Honeymoon Abroad 2/2: Bruges and Brussels, Belgium

For the second half of our honeymoon, we hopped on the Eurostar from London to Brussels, then took a train out to Bruges!

My number one favorite part of Belgium, from the second we arrived, was that it was so old. Coming from America, even our oldest landmarks are nowhere near as old as many of the homes and buildings in Europe. As soon as I arrived in Bruges, I felt like I was in a storybook.

Just for some background, Bruges is nicknamed ‘the Venice of the north’ because of their canals and waterways. It is also known for being a very, very romantic city. It’s very close to the border of Netherlands, and the languages we most frequently heard around the city were Flemish, French, and German. Of course, most people spoke English as well.

There were some really lovely boutiques and MANY chocolate shops around the city, and of course frites and waffle stands!

My favorite treat was the chocolate covered marshmallows available in some of the chocolate shops. Our favorite activity for our time there was most definitely wandering around and taking everything in, so it was extra lovely munching on a sweet snack along the way.

On those walks, the architecture was hands down my favorite part; everywhere we went had a constant flow of “Ooooh, look at that door! Check out the stonework on that wall! What a cute little alley, have you ever seen a cozier or more inviting alley?!”

It might sound silly, but I think about this door on the regular… the spiderweb-esque window above it, the doorknob in the middle, the starburst adornment… it may inspire future home decor.

The nightlife was pretty dang happening, too! For pretty much any restaurant, you need a reservation. Luckily we managed to snag one at a very cool live jazz club. After finishing dinner and a couple glasses of wine, we took a stroll around to check out what was happening and we passed by a whole strip of clubs near the city center.

Our time in Brussels was very limited compared to our time in Bruges. We were only there for a day and a half before flying back home the next day. Another beautiful city, though!

It was in Brussels that I found my favorite fries, or frites, at Frit Flagey; my favorite pizza at Pizzeria II Veliero, and my favorite waffles at The Sister Brussels Café.

Breakfast, lunch, and an awesome snack!