Are you even a "Van der Zwiep" if you never return to the land your ancestors came from? Subsequently, it made for an excellent excuse for a father-daughter trip to Belgium and the Netherlands! So, after a much too long time away from home, home came once again to me. From May 15th to the 25th my Dad and I took a trip to remember. As I am excited to share all about our adventures, I do have to say how happy I was to make this vacation possible. Moreso, to have been able to have had both of my parents -- albeit at different times -- come visit me and share my love of travel means a great deal. Although it will still be a while before I am reunited with all of my beloved family, my only regret is that we couldn't have made this trip all together. Miss you all!
Brussels, Belgium — Day 1
Having packed up all of my belongings from my apartment in Vigo, I grabbed my backpack and caught a cab to the bus station at 4:30am. Shortly after, I arrived in Porto to board my flight to Brussels, Belgium! Being how flight prices checked out, I was to arrive a day before meeting up with Dad so I had a full day to check it out for myself.
It was easy finding a bus into the center, and within 40 minutes, I found my hostel for the night. After a quick falafel lunch, I made my way to the Grote Market and soon found myself on yet another Sandeman’s walking tour. We started in the Market, but soon made our way to all of the touristic highlights the city has to offer. We started off strong with the infamous pissing baby fountain —Mannekin Pis—, then to San Nicolas Church, the Royal Galleries, Cathedral, Royal Palace, and finished with a beautiful view of the city at Monte des Artes.
Having come to the conclusion of the tour, a couple of girls from New Zealand invited me to find some shade, get to know one another, and grab — my first!— Belgian beer. They ended up having to catch a train, so we soon parted ways. Then, before heading back to my hostel, I stopped by Saint Nicolas’ Church once more to get a better feeling of the city’s oldest place of worship.
Back in my room at Van Gogh Youth Hostel, I met a nice guy from Canada who happened to be traveling with a friend. We ended up grabbing a beer together at the hostel’s bar and made his self-proclaimed “hillbilly” version of pasta alfredo for dinner. That evening we walked around together as the sun was setting and laid down on the Cathedral’s steps to gain a new perspective or two. Being that he had to meet up with his friend and I wanted to get a good night of sleep before meeting with Dad in the morning, he dropped me off back at the hostel. While the hostel lifestyle may not be for everyone, where else would I be able to meet such kind people and have a great evening while traveling solo!
Brussels & Maldegem, Belgium — Day 2
With the plan to meet Dad in front of my hostel just past noon, I defined to spend my morning with my new Canadian friends. I had breakfast with the guy from the previous day and his friend and, the next thing I knew, we were on the hunt for a 1 euro Belgian waffle!
Covered head-to-toe in powdered sugar, we spent the rest of the morning milling around the city and enjoying each other’s company. The plan — originally — was to be at my hostel to wait for Dad to roll up in our rental car. However, when I finally picked up wifi service again back at the hostel, I found out that the last leg of his flight on Belgium Air had been canceled due to their apparently common work strikes. Luckily, he was able to get on a new flight, miraculously navigate to my hostel, and find me sitting with my large green backpack sitting out front. And so the adventure begins!
We drove East 40 minutes to our first accommodation of the trip in Maldegem. Our deliciously cute Airbnb was situated inside a small chalet in the back of the owner’s backyard right in the middle of the city — you never would have guessed it was there!
Dad was exhausted after a couple long and stressful days of traveling, so we grabbed dinner nearby alongside the train tracks. We split a tasty burger and macaroni and cheese while we cheered our reunion over a couple Belgian blondes. It was a full night of food, drink, and catching up after nine months of being apart.
Bruges, Belgium — Day 3
By the time we woke up — and early I must add —, our host had prepared us a smorgasbord of Belgian breakfast essentials! We had a fresh selection of cereal, orange juice, charcuterie, and warm pastries to start our day. Bellies full, we hopped into our little red fiat and drove towards the beautiful city of Bruges.
We parked on the outskirts of the city for free and caught a local bus into the center. From there, we began our visit in the Grote Market and walked around the city as many of the stores and buildings were still closed. Arriving back to the Grote Market after taking a large loop to the west, we found ourselves in front of the Belfry Tower and joined a walking tour group. Our guide took us all over the small city giving us the best insight to its history, main attractions, architecture, and — of course — a sample of the country’s infamous chocolate.
Afterwards, Dad and I stopped off at Half Moon Brewery for a hearty lunch. Interestingly enough, the brewery actually pipes their beer beneath the cobblestoned streets to most-successfully transport their product to their bottling station outside the city’s walls. We ordered their most popular unfiltered, blonde beer called Brugse Zot along with a hearty beef stew served with fries which our guide had recommended — definitely one of our favorite meals!
Later in the day we first made our way to the San Salvador Cathedral and then to the Basilica of the Holy Blood to view a vile containing a cloth with what is believed to be blood that was collected from Jesus Christ while he was on the cross. It was a very humbling experience to wait in line — along with hundreds of other praying and worshiping such a sacred relic.
We walked around a lot that day and I do have to say that in hindsight Bruges was one of our favorite places we had the chance to visit. That evening we caught another bus back to the car and drove back to Maldegem to spend the night.
Ghent, Belgium — Day 4
Another early wake-up call and delicious breakfast from our host, Dad and I packed our bags and were soon back on the road towards Ghent. We parked outside the city again, but were able to take a free shuttle into the center. After a short walk to get ourselves familiar with the central area, we joined a walking tour at 11am near the plaza. Surprisingly, we just so happened to run into a couple from Michigan who were on our tour the day before in Bruges who also joined us on the tour. Our guide gave us a great introduction to many of the city’s most prominent monuments including the Belfry Tower, Said Bavo’s Cathedral, the Castle of the Count, and the famous graffiti covered Wereegarn Street.
Finishing our tour, we found our way inside the cathedral for a little quiet and to escape the crowds. Then, after a short stop for a fixing of Belgian fries, we returned to the Castle of the Count to enter the grounds. Gent is a very nice city full of canals and history, but it defiantly comes in second behind Bruges. However, the Castle did not disappoint! It was very cool to have such a large and powerful structure among the small cafes situated along the canal. Inside, we followed a comedic audio tour — it was not our favorite style of tour, but we still very much enjoyed the significance of the site.
It just so happened my roommate and good friend from Vigo — Lindsey and Emily — were traveling in Gent at the exact same time! Dad and I met them for drinks and I was able to say my final goodbye to Lindsey. I was very happy to have had the opportunity for Dad to meet my friends and see who I had been spending most of my time with this past year.
Sadly, we soon had to part ways so Dad and I walked around the city for a bit longer taking in every sight there was to see. Just before we left, we made sure to buy a couple of traditional candies called Cuberdons — aka Ghent “Noses”. Absolute sugar, we tried one each before deciding to save the rest for my sister Erin back home. Promptly after, and on a slight sugar high, we were back in our Fiat on the way to our new home for the night in Sint-Niklaas.
When we arrived and checked into our hotel, we drove into the center in search of a yummy dinner — and indeed, that is what we found! I had a traditional dish of white asparagus with eggs, oil, and a side of potatoes called Asperges op Vlaamse Wijz while Dad had shrimp scampi. Both of which were delicious! Stomaches yet again filled by good drink and even better food, we returned to our hotel room for the evening and made plans for the next day.
Antwerp, Belgium & Dordrecht, Netherlands — Day 5
Dad and I left out hotel in Sint-Niklaas early in the morning and made our way directly to Antwerp. Our first stop of the day brought us to a large Sunday market just outside the center called the Vogelenmarkt — the Bird Market. Our interests piqued by the idea of an exotic bird market, we made sure to arrive early. Vendors in the square and subsequent side streets sold everything from food, antiques, underwear, flowers, fresh fruit, vegetables, and — of course — tons of birds! After deciding our favorite colored birds — and a few rabbits thrown into the mix — we bought a type of rolled meditation pizza from one of the stalls before we left and drove further into the city.
We made it just in time into the main plaza and joined a walking tour just in the nick of time! During the tour we walked the old streets by the cathedral, saw the old meat market which curiously looked very much like a church, and wandered along the city’s large canal which boasted one of Europe’s largest ports.
As the cathedral was closed for a midday Confirmation ceremony, we had some time to kill. Luckily enough, we didn’t have to wait long before a large parade of The World Mustache & Beard Champions strolled by.
Once the service ended, we entered the cathedral and were able to view some incredible works of art by Ruben. His paintings were so much more detailed than the others in the hall — I was very impressed by Ruben’s impressive ability to capture emotion and drama on the faces of his figures.
After a long morning, Dad and I returned to our car and left the center. However, our day in Antwerp was not done. This time we took a drive to the city’s Central Train Station and Diamond District. The train station had a very intricate marble interior which had Dad repeatedly saying how easily it could be mistaken for a church in his photographs. Nevertheless, the Diamond District was a bit more interesting to me! The many diamond stores which lined the streets around the Station were something that kept drawing us both to their windows. Interestingly enough, Antwerp is the first port of contact for 87% of all the diamond in the world! Additionally, due to that fact, diamonds actually cost 10% less here.
Thoroughly impressed, however without any diamonds, we got back into the car to drive to our next location for the night — Dordrecht. We met our Airbnb host in the very middle of the old, quaint city. We checked in, hauled our stuff into one of his rooms upstairs, and settled in quickly. Dad and I both agreed this small town would be such an idyllic place to raise a family. The canals, cobble stone streets, and old houses, brought the charm to this oldest city in Holland. As it came time to begin searching for dinner, we left our apartment and barely made it out the door before we were drawn to the sight of infamous Dutch Pilforjis — akin to our family’s “Ableskeebers”. Walking inside the shop we found the young store-owner cooking them right in front of us on an 800+ year-old copper stove. He was very nice, and even though we did not stay, he gave us some for free to take with us and try…and boy were they delicious!
After a cheap, yet scrumptious, meal of shawarma for dinner, we walked down the many streets and winding canals while admiring all of the many moored boats. Finally, to finish off the night, we found ourselves inside a bar just around the corner from our apartment for a couple of beers and a good chat with the bartender.
Dordrecht & Kinderdijk, Netherlands — Day 6
Today we woke up early and taking our host’s suggestion caught a Waterbus to the village of Kinderdijk across the river. As it turned out, since we were the only passengers on the voyage that morning, the Capitan let us ride upstairs with him and his mate. We all chatted the entire ride and they even made Dad and I a cup of coffee to enjoy. When it was time to get off, they said not to bother with paying — what a service, and what amazingly nice people! It was a perfect way to start off the morning.
We were dropped off right next to the heritage center where we soon learned that the village held 19 functional windmills. Walking along the canals, we learned a lot about the history, function, and families who had — and currently — call the windmills home. More interestingly, we learned a great deal about the dangers Holland is facing as rising sea levels come a greater threat to this beautiful nation living on average 3 meters below sea level. The area was extremely beautiful and Dad and I had such a great time enjoying ourselves as well as the scenery.
When we finished, we decided to take a bus back to Dordrecht who also happened to not charge us for fare as his meter was broken — lucky us! Once back in the city, we walked around for a long time doing a bit of window shopping. Although closed at the time, we also got to see the Church and Town Hall. After a long day of walking, we returned to our apartment for a little bit to rest.
Soon enough, we found ourselves hungry so we grabbed a few sandwiches for a quick dinner and walked around the city a bit more. It seemed as though we were always finding new places in this small, yet beautiful, town. Then to finish off the night, we returned to the same bar as the night before. We both tasted a wide variety of the local beer selection and had great conversations with the bartender and others at the bar before calling it a night.
The Hague & Spaarndam, Netherlands — Day 7
Dad and I packed and subsequently left our place in Dordrecht early in the morning and drove to our next stop: The Hague. Unfortunately we got a little bit lost on our way, but the car’s GPS saved the day! We decided to park in the downtown area as we did not think we would be staying for long.
Walking around, the city was much more modern than the other cities we had visited, but it was impressive. Other than its modernity, The Hague is better known for its international and political significance. Since there weren’t any tours that day, we first stopped at the Information Office to begin our own self-guided tour. We began at the Houses of Parliament and the Binnenhof; saw the royal palace and stables; toured the Peace Palace which is home of the International Court of Justice and the permanent Court of Arbitration; and finished by the Grote Church. It was too bad that most of the attractions were closed during the early week. However, we were able to enter a side section of the Peace Palace to learn a bit about their role around the world.
While the city is the center of political and diplomatic security in the world, it wasn’t anything like the “old world” villages we had previously been spending our time. That being said, after our tour we left The Hague and began our trek to our next stop: Spaarndam.
We easily found our remote cabin in the village of Spaarndam about 5 kilometers from Haarlem. However, our host was out running errands so we had time to do some exploring of our own before checking in. In an attempt to kill some time, we drove into the adjacent city of Haarlem to get a few ideas for our agenda for the upcoming days. Afterwards, we drove back to the village to find a warm dinner.
Dad and I parked near our lodgings and walked to a cosy restaurant called the The Toerist where we both ordered a delicious slab of peppercorn steak and another round of beers. Beer tasting my way around Belgium and the Netherlands with Dad has been so much fun! So far, I have yet to find a single one that I did not enjoy. Later on and bellies full, we walked to the grocery store to pick up some breakfast items for the couple mornings to come.
Returning to our cabin we met up with our host — she was a very kind lady from Ourense (very close to Vigo) and we also shared the experience of having done the Camino de Santiago! Dad and I finished off the night with big plans to take the bikes out for a spin the following day!
Haarlem & Spaarndam, Netherlands — Day 8
Today was a very full day and one of my favorites! We took the bikes and rode along a small, rural road along a large canal into Haarlem. There were so many types of birds in the fields along the path, and we even stoped to quickly chat with an old fisherman on the side of the road. When we arrived in Haarlem we once again found that no tours were running, so we took it into our own hands.
We began by riding to the single windmill — for grain — in the center and enjoyed the warm day and it’s strong sunshine. From there, we rode our bikes and parked them by St. Bavo’s church. Inside was absolutely incredible! There was a huge organ — which Mozart had played in his youth —and interesting carvings of “Pillar Biters” used to illustrate the fanatic believers of the past.
Dad and I then walked by the shops stopping here and there as something caught our eye. Just out of coincidence, we just so happened to peek into a corner alley to find a tour of the Corrie Ten Boom House. Corrie’s family hid Jewish believers and resistance fighters in their house during the Second World War. Her family was later betrayed and the city’s militia sent her and her family to concentration camps where they stayed until the end of the war. Thankfully, the people hiding in their house were able to escape after two days of being crammed into a false wall. Corrie was the only one in her family to survive the concentration camps due to a clerical error. After the war ended, Corrie spread her story and love for God all around the world. Before her death in California, she wrote many books, gave conferences, and was celebrated around the world. Her story and home were something I think Dad and I were very lucky to have experienced. While it wasn’t the most uplifting part of our afternoon, it was a humbling moment of recognition and remembrance.
That afternoon we took the bikes around the city some more and decided to cross the main canal to see the original Central Gate of the old city. Circling back to the downtown, we stopped for a quick view from a terrace on top of the city’s shopping center. Then, we made the decision to take our bikes back to Spaarndam to explore the many biking paths out there.
Back in the countryside we rode alongside the greenest grasses and bluest skies, a large golf course, and even saw another fisherman in action! The fisherman tapped to hook a large Snook just as we were riding past and Dad helped him take the hook out and release him.
After a short rest back at the cabin and to wash the fishy smell off our hands, we drove across the village to catch our reservation for the night. Earlier in the day, our host made us a reservation for two seats at the table for a local Italian restaurant called Mangio Arte. Everyone at the casual family-style dinner was very friendly. The husband and wife who ran the restaurant were from Milan, Italy, who moved to the Netherlands for a slower pace of life. We sat at a long table with two other gentlemen and had a delicious three course dinner with dessert. Over mouthfuls of creamy rizzoto and lime salmon, we were treated to even better company for the evening. Stomachs stretched and good friends made, we headed back to our cabin for the night.
Amsterdam, Netherlands — Day 9
Today Dad and I woke up at our own pace, but soon found ourselves once again on our bikes headed to the Central Train Station in Haarlem. After leaving our bikes in storage, we caught the next train to Amsterdam!
While our first stop drew us into an irresistible smelling cheese shop, we soon found ourselves joining another Sandeman’s tour group for the day.
While we didn’t see too many main sights of the city during our tour, we did learn a lot about the city’s history and how their past principles rule their current liberal ways of governing. Out of everything, I do have to say that I thought Dad’s favorite part would have to had been the cheese — we ate so many samples!
Finishing the tour we went to see the Anne Frank House. We weren’t able to get tickets, but we were okay with it since we had visited the Corrie Ten Boom House previously. Right down the road from there we stopped for a couple plates of Dutch Pancakes — like thick crepes — and pilfrojis from a place my friend Emily had recommended: The Pancake Bakery.
Walking around Amsterdam we ate a lot of cheese, check out a couple of the “Coffee Shops”, and of course saved the Red light District for last. The Red Light District had a lot of sex shops, Coffee Shops, and — of course — ladies. A very curious profession and area to be certain, it was even more interesting to walk around with your father…however, it was so much fun! We took a break nearby at The Sailor and rested our feet over two very large beers. The vibe in Amsterdam is much different and seemingly younger than the other sleepy towns we had been spending the majority of our time in. For dinner we got Chinese — Dad’s soup was delicious, but left the both of us sweating from the heat!
As it got darker, we decided to take the train back to Haarlem as we still had to ride our bikes back home. Luckily, we got a beautiful sunset from the train to enjoy on the way. We finished off the night with an unforgettable bike ride. The sky was a beautiful hue of blues and purples, and the weather was just right for an evening ride. it was a perfect way to end a perfect vacation.
Back to Brussels — Day 10
Dad and I left our place in Spaarndam in the morning after saying a long goodbye to our host. I think I will forever remember the bicycle riding through the country. Defiantly one of my favorite memories of our time together. We drove straight back to Brussels and stopped for a huge pasta lunch near our hotel, walked through the local park, and visited the town’s church. We weren’t able to check into our hotel right away so we bummed around town for a bit stopping at the grocery store for a few snacks.
Both of us were pretty tired after a full week, so after I finish my “homework” in preparation for the weeks to come we watched the movie “In Bruges”. Set of course in Bruges, we had fun spotting all of the small bridges and alleyways we had walked together earlier in the week. Soon, after a great night in enjoying the little bit of time we had left together, we called it a night.
On to New Adventures — Day 11
We checked out of The Hobbit Motel and Dad soon after dropped me off at the airport. Saying our goodbyes, we already agreed it was time to start making plans for the whole family to come together soon! After a big hug, I took off on my flight to Dublin and Dad headed out to spend the rest of his day before his flight that evening exploring Brussels for himself.
Dad and I had such a great time on our adventure and exploration of Belgium and the Netherlands. Everyone we encountered were very nice, we ate so much incredible food and drank even better beers, and saw every type of city there was to see. I think we could both agree that the smaller villages were our favorites in comparison to the bigger ones, but we never found ourselves having a poor time. My favorite and most memorable parts were during our tour of Bruges and bike riding throughout Spaarndam and Haarlem. Kinderdijk was a very happy surprise which provided us with a perfect day to be outside. Nevertheless, our time together happened to make for a pretty unforgettable trip! Among these laid back towns, we easily enjoyed the slow, magical, and timeless feel these places seemed to bring. Now, I’m off to a grand new adventure. I can’t wait as to what will come next!
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