5 reasons why Belgium should be your next destination

I have disappeared for a month now, and I am sorry about that: no excuses, just life being so hectic. If there is one thing that was memorable about April, it must be my week travel. With my husband, and ~~due~~ thanks to his work schedules, we plan our annual 'abroad' trip in April. We already tried it last year (Madrid and Barcelona) and liked it a lot.

We have chosen, as a young couple who can't afford very expensive vacations, to look at what Europe can offer (if you disagree with that choice check airplane tickets, huh). If like us, you like extensive walking trips, which also happen to include a total immesion in what the country/city has to offer (architecture, food, history, art, culture...), I am helping you out take the decision for your next travel: pick Belgium.

Let me tell you the drawback of traveling in April is that you encounter no sun in Europe. The sky above the Atomium is the proof

I have planned a lot of traveling in my life, for myself but also for relatives, and I am now known for making travel schedules, very exhausting (I understand you need vacation to relax and DO nothing, but that's not what we are talking about right now), but that could be entitled 'full discovery' which, in fact, is different from the 'average' tourist experience you may be accustomed to.

I can make a post to let you into the details of my week, if you want so please mention it in your comments. Now to keep it short, I'll just tell you I combined two countries (Belgium and Netherlands) and five cities (Brussels, Gent, Brugges, Antwerpen and Amsterdam) in one week (6 days/7 nights). This is tiring but I promise it is totally feasible and really worth the effort/time/money you'll invest in it.

If you are still hesitating, here are five reasons to beat your doubts and go to Belgium:

1- You can see a lot of the country in no time

Brussels, the vibrant capital is only thirty minutes from Gent, the stress free town and only an hour from Brugge, the Disney World city, and Antwerpen, the moden and emancipated diamond capital.. You can choose to make day trips or to spend a night at each city (like I did)

In Antwerpen, even the train station is a monument!

2- The architecture of the country is breathtaking

Once you visit one European country, no matter where you go, you find the view repetitive. Belgium is an exception to that rule. It does have some gothic churches, some old style castles, but everything in the country is harmonious. The walls, the doors, the buildings on rivers, nothing like Venezia but not less charming. We were fascinated by how big the cities managed to grow, without impacting the charm of the old towns, but rather emphasizing their heritage and valueing it.

Captured from the boat, Brugge can be a very colorful city...

3- No one cares about diet

That alone is your motivation to go to Belgium! (I know your are smiling to that thought) Everyone seems to have understood that life is too short to deprive oneself from little pleasure. Plus you'd be dumb to say no to delicious chocolate, yummy fries, and creamy waffles... It is a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by people from all backgrounds, speaking different languages, but who all agree that food is a belssing, that we should value and appreciate. It was totally worth breaking my 'SugarFree' challenge which I have stuck to for two months...

This is only one of the variations, you'll be impressed by the combinations, all so delicious!

4- Culture and art at its best

Belgium, yes that small country, carries a rich hisotry. The country was mainly impacted by its neighbors we know today. You'll love the museums, churches, castles and tourist tours. The advantage of it being of a small area is that it allows you to get into a totally different view after few kilometers, priceless!

I love castles, this one was beautiful. Definiltely go to Gant.

5- You will be surprized

When you make a city famous by a very small unsignificant statue like the mannekenpis, and at the same time impress people with an atomium a hundred meters tall, you are inviting visitors to understand that contrasts do exist in life and that, at the end of the day everything is relative.

The Mannkenpis sculpture, Brussels. I bet you would'nt notice it if it wasn't made that famous.

I have been to other countries in Southern Europe and I should confess Belgium is really not getting the advertising it deserves. Brugges is as beautiful as Venice, Antwerpen is as beautiful as Madrid. I have to confess that the highlight of this tour was Gent or Gand or I still don't know how to spell it.