Bruges, Ghent, Amsterdam, and The Hague! Adventures with Uncle Mark (Part 2)
The adventure with Mark continues! If you missed Part 1 where we went to Mons, Brussels, Waterloo, Hallerbos, and Ypres you can read it here.
We LOVE Mark, and were so grateful he came to visit us here in Belgium. The boys absolutely loved every single second with their Uncle Mark. Playing outside, legos, and piled on the couch with a game were all regular sites when we weren’t exploring Europe.
~~~ Bruges ~~~
Finally! We made it to Bruges! It’s been on our list since before we came to Belgium. Why did it take us so long to go here? I don’t know, but it was BEAUTIFUL and awesome.
We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant (thanks for the recommendation Steve!) which had fantastic burgers. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good burger!
This city is so beautiful. There are waterways everywhere, beautiful buildings, and a fun vibe!
Cute shops and a statue of Simon! Well.. not my Simon.. but “A” Simon..
A stop for ice cream and a speculoos waffle in the main square 🙂
~~~ Ghent, Belgium ~~~
Ghent was one of the first places we visited in Belgium when we first arrived. We also got our first traffic violation there…. so we were determined to go back and see the Medieval castle without driving on pedestrian-only roads! Nick left for the states to his sister, Natalie’s, wedding so Mark and I braved the rest of our adventures together 🙂
We found many fun distractions along our way to the castle! First stop, random bubble maker person.
Next we found an overpriced ride! They are very common in European city centers but mom is a pushover. Fun!
Only in Europe do they have a separate parking garage for the bicyclists! I love the cyclist and pedestrian vibe here!
Eventually, we made it to the castle, and it was awesome! Unfortunately, the torture room had been moved.. which was a huge bummer. But we wandered around the castle full of spiral staircases, toilets into the moat, and a great view from the top!
We’ve always wanted to stop and try the famous Ghent Nose candies, and they were sweet, sugary, and delicious!
~~~ Amsterdam ~~~
It’s only about a 3 hour drive to Amsterdam so we couldn’t pass that up! I’ve never been, so it was definitely an interesting experience and next time I’ll plan better. I didn’t realize how BIG Amsterdam is and we only saw a very small part. Worth another visit for sure!
We did stop by the Body Worlds exhibit! It was smaller than the large one that tours around the world, but still very cool!
We stayed at our FAVORITE AirBNB in Amsterdam! We stay at the same place every time we come up to visit the LDS Temple there. If you’ve never checked out AirBNB, click this (affiliate) link here for a discount! We always stay in AirBNBs all over Europe and love it. Cheaper than a hotel and it’s fun to meet the locals.
~~~ The Hague ~~~
We were SO close to the ocean, it seemed a waste not to stop by! It was quite windy and a little chilly, but worth it. We’ll definitely head back here on a sunny day and enjoy the sand and sunshine. There was a long boardwalk with a beautiful view and ferris wheel.
Up Next…
While we were up in Holland, we happened to be there in PERFECT timing to see the Tulips of Holland! The flowers of Keukenhof deserve their very own post so you can find PART 3 of our adventure here!
Here’s a sneak peak!
