Belgium & Amsterdam!

The end of my eurotrip is upon me as I wait at the airport for my flight back to Ireland. I spent the last few days in Bruges, Belgium and Amsterdam, Holland. As always, it was a never ending adventure. I mentioned in my last post that getting to Bruges wasn’t the easiest journey. Delayed trains lead to missed trains so my plan of arriving in Bruges around 2pm didn’t happen. I got in around 8pm, dropped off my backpack and went straight to the Bruges Christmas Market! Most European cities have “Christmas Markets” from the end of November until Christmas time. It’s basically just a little holiday festival – ice skating, music, vendors, traditional food, mulled wine and LOTS of Christmas stuff! I missed the markets in the other countries that I’ve visited so I was happy to see this one.

After wandering around for a couple of hours I made my way back to the hostel pub and tried my first Belgian beer. If you aren’t aware, Belgium is known for their beer selection. Some of the pubs have over 2,000 choices! There were far too many for me to choose from so the bartender helped me pick one. I took a seat next to two German guys that ended up being my buddies for the night and following day. Their names are Chris and Jan (pronounced “Yon”).

Chris just finished his master’s thesis so they decided to take a road trip to celebrate. In a short time we got to know each other well and they invited me on their day trip to Gent, Belgium. So the next morning I rolled out of bed extra early to get my laundry done (I had no clothes left. Literally, none. You should have seen the outfit I came up with to wear to the laundry mat!) and then we crammed into the Minicooper for our little road trip. Gent is a small city about 40 minutes from Bruges. Like Bruges, it was very old and clean. In both cities there are no stop signs or street lights. The cars, trams, cyclists and pedestrians all work together to make sure there are no accidents. It is important to be cautious though!

I really loved the old architecture. Many of the churches and buildings looked like they hadn’t been touched in centuries. We wandered around the city for a while, relaxed in the coffee shop for an hour and then went on a mission to find traditional Belgian fries, which is one of the most traditional dishes in Belgium.

They were delicious if you were wondering =) After a nice day with Chris and Yon they dropped me off at the train station. I was very thankful to have met both of these guys. It’s always nice to meet and get to know down-to-earth people on the road. Casual conversation with strangers is enjoyable but meeting people that you actually connect with is much different. So, thank you Chris and Yon!

Three train rides later I made it to Amsterdam. I know that Amsterdam has a reputation – prostitutes and pot. Just like every city in the entire world, there are good and bad aspects and I hope that no one is naïve enough to think that the only thing that exists is Amsterdam is drugs and hookers. Amsterdam is a city that is rich with history, delicious food and beautiful scenery. It was in Amsterdam where Anne Frank hid from the Nazis in an attic for three years with her family and where many Dutch residents lost their lives in attempt to defend the Jews. It is a city filled with beautiful canals, 1000’s of cyclists and the best pancakes in Holland!

Some people say that Amsterdam is not a safe place and I beg to differ. It is not any less safe than Syracuse or Albany, the cities where I am from. The infamous Red Light District is home to “coffee shops” and prostitutes but this district is part of the city just like Times Square is part of New York City. As I walked around the district there were people on their way to work, shopping or sitting on a bench enjoying the view (of the canals!). I will say that it was definitely an odd feeling to have women dancing in windows and hearing church bells ring at the same time. But this is just one of the many beauties of traveling – every place you go is different.

After a night out with two Mexican girls that I met at my hostel and then a full day of strolling the streets of Amsterdam, I found myself in bed around 9pm last night (I know, shame on me…). I was originally planning on staying in Dublin for the next two nights until my flight leaves on Monday to come home but I can’t stand the thought of being in Ireland and not seeing my Irish family. So I am flying to Dublin and catching a bus to go visit them. I don’t think there is a better way to end my trip =)