What To Do In Belgium Featuring Links of London

I recently went on a little trip to Belgium for a long weekend. Belgium has never been a place that’s been really on my bucket list of places to visit, it was just a random trip I decided to take to visit my sister who was working in there at the time. I hadn’t made any plans or anything as it was a last min decision. As are most of my travel destinations these days because travelling around Europe from London is just so cheap! So I was just planning on just showing up and seeing what happens. However, what I did know was that Belgium was known for their beer, waffles and chocolate so I knew I was going to like it. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few cool places that I stumbled across on my travels!

Bruges

First, I arrived in Bruges. It was so stunning to walk through… even humphing about my backpack and suitcase on my own, I just kept stopping to stare at the beautiful buildings at every corner. The cobbled walkways and beautiful canals – it reminded me of Amsterdam slightly but with its own unique twist. A really beautiful place to walk around in and explore and even better for photos.

Everywhere I walked by was just so photogenic!! FYI perfect if you’re a blogger! One guy actually stopped me mid-photo and asked: “Why do you keep taking so many photos?” Haha! It was funny, funny yet awkward. I always attract the weirdest people, not going to lie. Every time I am travelling on my own, I get asked the weirdest questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, did you notice my bracelet? I have a new staple rose gold Links of London bracelet that I am obsessed with. It is from Links of London* engraving range. You might have seen me talking about it on my Instagram. Long story short, the past year has been tough for me, but I have come through the other side stronger for it. I tried out the Links of London engraving service to make this bracelet meaningful to me by having the quote by Julius  Caesar “venividivici” engraved onto the bracelet in a beautiful handwritten font, which translates to “I came, I saw, I conquered”. It’s such an empowering quote to remind me of how far I have come which is always good to have as a reminder on my travels. You can check out the full engraving range here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know I’m a laptop lifestyle gal, I love my coffee shops. I’m always working in a coffee shop somewhere in the world and I love when you just find a really chilled place to sit and relax. I came across Central Park 27 which was a coffee shop/bar on a really cool street within Bruges. So if you’re looking for a place to get a few drinks – it’s a great place to have a scroll down there looked like there were some really great bars to choose from!

Ostende

I then travelled to Ostend which is on the Belgian coast, it’s also known as ‘The Queen City of the Coast’ because the king had a home here.  It was ENTIRELY different from Bruges even though it was only a 30 min train journey! It has over five and a half miles of beautiful sandy beaches.

July was definitely the best time to visit here as the temperatures were as high as 30 degrees so you could actually spend the day on the beach to sunbathe and dip into the North Sea. I had a good walk around the area. If you are near the main area beside Kursaal Oostende Theatre this is where the majority of bars and restaurants are and it is usually packed with tourists. A little tip… if you continue walking up you will come across empty sand beaches if you are looking to just relax without the whole tourist vibe.

Ghent

My sister and I then took a trip to Ghent which was gorgeous. A great way to explore Ghent is to jump on a canal boat for a trip to learn about the history. We obviously had to hop into the main waffle shop on the square and grab some waffles with Nutella! It has a great shopping area too. We were hoping to make it to the Friday markets but we just missed them as they close at 12 pm.

Langemunt and Veldstraat are the most popular shopping areas. We came across a cute little concept store called Bookz and Booze which promises to match a bottle to a book you love! I really liked the idea, it was really quirky and fun. We didn’t have much time to do many activities other than the boat trip but I know if you were to plan in advance there is lot’s that you could done here in July!

Have you visited Belgium? What were your favourite things to do… share in the comments!

 

SHOP MY FAVES



*this post was sponsored by Links of London. As always, all my thoughts and opinion are my own.

 

  • ief August 13, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    Thank you, Kumba, for liking my store 🙂