Jet Lagged Gianna

It was at this point that I’d realized that I may have pre-booked the trip a little too much. I wanted to make sure I would be able to get to Bruges because I’d booked a hostel for one night there weeks before. So a few days before my trip, I booked a flixbus ticket for 10 am on the day I wanted to leave. BIG mistake!!

If you EVER go to Brussels and you want to take a trip to Bruges, here are my 2 suggestions which I HIGHLY suggest you take:

1. Take the train, which you can purchase tickets for the day of at the train station
2. Don’t stay overnight

Let’s start with suggestion number 1. My bus to Bruges showed up 2 hours late. I waited on a sidewalk, eating a ketchup and lettuce sandwich (bus station vegan food options were very limited) in the heat with a strange drunk man yelling things out to me for TWO HOURS! All the while, the train station was 100 feet away, where I could have purchased a cheaper student ticket, hopped on the next train, and been to Bruges in an hour. 

I didn’t plan to take the train because I wanted to pre-plan everything and you couldn’t pre-book the train. Guys, take my advice. Unless there’s some big Bruges celebration where everyone in Belgium is flooding into the city, just show up at the train station and take the train. There WILL be tickets. Don’t take the flixbus. 

The drive to Bruges was scenic and I tried to enjoy it despite my hanger and frustration. After getting off the bus, I walked 30 minutes through the sleepy town with my giant backpack to find my hostel.

I stayed in the Snuffle hostel. It was one of the most clean and modern hostels I’ve been to. There was even a bar downstairs with live music every night.

However, we are now getting to suggestion number 2. Please, if you plan to go to Bruges, make it a day trip only. 

The small town is absolutely gorgeous. Every street looks like it belongs on a post card. After dropping my bags, I wandered through the cobblestone alleyways, made my way to the main square, went into the church, and then… I was done. I’d seen the entire town. By 6 pm, everything was closed and all the people disappeared. Where had they gone? Back to Brussels. 

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There were no open grocery stores by the time I was ready for dinner. The only vegan place I could find was called Nikon Thai. It had the most delicious food, but I was pretty mad about paying $16 for a curry and some rice. 

I walked back to my hostel and ordered a drink at the crowded bar. There were a few people watching the live band play. After a couple of songs, I went to bed. 

I rose early the next morning and headed to a vegan cafe called De Brugsche Tafel that was known for their waffles and bagels. When I arrived, the waitress told me they’d run out of waffles. I’m more of a savory person anyway, so I ordered an avocado bagel. It was surprisingly delicious (I say surprisingly because I’m from New York and I have very high bagel standards).

At this point, I’d decided I was going to take the train back to Brussels. While researching how to get my ticket, I came across a website suggesting I visit a city called Ghent on my way back. I took that suggestion and next thing I knew, I was heading to Ghent. Needless to say, I felt very spontaneous.

Bruges in prettier than Ghent, but Ghent has much more to do/see. When I arrived, I stuffed my bag in a security locker at the train statin and headed towards center city. Remember guys, don’t judge a city by the area outside of the train station. I walked about 30 minutes until I reached the main square. Ghent feels like a bigger, more metropolitan Bruges. It has castles and churches and a beautiful river running through it. 

I knew I only had a short amount of time in Ghent. I decided to visit the most popular tourist attraction: the Gravensteen Castle. It dates back to 1180 and was home to the Counts of Flanders until 1353. Afterwards, it served as a prison. 

I don’t always opt for the audioguide, but I’m so glad I did this time. The narrator was absolutely hilarious. As you wander through the dark, stone walls of the castle, he tells you all about the insane Flanders family. There are some surprisingly gruesome sound effects to accompany the stories of war and torture, but the narrator remains cheerful the entire time. The castle has everything from thrown rooms to dungeons to medieval toilets. I had so much fun.

I left the castle in search of some vegan food. I typed vegan into google maps and hundreds of options popped up. Apparently, Ghent is the vegan capital of Belgium? I felt like one lucky gal.

I ordered a miso ramen bowl from a restaurant that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. I spent an hour trying to find it online to no avail. Maybe it was all a figment of my imagination, but it had some great soup. 

Afterward, I walked along the river and went in and out of some clothing stores until I decided it was time to catch the train back to Brussels. I would be flying to Italy early the next morning, and I needed sleep.

I bought my ticket with SO MUCH EASE and got on a train 2 minutes later. Forty minutes later, I was back in Brussels. 

I cooked my go to hostel meal of pasta and sauce, read some more about Atticus Finch, and went to bed early, setting my alarm for 5 am. Some drunk people who were staying in my dorm woke me up a few times throughout the night as they came back in from their adventures. I didn’t mind. That had been me a few nights before. 

People always tell me “oh I could never share a room in a hostel.” Personally, I would only ever stay in a hostel dorm while traveling alone. Not only because its cheap, but also because it’s such an easy way to remain social and make friends. It I was just staying in hotels, I never would have met such amazing people. Getting woken up a few times throughout the night is a small price to pay for the friendships that come with staying in a hostel.

Up Next –> Italy’s Cinque Terre – A Backpacker’s Oasis Pt. 1

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