It was once again time for a city visit. The Belgian coast isn't very long, so we would probably only make one stop in the land of Hercules Poirot, waffles, chocolate, and fries. Thus, we visited the medieval city of Bruges.

The city was known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for this. We hardly needed to put our phones down to take pictures, as there was a photo opportunity at every turn. The Belfry, the Church of Our Lady, Sint-Janshospitaal, the old fish market with its colonnade, the Historium at the marketplace, …

During our canal boat tour, it became clear that here in little Belgium, all the languages of the neighboring countries were spoken. In addition to the two official languages, Dutch and French, English was, of course, spoken, and surely the boatman could have translated into German, Belgium's third official language.

Throughout the day, we treated ourselves to fries, pralines, and waffles.

When we returned to our parking spot in a suburb of Bruges later in the afternoon, we indulged in something sweet and coffee at the local Lunch Garden. As breakfast was also offered here starting at 8:30 AM, the thought quickly arose to start the next day right at this spot with a croissant, coffee, and fast Wi-Fi.

The last day was amazing. We started it in the Belgian countryside after a long and quiet night, punctuated by a brief visit from a mosquito, a brief visit that ended with a bloody spot. We took advantage of the local breakfast table one last time. While packing the car, we discovered an unpleasant fact: each of us had bought a freshly made, smelly wooden clog in the Netherlands, but after a night of airing it out to get rid of the smell, one clog disappeared. Not even a deep search helped; without the clog, we continued towards Ghent.

Here, under Hanz's guidance, we began a walk through the historic center.

The walk was soon interrupted by a biological need. Hanz, being an almost-biology-major, understood. We visited a local café, which offered specialty coffee along with two restrooms. I personally prepared a three-day punishment for them, as I often felt the need after visiting the kebab place in Amsterdam, and a piece of black coal had stopped that urge for three days; don’t try this at home. The other half had eaten a mayonnaise-covered toast the previous day that had survived a week in the Czech Republic. So, the café got a load; we won 7:0.

We then continued to visit historical landmarks, visiting two local cathedrals, seeing a stolen dragon, and strolling along the waterfront. We ended our journey in Ghent with a unique Czech product: a ]]>https://vakantio.de/en/blog/trip-to-balkan/7-den-trip-to-beneluxhttps://vakantio.de/en/blog/trip-to-balkan/7-den-trip-to-beneluxThu, 09 Jul 2026 17:54:00 GMT50.847702899999994.357200100000001In the morning, we were welcomed at Bivakzone on the outskirts of the Belgian town of Eeklo, one of the places in this country where camping in nature is allowed legally. Some of us went to check the quality of the sanitary facilities at a nearby cemetery first. Once we regrouped, everyone prepared their own breakfast. Then it was just a matter of packing our things into the car and heading towards Bruges.

Our first steps in this beautiful city led us to a historic church, from where we went straight to a café. Here, it was impossible to resist the famous waffles with rich chocolate. We then enjoyed a walk along the streets lined with waterways, which instantly reminded us of Venice. After visiting another sacred monument, we stopped by a local brewery, where we tasted a local special and learned interesting facts about its brewing history. Finally, we returned to the car, which fortunately was waiting for us hidden in the cool of the underground garage, and we set off towards French Dunkirk.

After arriving, we immediately collapsed on the beach. While the first group watched our things, the second jumped straight into the waves. To satisfy our hunger, we had a quick snack of Dutch garlic cheese. When we later tried to wash off the sea salt, we unfortunately found only a non-functional shower. Thus, we had to drive to the nearby village of Leffrinckoucke, where we finally had some luck. Refreshed, we set off towards Lille, although our journey was somewhat spiced up by an unnamed crew member who had the urgent urge to fill the entire car with Romadur cheese.

After this olfactory experience, we moved on to our next stop, the famous André-Pétrieux velodrome in nearby Roubaix. This place is a true icon, as it is home to the finish line of one of the oldest and toughest cycling races in the world, Paris-Roubaix, which is nicknamed 'Hell of the North' due to its difficulty and ride over cobblestones. After soaking in some sports history, we stocked up at the local Lidl, where we bought dinner and breakfast for the next day. As night fell, we only had to make our way back across the border into Belgium, where we anchored for the night at another of the Bivakzone locations like the previous day, but this time a bit closer to Ghent.

Upon arriving at the site, we anxiously finished watching the heart-stopping end of the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt. Once the emotions subsided, we got to work setting up camp, this time pitching our tents on prepared wooden platforms. For dinner, chicken soup with bread was just what we needed. And since it was long past bedtime, we just crawled into our sleeping bags and went to sleep.

Maty

In the center, we visited the Cathedral of Saint Martin of Tours, and since it was our final day in the Netherlands, we went for a little walk to shop for local cheeses. A quick lunch by the car consisted of salads, and we headed towards the Belgian border towards the enclave in Baarle. It is unique in that the Belgian-Dutch border crosses through it, meaning that houses on the same street can belong to the Netherlands on one side and to Belgium on the other. Here, we conducted the tour mostly from inside the car and continued further into Belgium.

Our journey took us to Antwerp, where we left the car in a parking lot and explored the city using public transport. However, as soon as we arrived in the center, we were struck by the tremendous heat, which compared to the Dutch weather felt like being on a grill. Nevertheless, we visited the main station, the iconic Cathedral of Our Lady, the town hall, and Het Steen, which is the oldest building in Antwerp by the river. Fatigue and hunger began to take their toll on us, so we headed back to the car and made our way towards the city of Eeklo, where we set up tents near the local cemetery. For dinner, we ended up making sausages and settled down for the night.

So, that’s it. 🥳🥳🥳

Or maybe not 😳😳😳

After I arrived happily and contently at the BnB this afternoon and took a brief summary - no rain, no breakdowns, no flats, not even a mosquito bite - I was then in Liège.

Long story short: My wife and I will meet tomorrow in Valkenburg. 😳😁 Unfortunately, Liège is not exactly inviting. 🙁🙁

So I have to ride another 41 km (and coincidentally also hit the 1,000 km mark 🤣).

Otherwise, there wasn't much to tell about today's ride. It was very relaxed again. There was only one detour, which was even reasonably well signposted. The weather was fantastic again and the landscape varied. Heart. What more could you ask for?

://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/3083752287?ref=itd&t_medium=komoot_tour_share&share_token=aGexnHqrR4nanGNFLIcQ9PLJoo2LS8JmP4rQQdSNamD72o2J8W&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=278778870060

The Relive video: https://www.relive.com/view/vwq1zPgVdLv

The Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/1421555589837393603

On the penultimate day, I was guided by the route along canals to Charleroi. The ride was mostly relaxed, aside from three roadblocks and disastrous detour signs. Nevertheless, I reached my destination on time and everything went well. 😌

The journey was diverse, leading from nature reserves through industrial areas to parts of Charleroi that remain untouched by structural changes. 😉😉

Impressive is the boat lift of Strepy-Thieu. I had heard of it before, but the size still surprised me.

The weather cooperated perfectly, and if tomorrow's forecast holds true, I carried the rain gear for nothing. Aside from five drops just before Bruges, it stayed completely dry. After trying a few more Belgian beers, I am now lying in my BnB on the big bed, looking forward to the last leg tomorrow to Liège.

The tour on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/3081036868?ref=itd&t_medium=komoot_tour_share&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=278778870060

The Relive video: https://www.relive.com/view/vJOKjy2rA5v

The Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/1347312859192600237

Well, it was somewhat clear that it wouldn’t continue as perfectly as yesterday. 😉

The morning ended up being a bit mixed. 🙁 It all started great with sunshine on the beach of Dunkirk, but then it sadly became cloudy and quite windy. Fortunately, the wind didn’t come straight at me, but rather from behind at an angle, although in gusts, which didn't make it very pleasant. 😕

I actually planned to go to Buerges to meet the Sch'tis, but I then discovered many country roads on the map. So I decided to stick to the original route. Well, on this route, there were just as many kilometers of country roads as on the other one. I could have gone to the Abrams, too.

The Belgians do mark bike paths on country roads quite well, but it’s still not that enjoyable when trucks keep passing by.

On the positive side, I was able to check into the BnB in Tournai quite early. This gave me a nice afternoon and evening to relax. Oh, and a little anecdote on the side: Two Belgian beers on an empty stomach are not particularly helpful for coordination. 🤪

Now it's time to recharge with a pizza for the last two days. 😊😊

By the way, I highly recommend Tournai. The small marketplace is really nice, with many restaurants and pubs, and the prices are absolutely reasonable. No comparison to Bruges or Antwerp.

The tour on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/3078571131?ref=itd&t_medium=komoot_tour_share&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=278778870060

The Relive video: https://www.relive.com/view/vE6JAwZG4gO

The Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/943220654052132854

Halftime! 502.3 kilometers completed, including the laps in the evening. The start today was a bit rocky. My legs felt heavy, I was tired even though I had slept well, and things just didn't feel quite right. 😴😴 But after two Chocomel and a power nap on the beach, things picked up and I continued well to Bruges. 😁

Bruges is still a great city. We were here a few years ago and will definitely return. Everything is still on track, and now I'm sitting here in the BnB trying out some Belgian beers. 🍺 😁

Tomorrow, I will continue to Dunkirk. I've planned a bit more time for this leg, as I want to see some of the dreadful relics from World War II. “Push Watts! Hate Fascism!”

The tour on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/3074239270?ref=itd&t_medium=komoot_tour_share&share_token=aWFVfD12w0q9b4kJh1oJLJ2Z4OEkCGW2AVEiAEP65Pw9F87uXs&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=278778870060

The Relive video: https://www.relive.com/view/v8qkKyA17Kq

The Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/22290295

And the next 138km on the odometer. But these were also completely relaxed, and if you take the 25km straight along the canal, it's even boring. 🥱

But I don't want to complain, the asphalt was as smooth as a baby's bottom, and it rolls along quite easily.

The biggest disappointment today was Antwerp. It was just loud and crowded and really not my thing. However, it also offered the most surprising highlight. I didn't know there was a bicycle tunnel under the Schelde. I was just a bit puzzled when my GPS told me to turn right, but there was no bridge there.

You go through the Sint-Anna Tunnel either by the incline lift or numerous stairs. However, this was out of the question due to the luggage bags.🫣🤣

And now I’m sitting here comfortably in my BnB, drinking a beer, watching some soccer, and resting my legs for tomorrow, when it’s off to Bruges.

The tour on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-DE/tour/3072351228?ref=itd&t_medium=komoot_tour_share&t_s=referral&t_cid=route_share&t_ref_username=278778870060

The Relive video: https://www.relive.com/view/vrqozmYAxy6

The Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/37833738

The Sint-Anna Tunnel: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Annatunnel

Feb 7

Bruges was somewhere I knew I had to visit after hearing so many great things about it online. I ended up doing a day trip with a couple of friends I met in Maastricht, and it turned out to be one of my favourite days. The train there and back was super easy, which made the whole trip feel really relaxed.

Bruges is an incredibly beautiful city. The architecture was some of the best I had seen so far on exchange, and the whole place genuinely feels like you’re walking through a medieval town. It was definitely busy and touristy, but once you got a little away from the main areas, there were some really quiet and scenic spots that made it feel much more peaceful. The canals running through the city and the main square with all the colourful buildings were easily my favourite parts.

We also found some great bars around the city and spent the day trying different Belgian beers, which was a highlight. I had my first Belgian waffle as well, it was probably a bit of a tourist trap, but honestly, it was worth it.

If I had to point out a downside, it would be that Bruges is quite small and very tourist-heavy, especially during the day. That said, for a day trip, it’s pretty much perfect.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend Bruges. It gets a lot of hype, but in this case, it’s deserved. If you’re coming to Europe and want that classic medieval-city feel, this is one of the best places to get it.

How Scotland became Brittany.

After we received the info that there are REALLY a lot of midges (tiny annoying mosquitoes that can get through any fly screen) in Scotland at this time of year, we quickly changed our plans.

Today we set off: heading towards Brittany. Let's see how far we get today. We leisurely left in the afternoon and will probably stop in Holland, then travel through Belgium to France and along the coast.

We are essentially unprepared. We've clarified the following in advance: the dog only needs the vaccination certificate with rabies vaccination, nothing else.

We theoretically only need the ID, and it was recommended to bring a green insurance card for the camper van.

Anna has improved her French for 2 weeks with Duolingo, and has done muzzle training with the dog in case we need to take the bus with the dog and muzzle.

John packed the SUPs, the fishing gear, and the guitar. The kite gear has sadly been left at home. Unfortunately, it didn't work out with the luggage box for the bike rack.

On the road now!

Umm... we are traveling now.

The last stop in the EU was Brussels. 

Due to my second luggage bag, I unfortunately didn't really have the opportunity to explore the city much. Nevertheless, I moved around the train station a bit and enjoyed the sunshine. 

Right next to the station, I was welcomed by Tintin and Snowy. The two are the heroes of a famous Belgian comic. 

Since this was my first time entering since the ETA was introduced for the UK, I planned a bit more time. Even though I have a residence status here for the UK, I was somewhat anxious that something might go wrong. 

Thank God the boarding went very smoothly, and I quickly passed through security and passport control. And then we were off. Onto the Eurostar.

I also had the chance to sit in first class this time. On my outbound journey to the mainland, first class had already been fully booked. So the whole experience was a surprise for me. 

Shortly after we started, the stewardess came into our carriage and explained that a small snack would soon be served to everyone. There were two options to choose from. I thought, nice, maybe there will be a sandwich or something, but I didn't expect the food to be served this way.

I chose the vegetarian option. A couscous salad with eggplant, feta cheese, and tzatziki. Along with a bun, butter, a sweet dessert, and a cold drink. Later, a hot drink was also served.

This way, you can enjoy the ride, and it's no wonder that the two hours pass quickly. And before we knew it, we rolled into London St. Pancras.

To be honest, I had thought a lot about what it would be like for me to come back home, in a way. With our arrival in London, the first 14 weeks were already over.

A long time during which I have experienced so much. I met many people, saw various cities, and also went through all kinds of emotions. It's a bit hard for me to accept that this big part of the journey is already over.
Now I'm back home for a bit, although not entirely. Because two and a half weeks of traveling through England and Cornwall are still ahead. That's definitely a nice prospect, and I'll meet some friends and hopefully enjoy the English summer a bit.

The caravan refuses to warm up at all in the icy east wind, and I have to temper the red wine in the Maxol Monte Carlo 3000, the divine oven.

At the desk, they didn't exactly offer me much hope: You need to go right to the security check, but do you see this long line? They are all waiting, you'll have to line up at the back. Great, this is going to take hours🫨

And now what? After asking nicely a few times and pushing ahead, some others said 'we also need to catch our flight' and still others wanted to get on the same plane. It didn’t take long before the word BOARDING turned green for my flight, only to switch to red CLOSED a few minutes later. Wow, and I couldn't even see the end of the line. So, I continued to push my way forward, maybe a little ruder... oh, the neighboring line ends 5 meters earlier. Good thing I can climb through the barricade with my carry-on luggage😬. Did someone just get upset because of me? I didn't hear anything and finally reached the security belt. So, take out liquids, phone, tablet, power bank from the bag. Tablet?! Where is my tablet??? Great, it probably didn't survive this layover - likely gave up due to age. It was already cracked, the glass was shattered and the case was torn. But I had really grown fond of it... But there was no time for long mourning now. What if I get through security and can't get on the plane? This was the last flight to Manchester for today...

So, which gate, where do I have to go? The great Ryanair app only informed me with 'Oops, something went wrong'!!! A real blockbuster!!! Well, at least the old-fashioned monitors are still hanging from the ceiling. 'Gate 22 (of 25) closed' sounds like it's pretty far back. So hold onto your luggage and start running - you really have to manage your energy. Good thing I'm dressed sportily and wearing sneakers instead of heels. And why do you have to walk through all the shops anyway? First in one direction and then down a floor in the other. In between, I was reminded again of Brexit, as we still had to go through customs.

Somehow I must exude a special authority or confidence, as I ended up with company. A young man joined me. 'You surely know where we need to go now?' he asked me when we suddenly stood in front of a locked door. (Something similar happened to me on the way to Palma - so it wasn't that stressful.) Well, there was another side entrance and off we went. And finally, we arrived at Gate 22. And what was the case? The desk wasn't even staffed. This flight was delayed too! Dripping with sweat, we found ourselves in a stairwell and on the tarmac until the landed passengers had disembarked...

The onward flight went smoothly. By the way, the cappuccino still tastes just as terrible as it did back then.

I thought I’d reach out to you again. I’m still here, you know?

In the meantime, I have been able to travel to various places with my big one. She often does something there, which is called a seminar or training. I’m not exactly sure what that is. And I don’t understand why education should have anything to do with being away. But it doesn’t matter. The main thing is, I got to travel. Because after all the amazing adventures, it gets a little boring at home, you know.

My big one and I are not always traveling alone. That’s cool because I get to meet nice new people now and then. At least for me, they are new. There are a few pictures, but I forgot to ask the nice people if I could show them here.

We also went out a bit privately. In Belgium, for example. There were really lovely people there too.

However, my big one has done a few things where she didn’t take me along. Can you imagine that!

Booooaaaah, I can tell you, I complained quite a bit about that.

So she has promised that she will take me with her next week when she travels somewhere called Jukäi. I think it's actually written like this: UK

I will keep you updated if you’d like.

Bye-bye!

Your Travis

I had booked a city tour with Cecilia Wigley for today. First, a free shuttle bus took us to the terminal. A paid bus took us from the port of Zeebrugge to Bruges, half an hour away. Our group gathered at the bus stop there.

Our large group was split into three. I was now in a group of 17 participants. We were assigned a friendly young man named Jeroen as our tour guide. We spent the next three hours with him, exploring the sights of Bruges and getting gastronomic recommendations.

Our tour ended on the market square in the middle of the city. We now had about two hours of free time. I was a little hungry, so I went first to the "Frietmuseum", which has a theme of "Belgian French fries". The Belgians insist that they, not the French, invented the fries. The museum shows a lot about potato varieties, production and the history of fries. Attached to the museum is a canteen where you can supposedly buy the world's best French fries. Yes, they were good, but not overwhelming. At least I wasn't hungry anymore.

Next, I wanted to follow a recommendation from our tour guide and go to the "Bourgogne des Flandres" brewery. On the way there, I bought a small selection of pralines in a shop that advertised the "best chocolate in town."

At the "Bourgogne des Flandres" brewery, I actually only wanted to try the beer of the same name, but then decided to go for the "Flight of Beers" offer. Six small glasses with all the beers they serve there. The total amount was just right to keep my head clear and find my way home.

Just before the bus stop I found a food truck that sold Belgian waffles. I bought one, ate it and thus completed my culinary program for Belgium.

The attractive singer Patricia Bernier had a solo performance in the theater on the ship.

Camping Urban Garden Ghent

Stand: 186

Weather: nice 27 degrees

Driving from Dinant via Brussels to Ghent, a lot of traffic and congestion on the ring road around Brussels

Checked in at 12:30, had lunch then cycled into the center.

Exploring the beautiful old town

After returning, swim in the Blaarmersen

Highlight: Cooling off in the lake

Lowlight: Traffic jam around Brussels and my beer in Ghent

Camping Villatoile

Stand 169

Weather: nice 25 degrees

Drive from Luxembourg to Dinant 125 km

Highlight: Cycling tour in Wallonia with picturesque stone houses 37 km

Visit Dinant

Lowlight: observing the kayakers at the fish ladder too late

The morning was really cool and foggy. Thick socks, sweater and heater on…a foretaste of what will soon await us, unfortunately. After breakfast there was a visit to the farm shop, we are now the owners of a Barbencroc (schnapps made from apples, stored for one year in oak barrels and two years in

We stopped in Charleville-Mézières for a city walk. The main square of the city is really impressive, otherwise we had the impression that we had arrived in a less developed area.

The trip went over the border to Belgium, the last night was supposed to be at a campsite so that we could empty and clean everything first thing in the morning. So we are standing on a huge, very well-attended campsite (Camping Club Benelux), feeling like we are the only non-Benelux nationals.

The recommended dwarf beer (Chauffon) tastes very good, otherwise it is more of a melancholy mood. Should this really be the last night with our faithful companion Louise...?!?

There I walked for half an hour to Huis Van Alijn, a museum about culture and traditions. There was an exhibition about the 90s and another exhibition about traditions and customs such as New Year, wedding, communion, but also everyday things like getting up or moving. Overall, it was really well done with many things to try out and look at.

Afterwards, I walked around the city a bit and then went to a restaurant to eat pizza. After a short visit to the supermarket, I rode back to Wetteren.

After the museum closed, we went to the old town to see the impressive old buildings and find something to eat. Finally, we went to a pizzeria and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the city.

Afterwards, we continued walking around the city and bought an ice cream for the way. Late in the evening, we drove back home with the others who arrived at Gent train station by car.

Danach fuhr ich mit Katrien (der Freundin meiner Mutter) und ihrer Tochter nach Gent um dort in das GUM, das Wissenschaftsmuseums der Universität Gent zu gehen. Mit dabei war auch ein Garten sowie mehrere Gewächshäuser mit unterschiedlichen Temperaturen. Wir sahen unter anderem eine Pflanze, die sich beim Berühren bewegt, mehrere fleischfressende Pflanzen und schmolzen im Tropenhaus aufgrund der hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit. 

Auch das Museum war sehr interessant, da es verschiedene Aspekte unter Überbegriffen wie "Chaos", "Messen" etc. zusammenfasste. Nach dem Museumsbesuch bekam die Tochter von Katrin einen Kaktus, für das Ausfüllen eines Fragebogens zum Museum und wir fuhren zurück nach Wetteren, wo wir dann Spaghetti zum Abendessen aßen.

Unfortunately, after all the security checks, I couldn't proceed because my passport had expired. That completely messed up my plans, and I had to figure out what else I could do instead.

In the end, I decided to visit a friend of my mother's who lives near Ghent. There, I did some research on what else I could do. In the evening, we had dinner together, had a nice chat, and watched the movie 'Mathilda' together.

After crossing - or should you say "undercrossing"? - with the Eurostar (very pleasant train journey, very crowded waiting areas), I landed in Brussels for a short visit.

First the unpleasant: at the train station, I almost fell victim to a pickpocket trick! If someone with an angelic face, child's voice, and broken language asks you something at the train station: be careful! Behind them is the second person (wearing dark clothes) who wants to steal your bags! Luckily, mine were empty. I was alerted by the loud exclamation of a victim who had just been relieved (after loudly cursing, he got his wallet back - or does that belong to the plot? No idea!) Heart pounding 😅!

But now to the positive: the sidewalks of Brussels have become much cleaner. When I was there in the 90s, you always had to look at the ground to avoid "landmines". Probably the city leaders read "A Year in the Merde" by Stephen Clarke (which is about the topic) and thought: we can do better!

If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that I often seek out (deep-fried) local specialties. Yes, there's something going on! For example, at the "Frites Atelier".

Otherwise, I am always amazed by the comics on the buildings. And of course in magazines, for example, Tintin (yes, I know: not politically correct). And recently I learned that Asterix also owes its Belgian influence.

Finally, for cyclists: on the Eurostar to Paris, you have to disassemble and pack your bike. To Brussels, they take the whole bike. That's why I chose this route. There are surely weighty reasons for the different handling, but it cannot be due to the train: the same train cars are used for both routes.

"They're crazy, those from Eurostar..."

Afterwards, I went to the cloakroom of the Manneken Pis, because there is a tradition that the statue is dressed in different costumes and some of the former costumes are exhibited there. There was also a good audio guide that contained surprisingly much information about the history of the city of Brussels.

After I had looked at everything there, I went to Jaeneken Pis, the peeing girl, after a short detour, to the supermarket and bought the ingredients for my dinner there, because I wanted to make something myself again.

In the hostel, I had a meeting for Mini-München Online at first, but then started cooking. I just overestimated the amount a bit, so after the meal I could fill my snack box for the journey tomorrow.