Doug and Kerry Hudson in Belgium

Our adventure in Europe began in Belgium. We crossed by Seacat from Dover to Calais on a Thursday in early July 2002. As the ferry moved away from Dover, we couldn't help but be reminded of the Australian man we had met in Utah.

We had chosen Bruges to be our first destination, and received a two-night hotel stay there included in the price of our ferry tickets, booked through Drive Alive Motoring. We drove up through north France into Belgium. This was really exciting for Kerry, as it meant two new countries in a single day!

We found Bruges to be really pretty. There were lots of narrow cobble streets with horse-drawn carriages clopping along, and very old architecture. Kerry liked everything about it, while Doug particularly enjoyed the chocolate and beer. We visited the Straffe-Hendrik brewery, which included a free drink in the price. Certain French people on the tour asked for a coffee, shameful behaviour in our opinion, given where we were!

We moved on to Ghent after a couple of days. If we were to describe this city in one word, it would probably be "Gothic". Everywhere we looked there was Gothic architecture. The cathedral and castle Gravensteen were particularly fine examples. We found driving there a nightmare however, as the tiny streets were so twisty and badly signposted.

On our final day we took the train to Brussels. We found it surprisingly cultured given our expectations of glass and chrome office buildings. The Grand Place was very pretty with superb buildings at every turn. We also saw the Mannekin Pis, the statue of the little boy weeing. How charming! We spent hours walking around the Museum of Fine Arts; the paintings ranged from 400 year old Bruegels to 20th century modern art: an interesting variety. We both enjoyed the Magritte; Doug also really liked the Bruegels. We thoroughly enjoyed the city and the culture evident in the buildings.

Our first impressions of Europe had not disappointed us. However, we felt they should really do more for non-smokers! We somehow managed to drive the car out of Belgium intact, and left for the Netherlands.

World Trip >> Europe >> Belgium

Last updated: Sunday August 27, 2006