Our nephew flew to Germany to visit us for a few days after his Junior Semester Abroad, and we all headed out for a Mini Adventure and a long weekend in Belgium. After three wonderful visits to Belgium ourselves, and with inspiration from the talented travel blogger It’s a Brewtiful World, we were looking forward to seeing more of this lovely country. The people are super nice, the scenery is stunning, memorial sites from World War II are so well done, and of course, the beers are quite amazing.
Bastogne, Battle of the bulge
A visit to Bastogne is not complete without a stop at Le NUTS! Brasserie. We had Airborne Beers and THE BEST burgers here. The owner is a big personality, very welcoming and friendly. We love this place.
We visited the 101st Airborne Museum, full of stories from the Battle of the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), personal items, life-like dioramas, and a bombing simulation in the basement that leaves a lasting impression.
The Bastogne War Museum includes interactive stories and films, and the entrance ticket includes access to the preserved Bois Jacques Battlefield. We highly recommend visiting both museums and the battlefield. It is indeed our privilege, and our right, to remember the sacrifices that past generations made for our freedom.
medieval Ghent
Our next stop was to the medieval city of Ghent, a few hours drive away. We checked into the Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel, where every detail from service, to the rooms, breakfast, and valet parking, was top-notch.
After the lovely check-in experience, we walked a few blocks to the riverfront, and were just in time to jump on the last boat tour of the day. This is a nice way to see the main sights of Ghent, hearing about the city, while cruising through rivers and canals.
With more perfect timing, we ate dinner inside while it rained – the only rain we saw all weekend in Belgium! We had excellent meals, and especially enjoyed the local gruut amber.
The rain ended as we finished dinner, and we walked around to admire more of beautiful Ghent. Along the river, the Castle is immense and impressive, there are massive churches, multiple spires, and Ghent’s version of Big Ben. Multiple bridges over the rivers offer different views. What an excellent city for photography.
Brussels, capital city
The next morning, we drove to Brussels, almost 2 hours with traffic. Brussels is the capital of Belgium, and the unofficial capital of the EU, as well as home to NATO Headquarters. It is a busy, but bright and open, big city.
Our first stop was to Mini Europe, a theme park of miniature models of grand monuments, ancient historical sites, and cultural themes from around the EU. The UK countries are included, but we had to cross through Customs to see them.😂
An extraordinary amount of thought, planning, and detailed work has created something very special in Mini Europe. We highly recommend visiting this park, a fun outing for all ages.
The beautiful Grand-Place is the central square in Brussels, and we ate both lunch and dinner here. One server asked us if we were British, because we said “thank you” so often. At the end of our meal, he told us we had just the right amount of “thank you’s.” Of course, we enjoyed Mussels in Brussels!
From the Grand-Place, small streets are lined with tourist shops selling chocolates, waffles, and souvenirs. Waffles in Belgium are indeed more tasty than anywhere else!
We had time for a quick stop at a daily flea market at Place de Jeu de Balle before leaving Brussels. We think our Saturday flea market in Stuttgart is better organized, with better prices, but it was still fun to look.
Luxembourg
Our weekend in Belgium was coming to a close, but we had time for a stop in Luxembourg on the drive back to Stuttgart, Germany. Luxembourg is both a capital city and a country of the same name, with an Old Town that is nice to see for a quick visit.
Just outside of the city, we visited the American Cemetery, which includes General Patton’s grave, and the nearby German Cemetery.
Strasbourg France
With one more day left in the visit, Rob went back to work, and Barbara and Joey took the train just over the border to Strasbourg, France. This is a perfect day trip from Stuttgart, a very pretty historic town, full of canals, crepes, cheese, and wine.
STUTTGART GERMANY
We were happy to bring Joey to our local, The Auld Rogue, in our village in Stuttgart. A first Guinness, with a proper pour, and a great dinner.
Being able to spend this time with our nephew, and making these memories, is a great part of living abroad. We had a wonderful time on our weekend in Belgium, enjoying each of our three stops around this unique country. Throwing in seeing Luxembourg, a little bit of France, and our home-away-from-home in Germany was just added bonus. 😊
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