From France to Belgium and the Netherlands- Travel Guide
As you can imagine, the week spoken about below was extremely busy so if you were wondering why I was absent on social media... this is the reason. I apologise for there not being a post last week but I needed a little break. Hope you understand. Comment down below where you plan to travel to next!
To get abroad, to begin with, we took the Eurotunnel which is affordable and way faster than any ferry which I think is just perfect. It goes straight from Folkestone to Calais which, from there you can drive to anywhere you want.
France
Instead of staying in Calais for the day, Dunkirk seemed an appropriate stop on the way where we could learn some more about the disasters that occurred on beaches and explore the area. The beaches on which once were a place of terror are now, incredibly beautiful. On the day we visited, there was an eerie light which made you feel as if the beach was stuck in the past, remembering the horrendous happenings. It was really quite odd and extremely moving.
Despite this factor, everyone seemed so happy, aerobics sessions were taking place on the beach- the classes full of people of all ages- people were sunbathing at 7 in the morning as well as strolling along the seafront. Considering the time of day, Dunkirk was surprisingly busy. As I said on my Instagram, you wouldn't believe it was only the other side of the English Channel.
You can't visit this place without heading to a museum so The Dunkirk War Museum seemed just the fit. It told the emotional story of The 1940 Operation Dynamo- the evacuation effort of Ally forces from the beaches to the safety of English shores: definitely worth a visit.
Belgium
Subsequent to our visit to Dunkirk, we took a journey up into Belgium and a bit further to Brugge. To my surprise, this didn't take as long as I expected, the hardest part was locating our Hotel, Martin's Brugge where we then stayed on for the rest of the evening and the next day. You couldn't expect more from a hotel so, thank you so much for our stay because there were no faults- it was ideal for what we needed especially as it was in the centre of the city.
Speaking of the city, it is beautiful. With its windmills and canals, it makes it quite similar to cities in the Netherlands but Brugge has its own vibes. French mixed with Dutch which, trust me, is a great blend. With plenty of places to walk, I haven't written a lot about places because we spent so much time exploring so I apologise if this section seems very food orientated.
Food
Obviously, Belgium is famous for its chocolate and waffles- that might be the main reason we went there 😂- so how could you avoid its incredible chocolate shops and chocolate museum. Inside the chocolate museum, you can find huge sculptures made out of chocolate, demonstrations, the history of chocolate and most importantly there is free chocolate so definitely head there if you're considering a trip to Brugge.
Now, onto waffles. A great place to purchase a waffle is Fred's - which I imagine is a chain. It sells tonnes of options from a Nutella waffle to a strawberry coulis with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Be sure to check this place out.
If you just want to pop in somewhere for a drink, Vero Cafe is perfect with great customer service and amazing food. I have to mention the interior of the building because it has an incredible style- very modern with loads of plants and cute outdoor seating areas.
For a quick meal, Casa Patata has some interesting foods which are really great to try if you need something quick to eat but also very delicious at the same time.
Things to Visit
Moving away from the subject of food, there are lots of platforms on the canals for people to go swimming off of which really are, pieces of art. Unfortunately, they were unusable this year because of high levels of toxic algae.
Near the centre of town, there is a huge whale made out of old plastic which looks as if it's rising out of the canal. Tonnes of people were admiring it as we walked past and we had to have a closer look. Brugge must have a few more sculptures like this so let me know if you know of any.
Holland
In the Netherlands, we were lucky enough to stay with some friends- thank you very much, you guys! Holland is famous for its bikes because everyone cycles and they have such good facilities for cycling, such as separate roads for bikes, underpasses bypassing the busy roads and their own traffic lights. Therefore, we did loads of cycling whilst we were there. There are bikes for nursery school teachers to put lots of children in the front, tandems, tricycles and many more variations of bike.
Amsterdam
For a day, Amsterdam seemed a perfect place to visit. There are loads of companies doing boat rides, with lots of places to go from and types of boat to ride. We chose an open top one which was a really good decision because I could take loads of photos. Queue gallery 😂!!!
A memorable place to visit is the Van Gough Museum which has many of his famous paintings and letters that he has written or has had written to him. We didn't visit the Anne Frank House but apparently, it is definitely one to do next time due to its emotional factor.
Last but not least the Heineken Experience. It includes a brief history of the company and then very quickly moves onto an exciting, modern twist which I will keep as a surprise so I won't ruin it for you. This is 100% somewhere you need to go when visiting Amsterdam.
Leiden
Whilst staying in Holland, we went to Leiden which is a cute little city with tonnes of things to do, for instance, going for trips inside windmills like the De Valk Windmill Museum and learning about the history of the city which I got well informed on by our friends- especially one of them 😉😀. The markets here are full of colour and situated around the canals and on bridges going over them so make sure you check out when they are. On the bridges were baskets full of beautifully coloured flowers which I couldn't resist taking tonnes of photos of.
That is it for today! I had to go through over 2000 photos to find the best one! I think this post might be the longest post I've ever written- I don't know, you tell me! Anyway, don't forget to look at my social medias, (Instagram @ellycuriouswords ; Twitter @ellycuriousword) linked below and hit that 'Follow' button. Comment down below where you plan to travel to next!
Stay tuned for more,
Elly😉
Stay tuned for more,
Elly😉
What an amazing travelogue - I really feel the need to revisit these places which have changed a lot since I was there nearly 60 years ago 😀
ReplyDeleteWow! I bet you'd love them!
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