After my housing ended in early June, I headed north to spend some time with my aunt, uncle and cousins who live just outside of Belgium's capital. It was so incredibly nice to get to spend time with this branch of my family. We had a lot of great days talking and laughing and catching up.
During my week in Brussels I took two really great day trips to the cities of Antwerp and Ghent. Antwerp was a really cool, more modern city while Ghent felt more old school European, especially in the city center with the small canals and winding streets. Here are some highlights:
Ruben's House: Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish Baroque painter. Today you can tour his house and gardens in Antwerp.
Antwerp Train Station: Lots of train stations are architectural masterpieces, but I found the one in Antwerp to be particularly stunning.
Gravensteen Castle: Located in Ghent, this castle was used by counts in the middle ages, and then was later converted into a courthouse and prison.
Canal Touring: Simply walking along the canals in Ghent was one of the best parts of the day. It was blustery and threatening to rain, but that is your typical day in Belgium, so all was as it should be.
