Belgium // A day in Bruge

On our last day in Belgium I hopped on a train in Gent to explore Bruge for the day.  I had done some minimal research of Bruge (aka looked at some photos on google) but besides that I had no idea what to see or do. This being a solo trip (Jack was still at his conference in Gent), I spent a lot of my time just wandering and taking photos. I stumbled into a enclosed complex which turned out to be the museum quarters and toured a gorgeous exhibit of Pablo Picasso. I enjoyed a waffle suffocated in chocolate on the staircase of a gorgeous building while watching the happenings of a small market. I took an extremely touristy tour of the "History of Bruge" at the tourist center, which was fully quipped with animatronic puppets, a thrilling plot about a escaped parrot and lots of fun interactive games at the end (it was a weird, but also weirdly really fun.) I walked ALL day, window shopped at the many Christmas themed buildings, taste tested way too much chocolate (I swear every other store was a chocolate shop), and got lost in the alleyways of this adorable town. 

Belgium // A day in Gent

A few months back Jack had the opportunity to attend a conference in Belgium and we jumped at the chance to explore our neighboring country for a few days. We spent a few short days in Gent, a medium sized university city close to Brussels, and then I adventured to Brugge for a day while Jack was at his conference. We were in Gent on a Sunday and Monday, the two days of the week where everything is closed, but we spent ample time wandering the city and trying to get a feel for the place. My favorite part (if you couldn't tell from the photos) was the details of the doorknobs on a lot of the buildings. I loved the comparison of the buildings (some of which were super run down and abandoned) with beautifully crafted, detailed doorknobs.  But besides the doorknobs, a few of our favorite things from Gent were:
- Le Bal Infernal - a bar/cafe/used book store close to Vrijdagmarkt (one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in the city). It had books lining a entire wall, games like dominos and checkers, delicious coffee and beers, and live music and performances in the evening. Pretty much it was our favorite place in the whole world.
- Graffiti Alley of Werregarenstraat - One of the only legal places for graffiti artists to share their work in the city. It's a huge alleyway completely covered in layers and layers of graffiti. Definitely a must-see in Gent.
- Balls & Glory - A delicious, easy restaurant close to the main river featuring delicious meatballs. Originally a food truck, Balls & Glory now has popup shops throughout Belgium and it's no surprise why they've become such a huge hit - it's super easy, quick, healthy, and DELICIOUS!