On Sunday, my last full day in Belgium, my host family and I explored even more places. But the day started out much slower than that. In the morning, I walked to the local bakery with my ‘host mom’, as it were, to buy breakfast and, of course, pick up some famous Belgian chocolate. 

As a self-professed chocolate aficionado, I have to admit that Belgian chocolate was just as, if not more, delicious than anticipated. I ate so much of it throughout the weekend and then even more once I got home. I don’t really care to admit how much I actually ate. However, it was delicious, so I don’t regret any of it.

After breakfast, my host family and I drove to the coast again and took a walk along the beach. Living right along the coast in England, I had grown used to beaches of stone, so finding sand was amazing…until it got stuck in my shoes.

On the drive back from the coast, we drove through ‘Lissewege’, known as the white village since all the houses are painted white. This village is well-known amongst artists of all sorts, who visit to sit at one of the cafes in town and find some inspiration.

For lunch, we returned to my host family’s house for a traditional Flemish meal. We ate a Flemish beef stew that was prepared in brown beer and absolutely delicious. As I was eating it, I kept thinking that, had my dad been there, he would have been begging for the recipe. As a side, we ate Flemish fries, because French fries aren’t actually from France and are therefore improperly named.

After lunch, we visited Gent, a medieval town much like the town I had visited yesterday, Brugge. My host family explained to me that people who live in Brugge think that Brugge is better than Gent, while people living in Gent believe that Gent is better than Brugge. Since I was only in each town for a few hours, I can’t really say which is better. But, Gent was nice because everything was more spread out, so I could see every building and maneuver my way around other tourists with ease. On the other hand, I like Brugge because it seemed prettier than Gent. Also, Gent had a tram service that operated above ground using wires. These wires were quite obnoxious as they constantly got in the way of pictures. Both places were lovely, however, and I am happy I got to see both of them.

In Gent, my host family and I bought some traditional candies. They looked remarkably like something grape-flavored, but they were actually cherry-flavored. They were pretty good, and that’s coming from a girl who rarely liked cherry-flavored things. Apparently, many candy companies have tried to recreate these candies for mass production, but they haven’t been successful.

We also stumbled across another beer wall. Belgians sure to love their beer!

Before leaving Gent, we stopped at one of the cafe’s terraces for a quick drink. I found myself wishing that American restaurants had more outdoor terraces like nearly every restaurant had here. It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy a hot chocolate in the nice weather.

After Gent, we drove back to my host family’s house for a quick rest before visiting a local bistro for dinner. While in the bistro, something immensely strange happened. A man walked in…with his dog…in the restaurant. Although my host family was quick to assure me that this type of situation usually doesn’t happen, I was still surprised. 

After dinner, my host family took me to a restaurant right by their house for a dessert that I just needed to have: a Dame Blanche. This ice cream dessert reminded me of a hot fudge sundae, but so much more delicious. It was the perfect way to end a weekend in Belgium.

After another full day of traveling, my host family and I returned to their house for an evening of television and some relaxation. We wound up watching The Voice, but the Netherlands version. I couldn’t understand anything the judges and contestants were saying to each other, until they started to sing. That’s because every contestant surprisingly sang a song in English. It was especially funny when the coaches had to teach one of the contestants how to pronounce each English syllable in his song. After the conclusion of that show, I went to bed to get ready for a day of traveling home.

In the morning, I returned to Calais, France to catch my ferry home. Having originally sailed over on the ‘Spirit of Britain’, I was amused to discover that I’d be sailing home on the ‘Spirit of France’. Before arriving in Dover, I had plenty of time to view the famous white cliffs and Dover Castle. It was beautiful, and I wish I could have spent more time in Dover as opposed to just traveling through it.

Looking back, I really enjoyed my weekend in Belgium. I got to see a lot of places and things that I would never have seen otherwise with a host family who was incredibly kind and hospitable. I only with I could have visited longer.

Next up: my Easter Weekend in Paris!

– Emily .xx