when you don't have much time but still need a little vacation, this blog post will come in handy. 4-day Belgium holiday with Friday morning departure and Monday night return! Let's go! (This article is of course much more useful if you live in or near Europe.)
It is very comfortable for me to go to Brussels from Turkey on a Friday morning flight. Before I left, I arranged my accommodations with Couchsurfing, and my host even offered to pick me up from the airport. Two birds with one stone, even three! Because after meeting, he toured Brussels with me. Since he also had a car, we went to the places we were going very comfortably and quickly.
DAY ONE; BRUSSELS
Parc Du Cinquantenaire
Park for the Fiftieth Anniversary; The U-shaped building in the photo, and all the buildings in the park, were built for the 1880 National Exhibition, in memory of the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Revolution. The monument in the middle was erected in 1905. In the park, you can visit a few different places. museums, lakes and green areas such as; Royal Military History Museum, Art and History Museum, Car Museum.
MANNEKEN PIS
Little Pissing Man; You may ask why there is a statue of a boy who is Peeing. Legend has it that during a war, a small child peed on the flames to put it out and that's why his statue was erected. Its accuracy is debatable, but it is a fact that it is one of the most popular spots in Brussels. So much so, that the statue was stolen or damaged several times. the original sculpture has been on display in the Brussels City Museum since 1619.
ATOMIUM
The monument, which depicts people's belief in scientific progress, was presented at the festival in 1958, in its atom-like shape, it has been one of the icons of Brussels ever since. The name was made by combining the words Atom and Aluminum. the name is both masculine and feminine in French. (There is no male-female distinction in English, so it may not seem like a very important point, but it is very important that it was used for both genders and especially that it was thought up in 1958)
DAY TWO; GHENT
Since my host's house was in Ghent, I only had to wake up early in the morning and explore the city, since I had already spent the previous night here.
St. Bavo’s Cathedral
The altarpiece in the Gothic church, which was finished in 1569, is considered the first large oil painting. The painting, which expresses the night from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and is considered one of the treasures of the world.
St. Nicholas church
The church, which is one of the oldest buildings in the city, shows its uniqueness by having the most romantic pipe organ.
GRAVENSTEEN
The castle construction was completed in 1180 and hosted the Counts of Flanders until 1353. It was later redesigned as a court, prison, mint, and even a cotton mill. It was restored between 1893 and 1903. Currently it is a museum and an important landmark of the city.
BELFORT GHENT
One of three Medieval towers which you can see the city from the top. (The other two are the churches I mentioned above) The clock tower is also under protection as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
DAY Three; antwerp
After getting up early in the morning and saying goodbye to my host in Ghent, I took the train to Antwerp. Changing cities is so easy in this country that you can eat 3 meals in a different city and return home.
RUBENSHUIS
The house of Dutch artist Peter Paul Rubens and it was also his workspace. After purchasing the house, he renovated it according to his own artistic understanding. Rubens was a painter who produced mythological portraits, landscapes and historical paintings. Now you can tour it as a museum.
ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH
The Catholic church, which was restored many times, saw the greatest renewal after the blows it received in the French Revolution. The church, which has a baroque structure, was last renovated at the end of the 20th century.
ST. james CHURCH
The church, which was the stop on the way to the tomb of St. James, who was the one of the apostles of Jesus, was only a small chapel at that time. In 1476, a step was taken to make it a larger church, but 15 years later, in 1491, its construction was started with Gothic architecture. The church, which was not completed until 1656, was also influenced by the Baroque structure and completed its interior. The grave of Peter Paul Rubens is also in this church.
het steen
The medieval castle is located in the old city center of Antwerp and is one of the largest castles in Europe. Considered one of the oldest buildings in Antwerp, the name of the castle, 'Het Steen' in Dutch, means '“the rock”.
CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY
The church, which has a Gothic structure, hosts many works of Baroque artist Paul Rubens.The belfry of the cathedral is included in the Belfries of belgium and france entry in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
ANTWERP CITY HALL
Festivals take place in the square, which is the new city center.
DAY four; brugge
There's actually a funny story about me going on this trip. A friend of mine who had just returned from Belgium told me how much she loved the city of Bruges and that she wanted to go back again. Later that day, I made my plans and bought my ticket. and still when she goes somewhere, makes fun of me by saying, "I won't tell you about my trip, or you'll go before me". :) I can say without hesitation that this city is a much more romantic city than Paris, and I prefer to use the name european “Brugge” more.
sint-anna church
Another Gothic and Baroque looking church from 17th century. The church has the largest single painting in Brugge. Church is closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
belfort brugge
You can visit this medieval tower in the main square. After taking 366 steps in the tower, which was rebuilt after the fire in 1280, you can reach the top and look at the city from above.
markt
Main square is the most admired landmark. The square, which was rebuilt with Gothic architecture after the fire in 1878, was renovated once again in 1995. A classic European square but still very beautiful.
st. salvador’s cathedral
The main church of the city. In fact, the cathedral, which was not built as a cathedral, but rather used as a parish church, was damaged in the French Revolution. It replaced the Donation's Cathedral. After Belgium declared its independence, it started to be used as a cathedral. In case you didn’t understand that this is a cathedral ;D
basilica of the holy blood
The basilica is divided into lower and upper chapels. St. Basil Chapel, which is the first floor, was built according to Roman architecture. the second floor of the Chapel of the Holy Blood is in Gothic architecture. It was named because a cloth containing the blood of Jesus was brought here.
kruis gate
Kruis Gate, one of the city gates, was built in the 13th century. After seeing the gate, do not forget to see the windmills.
the church of our lady
the church houses a statue of Michelangelo. it is The tallest brick building in the city and the 3rd tallest in the world.
I returned to Turkey by night flight from the country where I ate a lot of chocolate and waffles. I could enjoy Bruges without fear of missing my flight as the train times in Europe were ticking. And I took one last look and wished to return to this city.
