Belgium and the Netherlands: water landscapes

Gaasbeek Castle and Brussels

We decide to immediately visit the castle of Gaasbeek, located just outside Brussels, with furnished rooms.

Our green Touring guide also recommends a visit to the castle of Beersel, but it's really a ruin: forget the Touring guide and follow the advice of the Mondadori Guide. It's much more reliable!

We then head to the center of Brussels and park the car in the covered parking lot indicated by the hotel and walk to the Hotel Mozart.

The hotel is quite distinctive, furnished with a particular taste and above all located right in the center, a few meters from the Grand Place.

So we immediately begin, in the afternoon, the visit of the center of Brussels:

- the beautiful Grand Place, one of the most beautiful squares in Europe with its ancient buildings and in particular with the Hotel De Ville;

- the Galeries St. Hubert: elegant covered galleries in Art Nouveau style with many elegant shops;

- the small statue of Manneken Pis, symbol of the city;

- the Rue de Bouchers: a particular street packed with restaurants;

- the Cathedrale Sts. Michel et Gudule with beautiful stained glass windows and a baroque pulpit.

We also scour the beautiful shops of Brussels, in particular the numerous Chocolateries, where you can buy chocolate pralines in the most varied flavors.

We also point out the sweets shop "La cure gourmande", very beautiful aesthetically, with candies and artisanal sweets of every kind.

We also take a stop at one of the most famous pubs in the city, "A la mort subite", with a wide selection of Trappist beers.

We have dinner at an outdoor restaurant on the Grand Place, tasting the city's typical dish: mussels (Moules in French) in all their variations. I particularly point out the moules gratinées (baked mussels): very special

Brussels. second day

After a breakfast reduced to the bare minimum provided by our hotel, we go to explore the outlying neighborhoods of Brussels.

So it's essential to take the metro. We thus discover that you can save considerably by buying a daily group ticket. With that single ticket you can travel all day, up to a maximum of 5 people.

We reach the Atomium, another symbol of Brussels. However, the city's museums all open very late in the morning (around 11). So we have to settle for observing it from the outside; among other things we discover that it has just been restored, so the "balls" are nice and shiny.

Next, by metro we go to the Palais Royal: beautiful interiors and then we discover with pleasure that the visit is free.

We then go to visit another building to which our guide devotes ample space (perhaps too much): the Musée Horta, home of the architect who was the father of Art Nouveau (Liberty style).

However, the house turns out to be a disappointment, besides the rather expensive ticket price and the difficulty of finding the address: skip it.

We also pass by the large Parc du Cinquantenaire, but this area also leaves us puzzled.

We then return to the beautiful Grand Place where we discover with pleasure that, despite the rain, they are setting up the traditional flower carpet, which covers the entire square.

In the evening, when the carpet is completed and skillfully illuminated, the sight is incredible. We were very lucky to happen by chance on exactly the day of the year reserved for this initiative!

We have a fish-based dinner on the aforementioned Rue de Bouchers, having fun choosing the restaurant we like most: there's nothing but an embarrassment of choice and the zealous waiters compete to win over customers. In any case, the fish here is really fresh!

Right after dinner, a nice dessert is in order. The typical desserts of Belgium are the Gaufres (gridded waffles filled with whatever you want).

We discover, after several tastings, that the best Gaufres are those made by a little shop at the entrance of the Galerie St. Hubert (perhaps the name of the kiosk is Papillon), where the waffles are made right before your eyes on the spot (while the others just limit themselves to heating up the ones made earlier).

To complete the evening, a stop at Caffè Le Cirio, with particular furnishings, just like an "old café".

Beloeil, Tournai, Gent

We leave Brussels and head to Beloeil to visit the castle.

Unfortunately we discover that it is closed for a cultural event, so we only visit the exteriors: beautiful. The castle is completely surrounded by large expanses of water. Who knows what the interiors were like?

After a brief stop in the town of Tournai, we head to Ghent where we will spend the night.

Our hotel, Hotel Den Yzer, although conveniently located, near a covered parking lot and just outside the pedestrian center, turns out to be rather "spartan". But we make do, after all we only have to stay there one night (though on the website it looked better!).

At this hotel, as in many others later on, they make us settle the bill immediately upon our arrival. Perhaps they fear that, after seeing the rooms, we'll change our minds and run away!!!!

If you want to stay in a nice hotel in Ghent, then go to the Hotel Gravensteen, in a splendid location.

Ghent is a cute little town, with the center crisscrossed by canals. However, we find it a bit decadent and slightly neglected.

We climb to the top of the Belfort and then visit the castle Het Gravensteen. The latter, more than a castle, is a fortress, so the interiors are completely bare. Consequently, we recommend only an external visit.

In the afternoon we take a tourist boat ride on the canals.

In the evening we have dinner at a Pizza Hut (not bad at all) and then drink a coffee at the most panoramic point of the city: the Graslei, a point along the canals where the most beautiful buildings are found as well as the most photographed spot in the city.

Rumbeke Castle - Bruges

We hope it doesn't rain today! We have to go to Bruges: the most beautiful stop of our trip! It can't rain! How are we supposed to admire the beautiful canals?

First, though, we make a stop at the castle of Rumbeke.

The castle has fairly pleasant exteriors but the interiors are nonexistent.

However, the guided tour is extremely long and extremely boring. The zealous guide on duty rambles for about 1 hour describing "absolute nothingness". Skip it.

And instead it rains almost all afternoon... what a pain! So we can admire Bruges in all its splendor only in the evening, when the weather finally clears up.

Even with the rain Bruges is beautiful. Every corner deserves to be photographed.

We visit the beautiful squares: the Markt, the Burg and the hotel de Ville (or Stadthuis if you prefer).

We walk along the streets of the Begijnhof, with many little shops and lots and lots of tourists.

In a break from the rain, we get on the boats that do the traditional canal tour. We manage to complete almost the entire tour before it starts raining again.

Our hotel, Anselmus, is nice and well-kept. However, although it is a stone's throw from the center, it is not located in a panoramic position on the canals (as I would have wanted).

However, if you want to stay in truly charming hotels, I recommend the Hotel Duc de Bourgogne or the hotel Bourgoensch Hof. The prices are not excessive, just slightly higher than our hotel.

We have dinner outdoors, in a restaurant with a view right onto the aforementioned hotels. I taste another typical dish: Carbonade flamande (a kind of stew). Good but small portions!

After dinner, coffee in an outdoor bar in the Begijnhof with good live music and then time dedicated to nighttime photos.

The Hague - Haarlem

Just for a change, it's raining!

But today it's raining really hard and shows no sign of stopping.

We leave Bruges and leave Belgium and head to Holland.

First stop in The Hague. But it's raining too hard to appreciate the place and besides, the city, although it's the capital, isn't very interesting.

So we go to HAARLEM, where we will spend the night.

Haarlem disappoints us a bit, perhaps because it's still raining.

The main attraction of the city seems to be the white drawbridge (but later in Amsterdam we'll find many more).

Our Hotel, Hotel Amadeus, also very spartan, is located right on the main square of the city.

Unfortunately we can't visit the church, Grote Kerk, due to the absurd opening hours of the monument (closing at 4 PM). However, the peculiarity of the church is the so-called "shops" leaning against the walls of the building, now converted into real shops, whose rents in the past served to support the church itself economically.

We have dinner in an Italian restaurant. In Holland you don't eat as well as in Belgium, there is no typical Dutch cuisine but there are nevertheless plenty of foreign restaurants.

Alkmaar, Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Edam

We leave early for Alkmaar, a nice town north of Holland, famous for its cheese market. So we visit the streets of the still-sleeping center since it's still quite early.

Then we go to Hoorn, another cute village with a nice little harbor, and then we also stop at Enkhuizen, another village even more beautiful than Hoorn.

We also find by chance a brochure of a lovely castle on the water, a short distance from Enkhuizen. We go there but unfortunately it's the closing day. However, the exterior is truly pleasant and we take a few photos.

We also discover, a short distance away, another lovely village, MEDEMBLIK, which houses a small but scenic castle: RABDOUB castle.

Unfortunately we happen upon the castle's weekly closing day, but in any case we manage to admire the exteriors well and take several photos.

Then we go to Edam, where we will stop for the night.

Edam is a rather small village but equally beautiful.

Since I (Daniela) have already been to Holland and already been to Edam, I wanted to return and stay overnight right here. The village is very cute with its tiny little canals, flowered little houses, little bridges, etc. etc.

The road that leads us to Edam and the surroundings are also very scenic.

In the town there are very few hotels (perhaps only 3) and luckily we booked at the most central hotel, the Dam Hotel Edam, with a view of the canal and themed rooms.

We get the Rembrandt room, dark and gloomy like a Rembrandt painting and quite monumental, complete with black walls and curtains.

Anyway, the rooms are all different. Who knows which one you'll get?

In the town there are also very few restaurants, among them the restaurant of our hotel (rather expensive as a restaurant, as a hotel instead the price is normal).

We decide to have dinner at a diner, a bit shabby, run by an Egyptian.

However, the food is good and we spend very little.

VOLENDAM - MARKEN - ZAANSE SCHANS - AMSTERDAM

This morning the program includes:

- stop at Volendam: a cute and touristy town with lots of souvenir shops. The interesting area is the one facing the harbor.

- stop at Marken: old fishing village with many little wooden houses in green and black that overlook the lovely harbor. The village is tiny and the visit requires little time. However, a stop here is indispensable.

- stop at Zaanse Schans, a place where there are some windmills, fully visitable.

The place, although very pretty, is very touristy. It's a fixed stop for organized tours and in any case offers a complete slice of Holland: windmills, wooden clogs, cheeses, etc. etc. Not to be missed.

We then arrive in the center of Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, the parking problem immediately arises and we immediately understand that the further we go into the central area with the car, the more the prices of covered parking lots increase.

However, our hotel is right in the center, located on the Singel canal, and we absolutely cannot park too far in the outskirts. How are we supposed to drag our suitcases?

So we park in a parking garage near Leidse Plain. Parking cost per day: EURO 36.00 (and we have to stay there 2 days!).

Oh well: we'll save on food and on entrance fees to monuments.

I, Daniela, have already been to Amsterdam, so I know exactly what is worth visiting or not.

Since it's already late afternoon, we visit the city center roughly, postponing the detailed visit to the next day.

However, for a complete overview of the city, it's advisable to immediately do the usual boat tour of the canals. And so we do.

The more romantic ones can also do the nighttime canal cruise, passing under the illuminated bridges.

We are too tired to look for a decent restaurant (and in Amsterdam it's really difficult). So we have dinner at an Italian restaurant near the hotel.

When darkness falls, we take nighttime photos of the famous white bridge, the Magere Brug, which is well illuminated in the evening.

The Amsterdam hotel, hotel Agora, is a very expensive 2-star (EURO 126.00 per room per night). But everything is terribly expensive in Amsterdam!

We, who have traveled quite a bit, consider it one of the most expensive cities in Europe (on par with London and more expensive than Paris).

Also be careful of the many "thugs" that crowd the city.

If you can, stay away from the area between the central station and Dam Square.

This is the most at-risk zone (last time my wallet was stolen).

Amsterdam

Today is the day dedicated to visiting the Museums.

Unfortunately, however, as always in these parts, the museums always open late (but before 10 and often from 11 onwards). And to think that the morning has gold in its mouth!

So we first visit the flower market (which opens early).

We then wait for the opening of the Willet Holthuysen house, a beautiful private residence with original period furnishings, and then the similar Van Loon Huis Museum (also with impressive furnishings and objects).

Curiosity also drives us to visit a House Boat Museum. It's interesting to discover how people live on one of those picturesque houseboats located on the canals of Amsterdam.

We also visit the Magna Plaza shopping center, more attracted by the majestic architecture than by the rest, and then the visit to the Rijksmuseum, the main city museum where the famous Rembrandt painting "The Night Watch" is located.

In the evening we decide to have dinner at the floating Chinese restaurant "The sea palace". A truly gigantic floating pagoda, skillfully furnished. Average prices and decidedly higher than any Chinese restaurant.

Near the Chinese restaurant, in the station area, there is also a particular floating hotel, the Botel. Maybe, if you want to stay in a hotel different from the usual and at fairly cheap prices, this could be the right solution.

If we had known, we would have booked here.

MUIDEN - DEN HAAR CASTLE - ANTWERP

We leave Amsterdam and head to Muiden for the external visit of the Muiderslot castle.

The castle is quite scenic, surrounded by water.

The interiors, however, are not very interesting.

However, near Utrecht, there is a truly fantastic castle that deserves every kind of detour: the Den Haar castle. Word of experts who have visited many castles!

The exteriors are as scenic as can be! The park takes your breath away, with a large moat and waterways. We find as many as 3 brides having their photo shoots done.

The interiors, at least those included in the guided tour, are crazy!

Unfortunately, although the castle is immense, only a small number of rooms are visited.

But it's truly worth it!

Tonight we will stay overnight in Antwerp, so we return to Belgium.

Antwerp also turns out to be a pleasant city.

We visit everything only from the outside though, since we arrive in the late afternoon.

And besides, there are no important museums to visit.

There are the diamond museums, but we're not interested in the item.

There's the cathedral.

There's the long walk along the river.

There are two lovely squares: the Grote Markt (translate as Grand Square) and the Groenplaats.

The center is then crowded with many restaurants with outdoor tables, many of them Italian.

We choose one and have dinner.

Our Hotel, Cammerpoorte, although rather modern and unattractive on the outside, nevertheless turns out to be very convenient, cheap and with absolutely the best breakfast of our trip.

At the reception there's a kind jack-of-all-trades guy.

The hotel has its own private covered parking and is a few steps from the pedestrian island.

MECHELEN - LIER - MAASTRICHT

In the morning, we leave the hotel and visit a couple of towns in Belgium: Lier and Mechelen.

In both cases they are lovely and colorful towns in Belgium. In particular in Lier we visit the church of St. Gummaruskerk, with the most beautiful polychrome stained glass windows in Belgium.

We also head back to Holland for our last night of the trip and reach Maastricht.

We reach our Hotel with great difficulty, due to the access restrictions for pedestrian zones.

However, after about 30 minutes of driving around the city and various frustrations, we manage to reach by car the shabbiest hotel of our trip: Hotel La Colombe.

From the outside it doesn't seem bad but the interiors are truly pitiful and everything is geared toward saving money.

Example: already-opened shampoo packet in the bathroom; EURO 10.00 deposit to get the remote control, etc. etc.

Oh well: of course for the last night we had to end up in a place this ugly.

The city of Maastricht, known in the news for the famous treaty, isn't bad.

Of course there aren't that many monuments to visit.

In any case the center is very lively and pleasant. Large pedestrian zones, many shops.

The thing that strikes us most and that we like most is the "Bishop's Mill". It's a lovely water mill completely functioning, used by a bakery, BISHOP'S MILL, with an attached small museum and with the possibility of buying and tasting in their tea room the sweet and savory products of the bakery.

So we buy two big slices of apple pie.

We have dinner outdoors in a large square with many restaurants, one attached to the other.

Hoensbroek Castle, Leuven, Brussels airport and back

It's our last day.

However, we have several hours available before we have to head to the airport.

So we visit a castle, more beautiful on the outside than the inside (HOENSBROEK castle, about 30 km from Maastricht) and then the town of Leuven.

Leuven is a university city, usually teeming with young people, but at this time of year rather quiet. We visit the Groot Begijnhof (not very interesting and rather far from the centre), the church of Sint Pieter and the town hall (Stadthuis), with its richly decorated Gothic facade. We also visit the building inside, even though the guide is rather boring and long-winded.

We quickly leave Leuven and head for Brussels airport, which we reach in next to no time.

Brussels airport is very nice, quiet and tidy. That's why we chose it as the starting and ending point of our tour.

The wait for the flight (always perfectly on time) was easily whiled away by browsing the delightful airport shops.

We buy chocolate pralines to take back to Italy.

Speaking of chocolate pralines: always buy the loose ones from a chocolatier rather than the packaged ones. That way you can choose the ones with the ingredients you like best, and it will also cost less than the assorted packaged ones!

In conclusion: Belgium and the Netherlands, although so close, are completely different.

Belgium is tidier, more liveable and more elegant. Perhaps closer to us Italians' culture.

The Netherlands is more full of character and very scenic. However, the Dutch aren't the friendliest, and all those bicycles are a real nuisance to both cars and pedestrians.

COSTS:

Round-trip flight with Virgin Express from Bergamo to Brussels and back: EUR 100.00 per person

National car rental for 11 days: about EUR 300.00

Average cost per night in a 2/3-star hotel: EUR 100.00 per room, breakfast included

Cost of 24-hour parking in a multi-storey car park: EUR 15.00 per day (Amsterdam EUR 36.00)

Average cost of a (light) dinner for 2 at a restaurant: EUR 40.00 in total for 2 people

Average cost of museum admission: EUR 6.00 per person

Dani and Max