A London Food and Travel blog full of unique experiences.
They say that “jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul” and with this in mind (plus the memory of lockdowns fresh in our minds) I announced to the better half that I fancied doing [minimum] 12 trips in 12 months this year.
He sighed – for context I spent December and January on the other side of the world and I hadn’t even unpacked my suitcase from that trip – but simply gave in.
We’ve been reminiscing over past travel recently and as an inveterate fork wielder, we realised that so many of those fond memories revolve around the table. I thought I’d put the cutlery down temporarily and gather together a European edit of the best countries for foodies.
These are the countries we find ourselves drawn to time and time again, both exploring further afield and re-visiting. Honestly, many of these are travel classics – and for very good reason.
Want to know what to do in Ghent? As a day trip from Brussels (only a half-hour train), I’ve found that either many people haven’t heard of it (aka Gent), preferring to explore the chocolate box streets of Bruges, or they adore Ghent so much that when a blogger (me) visits, they spam them via instastories with recollections of days spent there and memories made. True story. Disclosure: I was a press guest of VisitFlanders in Ghent, but all mischief and thoughts are mine.
We fell into the former camp on our trip to Brussels and explored Bruges, but genuinely regretted only being able to fit one city in, vowing to return one day.
On my long weekend in Ghent I should be parading around the town, hunting out all of the medieval gems with the keenness of a panther, but instead, as it’s a Saturday morning, I’ve simply snuggled in further into the covers (more like a house cat in truth). Disclosure: I was a press guest of VisitFlanders in Ghent, but all mischief and thoughts are entirely mine.
There is a soft breeze floating through the ajar windows, I have a hot cup of tea cradled in my hand and no concrete plans for the morning. From my hotel window, I can hear the sliding scales of a bluesy jazz saxophonist, children softly singing a nursery rhyme and the occasional tinkle of coffee cups from a nearby cafe.
Chocolate, sunshine, Colin Farrell, gingerbread buildings, turrets, canals, lace, chips & mayo and medieval cobbled streets. What more could you want in a day trip from Brussels?
Everyone has asked me whether we preferred Brussels or Bruges and I honestly can’t say. Bruges is quaint, teeny, full of meandering streets and canals, chocolate shops and frites stores catering for your average cheesy tourist. They do also however have something called ‘samurai sauce’ for your frites which I’m disappointed we didn’t try.