Bantog Backpackers

Friday, December 22, 2023

Bruges or Brugge in Dutch is a picturesque city in Flanders in Northwest Belgium. Brugge is famous for its chocolates, waffles, frites, cheese, beers, picturesque cobbled streets, amazing architecture, stunning castles, and the cute little smurfs.

Immediately after arriving in Brugge, we saw a shuttle bus that is offering a free ride every 20 minutes from the train station to the city center. It is more or less 1.5 kilometers in distance from the train station.

The best way to get around Brugge is on foot while biking is the second best. The city of Brugge is a small town where you can walk around easily.

Brugge is an hour and a half drive from Brussels and is listed as one of the UNESCO heritage. It is also one of Europe's best preserved cities. Once you set foot on Brugge, it won't take long to understand why it's well worth spending your day or two in this Flemish city.

Like most other historic cities in Europe, Brugge has its square. We sat in a while and listened to the band playing at that time.

My brother leads me to a chapel, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a 12th century Catholic church. The church houses the relic of the holy blood of Jesus Christ collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierre of Alsace in 1150.

Basilica of the Holy Blood consists of lower and upper chapels. Entrance here is free but the church only opens from 10 am to 1pm in the morning and 2pm to 5pm in the afternoon from Mondays to Saturdays.

Brugge that means "bridge" in old Dutch is a city with a number of canals. It is referred to as the "Venice of the North". The canal connects to the North Sea to the Belgian interior that also leads to other three canals and ends at the port of Zeebruge. The most beautiful canal in Brugge is the Groenerie.

the background is like a desktop screensaver from a computer

my smile speaks on how I love Brugge

Julia playing in a mini carnival at the square of Brugge

Definitely, Brugge is famous for its beers and one of the best thing to do in Brugge is to taste a lot of variety of beers. According to google the best beers are 'T Brugs Beerje, Cafe Roast Red, De Garre, The Bauhaus, De Halve Maan, 2Be Beer Wall, Duvelorium. Brugge has the best bars, breweries and restaurants.

My sister-in-law, Ayen, asked me with all the places I've been in my 21 days of staying in Europe, on what is my favorite place or who topped as the most impressive city. I said it was Brugge. My brother and Ayen toured us in Belgium (Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Brugge), Luxembourg, Switzerland (Lucerne, Rheinfall), France (Paris), Netherlands, Germany. You have to see Brugge on why I did declare that it is on top of the places that I've been. Brugge is a place that lives and breathes history, both magical and genuine. It is like stepping into a fairytale, a nice and dreamlike location to visit.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Brussels in Belgium is the first place in Europe i set my foot on. I was so excited before this trip because I just tried our luck to pass and be granted a Schengen visa.

Belgium is officially known as the Kingdom of Belgium. The Royale Palace in the first picture is home to the King and Queen of the Belgians, in the center of the nation's capital, Brussels.

The first on the list of places to visit in in Belgium is "The Atomium" in Brussels built by Engineer Andre Waterkeyn, Architects Andre and Jean Polak. It was built for the 1958 Brussel's World Fair. The Atomium is meant to be showcased for just six months, however, after six decades it is standing still for the reason that it attracts visitors and it one of the main attractions in Brussels.

The Atomium stands at 102 meters and one of the tallest structures in Belgium. Its spheres have a diameter of 18 meters, six of them can be explored. The structure is located at PI de I'Atomium 1, 1020 Brussels, Belgium.

Inside the Atomium is a Science center and museum. You'll find here educational exhibits, a restaurant, souvenir shop, and a viewpoint with panoramic view of Brussels.

After visiting "The Atomium", my brother leads us to Mont des Arts. It was built in 1910 for the Universal Exhibition. It is an urban complex that consists of the Royal Library of Belgium, The National Archives of Belgium, The Square, the equestrian statue of Albert I and the public garden.

Mont des Arts

It is also in Brussels where you'll find the best shops for Belgian waffles. Look for Maison Dandoy (Galeries), Le Funambule, Waffle Factory, Los Churros and Waffles, Belgaufra, Gaufre de Bruxelles, and Galet.

mouth-watering Belgian waffles

Mannequin Pis is one of the best symbols for Brussels. The statue which depicts a boy urinating into a fountain of water was in Brussels since 1618. One of the tales of the Mannequin Pis is a boy who saved Brussels from fire by peeing to the fuse of an explosive.

ganyan lang sya kaliit!

Mannequin Pis in Brussels

We also went to this very touristic location - The Grand Place or Grote Markt. It is Brussel's central square. The Grand Place is well known for its decorative and aesthetic wealth. It is surrounded by baroque guild houses, the city hall and the Maison du Roi.

in front of the Royale Palace

the Royale Palace

Unknown to many, Belgium is a hereditary parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by a King. The duties of the king are laid out by the Belgian Constitution. King Philippe or Filip is the King of the Belgians and his official palace is the Grand Royale Palace. King Philippe is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paula. He succeeded his father in June 2013. He is married to Queen Mathilde d' Udekem d'Acoz in 1999. They have four children.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Gruezi!

Switzerland is a destination that many people fantasize about visiting. It is my impossible dream to visit Switzerland at least once in my lifetime and I got the privilege to experience Schweiz for two days!

Switzerland is famous for its mountains, chocolates, cheese, and wines. It boasts over 1500 lakes, high mountains where its peaks are mostly covered with snow.

Switzerland is bordered by Germany to the north, Austria to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is also home to Red Cross and headquarters of famous institutions like World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, International Labor Organization, FIFA in Zurich and United Nations.

Switzerland is located in Central Europe. Its capital is Bern and the largest city is Zurich. The prominent language is German or Deutsch.

Luzern or Lucerne is our destination for this day and it is located in the very heart of Switzerland and sits at the shores of Lake Lucerne.

Chapel Bridge at night

wearing my borrowed furcoat from my sister in-law, Ayen

Lucerne at night

The next day, after eating our baon na breakfast, we immediately proceeded to the Town Hall Clock Tower. The clock tower was an element of the fortification of Lucerne, built between 14th and 16th century.

This is the magnificent view from the town hall clock tower.

tasted the potable flowing water in Lucerne

Tito Raymond and Julia

inside the Chapel Bridge

At our back is the famous Chapel Bridge. Built initially as a way to link the Old Town on the North Bank to the New Town located at the South Bank. It is also Luzern's famous landmark and Europe's oldest covered bridge and world's oldest truss bridge.