village canal and fields with farm animals and ponies, lined with white flowers.


Exploring the Champagne region

During our two days in the area, we visited one vineyard every day. The first was Louis Brochet. The drive there was so cute, through small French villages with brown stone houses, churches and bakeries. The Louis Brochet was a small vineyard, with a gorgeous green garden. And even some tulips there😊. We took a tour where they showed us the process of how champagne is made. And then we sat outside in the garden for a bit. It was so green and turned sunny too, it was perfect. We were also quite surprised to see lot of visitors from Netherlands.

Inside Reims cathedral

Then we drove to the town of Reims for the evening and dinner. It was a beautiful town and quite lively. We first visited the Reims cathedral which was quite impressive. It had beautiful gothic arches inside. And some unique gargoyles on the inside.

Gargoyles

Rest of the time we just walked around town, had café in an open area, explored some of the local markets and shopped at a French boutique shop. It was such a perfect place to amble along, just walk in taking the views, the greenery and the energy around. We had an Indian meal at the Taj Mahal in a street which was full of restaurants, and drove back to our village at night.

The countryside

The next day, we repeated the same. First driving through the countryside and French villages to get to Fleury La Rivière. The drive was gorgeous and the weather sunny, though cool. Though green fields with sarson, windmills and lot of picturesque villages in the valleys. The French villages are so calming. We also drove through a forested area, and after the forests were lot of vineyards - spread out till where the eyes could see. I think we had finally come to the heart of Champagne, the valley of Champagne, with the forests and valleys and grape vineyards everywhere.

The village of Fleury La Rivière was such an old village, it was lovely to drive through it. We were visiting the vineyard of Francis Philipe Arnoult champagne here. The guide gave us quite a detailed tour of the facilities there, and was quite friendly with us.

Francis Philipe vineyard

This vineyard is run as a co-operative which buys the grapes from the locals, turns them into champagne and sells them to the large champagne companies. The winery was named after Francis Philipe, who was a wine grower from the village. He had become a rich wine merchant and moved to the city but had no family, so he donated all his money to the village. His name is therefore on the wine bottles from this vineyard. There are many murals outside the building too, depicting his story, how he gave money to the village, and how the co-op came about.

Art at the vineyard

The vineyard there had a river flowing underneath it which helped cool the champagne. Our guide explained how champagne is made in the big vats, how removal of the sediment is a big step in the process and how it takes 2-4 years to make champagne. Apparently vintage champagne is only from a specific year while old reserve champagne from different years is stored for blending with the newer grapes. Also apparently there are 4 other types of alcohol made in the area, the rest of them not being as famous as champagne.

After the visit we drove to Epernay and walked through the city centre. It was cute but our experience wasn’t too great. First, none of the electric chargers in the city were working. Second, most of the restaurants we walked to were closed or served only French food or fully booked out!

We walked a lot and finally found a Turkish place which was nice and we finally were able to eat dinner! After all the searching, we were already tired, and couldn’t explore Epernay much but apparently the Avenue de Champagne in town is quite a nice street to spend time in.


Dinant and back to Amsterdam

The last day we drove through Belgium and decided to stop at the town of Dinant. Driving through Belgium was gorgeous – it was so green, such a fresh shade of green. And there were cherry blossoms all along the road. The roads were smaller though and less maintained but worth the view.

Dinant

We stopped at the town of Dinant on the way. Which did not feel as impressive as we were driving towards it. But the view at the centre was stunning. Through the town flows a river, and on one side of it is a huge cliff, below which is a massive gray citadel and a row of brightly painted houses. It’s such a scenic view. We first drove a bit around town and to the top of the mountain, getting a good view of the village below.

Then we came down and after struggling to park for a while, finally got out and walked along the picture perfect river. There were colourful houses all along. The river was full of boats. The town is also where the founder of the saxophone was from, so there were lot of statues of the saxophone everywhere. And there were lot of Indians everywhere – it was clearly a popular tourist spot though I had never heard of it before.

We had lunch right next to the water at Pizzeria Taormina which was a picturesque location. There was someone playing the music along the river, in multiple languages. And I loved his Italian songs especially. It was quite an idyllic spot. And we wanted to stay longer but couldn’t as we had a long drive back. So we left soon for a rainy drive back to Amsterdam. But I am sure I will be back. To Dinant, as well as Champagne.

Waffles, fries and chocolates.. Belgium (Brussels & Ghent)

This summer we spent a sunny weekend in Belgium in the towns of Brussels and Ghent. Frankly, Belgium is not really a preferred destination for tourists and I would agree with that. But it's not a bad place to spend a nice relaxing weekend away from London and gathering some unwanted calories:).

Paintings of Grand Place

I stayed in Brussels for an evening, and spent some time in and around the central area. There is much to see around here, just the Grand Place, Manneken Pis and the view of the city from the Courts of Justice.

Grand Place

The Grand Place is a huge town square surrounded by huge lighted buildings all around, including the City Hall and the various guild buildings. The square is full of the usual touristic activities: street performers, caricature artists and paintings of the square.






The all around panorama of the square is pretty, especially at night when all the buildings light up in different colours.

Grand Place (day)

Grand Place (night)

Chocolate jewellery!

I spent some time walking around this area, in the bye lanes most of which were either selling chocolates, Belgian laces and other such famous Belgian wares or had restaurants with sea food displayed outside. To be honest, there was nothing special about the city except the elaborately displayed chocolate shops everywhere:).

Manneken Pis

Located near the Grand Place is the 'Manneken Pis', a small fountain emanating from the statue of a little boy. Apparently it is one of the symbols of Brussels and highly popular among tourists. I found it very unimpressive though and didn't understand what the whole hoopla was about. Moreover, the statue is so small, you can very easily miss it!

Seafood restaurants

We also walked around to the Courts of Justice, which gives a top view of the city around. It wasn't impressive again. And then we spent some time in a local street which had shops serving seafood, with the live seafood displayed outside. So, on the whole a very average place to spend even an evening.

One thing which I loved though about the evening spent in Brussels was the awesome icecreams and desserts I had. Even the Haagen Daz in Brussels had such an awesome spread of desserts; it was much better than any other Haagen Daz I have visited across the world.

Ghent town center

After the evening in Brussels, we spent the next two days in the city of Ghent. We took a train from Brussels which gets you to Ghent in an hour. The train system between cities appeared convenient and inexpensive. Trains run from Brussels train station every 15-20 minutes to Ghent. They do get crowded sometimes, so might just be a better idea to get a first class ticket.

In Ghent, we stayed at the Sandton Grand Hotel Seylof a luxury hotel right next to the city center. Would recommend that to anyone visiting the city. Its got good dining options, live music in the evening, nice garden outside to sit while soaking the sun and a great location to explore the town.

Ghent town center

We were in Ghent for two days and spent most of the time just walking around the city center. There is not much to do there, just a river which runs through the city and beautiful Flemish buildings on both sides of the river. In the summer, it gets filled with crowds and restaurants and cafes spring all along the river.

Ghent town center

The two days were completely idyllic, with bright sunshine and nothing much to do. We spent most of our time walking along the river, sitting and eating waffles and fries and chocolates at the local places next to the river. It felt nice to be out in the open (after the terrible long winter this year in London), soaking in the sun, next to a small river with crowds all around you, all trying to catch a bit of the sun!

Ghent town center

Ghent town center

One of the days we took a boat ride through the river with the boat guide telling us all about the history of the town. Apparently Ghent at one point of time was the most important city in Europe!! How times change:).

Church

We also went inside the church and the cathedral near the town square. The Cathedral had one of the best statues I have seen in Europe, they were all beautiful and exquisite.  I am posting pictures of some of them.

Mary and Jesus

Jesus

Angels with Mary

Angel

Angels with God?

Angels with cross

There is also a painting in the cathedral, supposedly as famous as Mona Lisa - Adoration of the Lamb. They charge a ticket to see the painting, so I gave it a miss but in case you land up in the town, be sure to take a look.

Ghent town center (night)

And at night, the area next to the river looked sparkling with all the lights on and the reflections on the river. Quite a romantic place it is:). We had dinner at the Allegro Moderato, a nice cosy place next to the river. The menu was mostly non-vegetarian, but within that, the sole (fish) was amazing. (Also, if you visit Ghent in the summer, its advisable to book early as restaurants get very busy during that time of the year).

The hotel we were staying in was celebrating its one year anniversary and so had a grand live music event in the evening. It was fun listening to French live music with all oldies around dancing:).

The next day, we bought chocolates from Neuhaus for our trip back to London and would recommend them to anyone visiting Belgium. They are freshly made, yummy and melt like butter in your mouth!! yummmm.. One of the best chocolates have ever had. Anyways after this idyllic weekend, we took the train to Brussels, and then off to London.