Trip Journal: Belgium, Austria and Slovakiafeatured

by Nicole on May 8, 2019

I don’t feel like I say yes as much as I should (or even as much as I want to).

I could probably recite to you every opportunity I’ve turned down over the past five years because it just wasn’t something I should do. I shouldn’t spend the money. Or put in for the extra days off. It’s crazy. I shouldn’t do it. Banff. Bogotá. Iceland. Madrid. Portugal. I could have written a book about the around-the-world adventures I haven’t let myself go on.

I have these conversations with my friends all the time. There’s always a new place to go and there’s always a very practical reason not to. After all, I’m not a professional traveler – I’m a professional who travels. I’m a professional at a company with a flexible PTO policy and that helps sometimes, but even that has its limits, you know? I’m a professional first, and since I’d like to keep it that way, I try not to be egregious about taking too much time off.

At some point over two years, though, I got really tired of saying no. With every opportunity I’ve turned down because of some misplaced sense of guilt – taking the extra days off, spending the money, seeing the world without my family there to see it, too – there’s never been a time where I’ve said no and later on thought to myself Gosh, I’m so glad I didn’t go.

So when my friend Keri got sent to Belgium for work and asked me if I wanted to tag along, I was really tired of saying no. I had more than enough miles to cover my flight, the hotel was covered and I’d never been to Belgium before. And Keri and I have very similar travel goals (read: our goal is to travel everywhere and visit as many countries as we can get to!), so I knew we’d have one crazy adventure beyond Belgium.

There was only one thing… she left for Belgium the same day I flew home from Spain after my Horizon cruise. It was crazy. It was completely unlike me. Go to Europe for two and a half weeks, come home for a week and then go back to Europe?! Who DOES that?!

And that’s exactly why I did it.

Many people (ahem, Hi Mom) tell me that I have time to travel, that I rush into some of these trips and that I can travel when I’m older, when I’m retired or at least more settled… but what if that day never comes? What if it does and I have an entirely different set of circumstances that don’t make traveling ideal? Why wait to see the world then when I can see the world now, while I’m still (relatively) young, financially stable and free of any commitments beyond my job and my apartment lease? I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve missed my chance to visit these places and experience all these cultures. I want to wake up any day…every day…and say today is another day I get the privilege of living however I see fit doing something that brings me joy — something that I’ll tell stories about for years to come.

So I booked a ticket to Belgium to meet up with Keri. And because we were both flying all the way to Europe anyways, we decided that one country wouldn’t be enough – we wanted to go bold. So we tacked on a trip to Vienna. And one morning while we were in Vienna, we woke up and decided to daytrip to Bratislava to visit a donut shop I saw on Instagram. Who wakes up and decides I think I’ll go to Slovakia for some donuts today? Exactly.

My itinerary looked like this:

Fly from Chicago to Finland
Connect in Finland to Brussels
Take the train from Brussels to Antwerp to meet up with Keri
One full day to explore Belgium: Antwerp to Ghent to Brussels back to Antwerp
Fly from Brussels to Vienna
Daytrip: take the train from Vienna to Bratislava
One full day in Vienna
Fly from Vienna to London
Connect in London to Charlotte
Connect in Charlotte to Chicago

Sound exhausting? There aren’t even words. Oh, and I worked most of the days we were there, too. By the time we were getting back to the hotel in the evenings, the work day was starting back home in Chicago and I’d log on to get my work done.

Even with the late nights? Still worth it. So here’s how it went…

Belgium

How we got there:

So Keri was already in Belgium, which meant I was traveling halfway across the world solo. I’ve done plenty of flights by myself before, but I’d never flown internationally by myself before. I had a stockpile of American Aadvantage miles, accumulated over a few years of flying, plenty of dollars spent on the Aadvantage Citi Card and a generous sign up bonus.

Nine times out of ten, redeeming flights with miles on American will yield results on British Airways, which would be fine if it weren’t for the fact that redeeming on long haul flights with British Airways tacks on hundreds of dollars in extra fees if you connect through Heathrow (which is…every flight from the US to Europe via British Airways). In a stroke of divine intervention, after a day or two of searching, I found availability on Finnair, one of American’s oneworld partners, and quickly booked that up.

So on a Monday evening, I took the El to O’Hare after work and made my way to Terminal 5, the International Terminal. Can you believe in my entire life, of all the flights I’ve taken, I’d never flown out of O’Hare’s international terminal?! It was a little thrill, for sure, if for nothing else, there’s an RJ Grunt’s there and that’s my favorite Chicago burger joint.

…I didn’t eat at Grunt’s though. Instead, I made my way to the Air France lounge because I was flying business class! I figured if I was flying over an ocean, by myself, overnight, I may as well have a lay flat bed, right? Logic. Anyways, Finnair doesn’t have its own lounge, but it offered access to the Air France lounge, where they had a full make-any-drink-you-want bar and a ton of snacks, a hot bar with soups and pasta dishes and a fridge full of pre-made sandwiches and salads from another one of my local favorites, Goddess and Grocer. I grabbed a plate and a glass of red wine and tried to settle my nerves. I was *so* excited, but also so nervous to be doing this myself.

When boarding began, I noticed the business class section was a little light on passenger load. It turned out, on the entire flight, there were only 60 passengers! Isn’t that crazy? So even if I didn’t have business class, I probably could have made a poor man’s air couch with my own row and been fine, but let me tell you: business class on Finnair was an experience!

The business class cabin had a staggered seating arrangement, where one row would have two seats by two seats by two seats and the next would be one by two by one. The one seat rows (“throne seats”) weren’t any bigger in seat width, but had much more personal space on either side of the seat. I grabbed one of these at booking, and it was perfect for traveling by myself. The seat reclined into a full lay flat bed and had a large seatback screen with plenty of movies to keep entertained with, as well as options to view cameras on the tail and belly of the plane (pro tip: don’t watch these during takeoff).

As I was settling in, a flight attendant came to offer me a glass of fruit juice and hand me an amenity kit and slippers (both featuring patterns by my fave Finnish designer, Marimekko), as well as a menu for dinner and breakfast.

If I could have flown around the world in this seat, I would have. The eight and a half hour flight from Chicago to Helsinki was just not enough! The seat was so comfy (both upright and reclined into a bed) and I actually got a decent night’s sleep, arriving in Finland nice and rested. The service was top notch – my glass never went empty and I never wanted for a single thing. And the food. My goodness. Airplane food isn’t always the best and I wasn’t expecting anything gourmet, but everything was so delicious. The amuse bouche? Served in a crystal bowl. My gin and tonic? Best one I’ve ever had. And when dessert came and I was pondering which option I wanted, they just brought me everything on the dessert menu *and* matched a wine pairing to it. How do you not love that?!

I woke up to the sun rising over the Atlantic, filling the cabin with these gorgeous pink hues. A hot breakfast and tea service were served as we glided closer to Helsinki.

We arrived in Finland in the early morning hours and the airport was quiet of the usual hustle and bustle you’d find in an international airport for a major city (except for the whizzing by of flight attendants on Finnair-branded razor scooters!). I made my way through border patrol, got a new stamp in my passport and made my way back into the main terminal. Before I headed off to the Finnair lounge, though, I made a stop in the Marimekko shop (her patterns are just so fun and remind me of our trip through Scandinavia in 2017!) and at the first convenience shop I saw so I could pick up an obscene amount of Lakerol – Stephanie’s favorite Scandinavian candies (fun story: when I flew home, the TSA agents in Charlotte hand searched my backpack because I had so many boxes of these candies and they thought I was smuggling back drugs. That was a fun convo…).

The airport kind of reminded me of Ikea, with it’s simple designs, neutral colors and themed spaces. I love Ikea, and Scandinavia for that matter, so it was so much fun just being in the airport. I love airports. Is it just me?

I had a few hours to kill before my connecting flight, so I made my way to the Finnair lounge, which was lofted on top of the main terminal. The lounge was massive, with multiple rooms, living walls, massage chairs that claim to counteract the effects of jetlag and best of all, an expansive spread of Finnish delicacies. I logged on to work and updated a few of my decks in between nibbles.

The flight from Helsinki to Brussels was much, much shorter than my inbound flight, clocking in at two and a half hours. I was flying business class on this leg, too, but my seat was just a regular seat. Maybe a little bigger. There were no seatback TV’s or power outlets, but I did have a window seat to keep me entertained. And even though the flight was short, we were given plenty of food, including a bag of pretzels served with any drink we wanted (champs please!) followed by a full hot meal. I had pre-ordered a vegetarian meal since options on these short flights can be limited and I’m a picky eater, and my meal looked much better than what was served to everyone else and was crazy filling!

Smooth skies led us to an on-time arrival and before I knew it, I was in Belgium. Keri was staying in Antwerp, a charming town about 40 minutes away from the Brussels airport. A taxi would have been the easiest option but I really don’t like taxi’s because they’re expensive (especially in Europe) and because it makes me a little uneasy when I’m alone in a foreign country where I don’t speak the native language (which in Belgium is Dutch). Thankfully, like most of Europe’s major metropolitan cities, Brussels has an extensive train system that will take you right from the airport directly to many of the surrounding cities – including Antwerp. There were tons of signs around the baggage claim area, as well as an automated ticketing machine. It couldn’t have been easier (especially for an aforementioned someone traveling internationally for the first time alone who speaks not a single word of Dutch). And, plus, while the drive to Antwerp is around 40 minutes from the airport, the train ride is less than 25 minutes and it only costs something around €12.

Antwerp Central Station is located in the heart of Antwerp’s Old Town and it is a stunning station. Something about it just conjured up this old time nostalgia of classic train stations with ornate details and high ceilings. And like a true pal, Keri came to meet me at the train station and helped me with my luggage on the 20-minute walk to our hotel.

Where We Stayed:

Because I was tagging along on a work trip, where we stayed in Belgium was already decided by the nature of the trip: we’d be staying in Antwerp, which happens to be the second biggest region in the country. I don’t know if I would have chosen to stay in Antwerp before my visit, but I’d definitely choose it again now that I’ve been there.

We stayed at the Hilton Antwerp, which was smack dab in the center of Old Town, within walking distance to anywhere and everything. There were a ton of cafes and shops steps outside the hotel and the city of Antwerp is just so charming. Best of all, though, was that while Antwerp is full of all of the great things I love about metropolitan cities in Europe, it was so much quieter than Brussels. The streets weren’t jammed full of people, the pace was a little slower and that really gave me the space I needed to see and experience all that it had to offer. The food, the architecture, the magnificent structures, the culture…that’s all there. But the aggressive street vendors, super commercialized tourism, sites too full of people to truly see what’s in front of you – Antwerp was wonderfully void of any of that. And with it’s central location and easy transit to both the airport and nearby cities of interest (Brussels, Ghent and Bruges), it was the perfect home port for our trip.

What We Did:

Snapped the Antwerp Sites

I didn’t have a ton of time in Antwerp – a few hours the night I arrived and a few hours the next night – but thankfully, Antwerp is small and easily walkable. The main attraction is the Cathedral of Our Lady, a church built in the gothic style that was built in the 1500s. We had a nice view of it from our room, but seeing it in person lit up at night was an absolutely magnificent sight! The Grote Markt, Antwerp’s town square, was another one I really enjoyed. I’m a sucker for unique architecture and the buildings in the Grote Markt (and really, throughout Belgium) were largely designed in that distinctive Flemish Renaissance style, so regal and elaborate. But the most interesting site in Antwerp was the Nello & Patrache Statue of a little boy cuddling his dog, a tribute to the book A Dog of Flanders. The sidewalk forms the blanket that’s draped over them and it’s a piece of public art that’s really so innocent and tranquil.

Took In Belgium’s Unique Architecture via Canal

Much like Copenhagen (one of my favorite cities in the world!), one of the best ways to enjoy Belgium’s unique architecture is by canal, and there are two primary Belgian cities tourists (like me!) flock to for some scenic canal time: Bruges and Ghent. Most tourists will go to Bruges because it’s the more well-known of the two. Keri and I headed to Ghent for a couple of reasons, namely that it’s less crowded than Bruges and because it’s a college town (Ghent University has more than 43,000 students!), prices were a little lower, too.

Ghent was a short train ride from Antwerp (just under an hour, with trains running direct between the two cities) and we were immediately smitten with the calm, cool vibe. We wandered around on foot for a few hours, eating waffles grilled fresh on street carts and snapping pictures of the colorful streets. Ghent is a city you could easily lose yourself in for hours. We did, and enjoyed every second of it!

But before we left for Brussels, we had to get in a canal cruise. Touring Copenhagen’s canals was a highlight of my trip back in 2017 and at €7.5, it was a downright steal. Once our boat filled up (ten or twelve people – it wasn’t a ton), we set out down the canal for an hour long tour. Seeing the town on foot was special on its own, but seeing it from the water was truly magnificent. The architecture is just so unique and the buildings are so colorful. I couldn’t stop snapping pictures. Our guide would slow the boat in some spaces to give us the history of what we were seeing (like Gravensteen, a medieval castle that dated back to the 1100’s!), or point out interesting pieces of life in Ghent (like the signs from residents protesting the very boat tours we were on because they believe the noise pollution is disruptive). And, making things even better, even though the weather had been cloudy and gray all morning, by the time we got on our boat, the sun finally peeked out. I couldn’t imagine any better way to enjoy such a lovely place.

Mom and I will be on the Mardi Gras inaugural (did I announce that yet? If I didn’t, surprise! We’ll be on the Mardi Gras inaugural), and the day we dock in Belgium, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll find us in Ghent, on a canal boat, probably with a waffle in hand.

…and Did Some Shopping, Too

Ghent was filled with cafes, beautiful architecture and history – all things I love. But if you know me well enough, you know that this girl loves to shop and I can’t leave anywhere without buying something to bring a piece of these new places home with me. In Ghent, that meant picking up a box of Belgian chocolates. As we were walking across Korenmarkt (the city center), I could smell the heavenly aroma of chocolate before I even spotted Chocolou, a local chocolatier. We just had to stop in and it was the most adorable shop with a super friendly owner, who offered us samples and masterfully hand-selected a mix of different confections based on the preferences I gave her. I brought back a pretty heavy box of chocolates (€11! Can you BELIEVE?!) that I pecked at for weeks after I got back home. It was like having a little bit of Belgium back home with me.

And then there was Primark.

Have you heard of Primark? I never had before this trip, but Keri knew of it from her trips to London and she was obsessed. It’s like this H&M slash Monoprix lovechild with trendy clothes, shoes, accessories, even home goods, and it’s all super cheap. I think I spent, like, €70 and I came out with a haul – sweatshirts emblazoned with cute sayings like Bonjour Weekend (perfect for my trips to Paris!), the cutest pajama sets, swim cover ups with neon tassels, cotton maxi dresses, face masks, shoes…I did some damage.

Visited the Big Sites of the Big City

I couldn’t visit Belgium and not see those beautifully guilded buildings of the Grand Place in Brussels. Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels form this almost perfect triangle on a map, so we started our day in Antwerp, we spent most of the day in Ghent and then we detoured to Brussels on our way back to Antwerp.

The ride to Brussels took just under an hour and left us right in front of the Brussels Stock Exchange, which was a rather regal looking building with tall columns and many steps where a good number of tourists seemed to congregate. Everything we wanted to see was well within walking distance and since we knew we didn’t have many hours of daylight left, we set right out for the Grand Place.

Known as the Grote Markt locally, the Grand Place is this central square that’s boxed in by some pretty opulent structures – the King’s House, the Town Hall and a number of guild houses. Each structure is unique, but incredibly ornate, many of them decorated in regal gold accents. When we visited, golden hour was setting in so everything was swathed in rich sunlight or harsh shadows – an absolutely stunning juxtaposition!

After the Grand Place, we set out for our next destination, the Manneken Pis, a statue that was a quick walk down the street. Or, at least, it should have been a quick walk, but in typical fashion, with so many streets leading out from the Grand Place, we headed down the wrong one and the walk took a little longer. But, also in typical fashion, a wrong turn led us down a busy street filled with (more) waffle shops, (more) chocolate shops and we even came across this beautiful shopping plaza with a beautiful glass ceiling. When I Googled it, I realized we had come across Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert – the oldest shopping mall in Europe! If you’ve read enough of these, you’ll know that few things bring me as much joy as a good shopping trip, so coming across this place as randomly as we did was such a pleasant surprise.

We snapped our pictures and then continued on our walk to the Manneken Pis. So, you’ve probably heard of the Manneken Pis. Less formally, it’s known as the peeing statue because, well, that’s what it is. The current landmark that draws millions of visitors annually (I’m not kidding – millions of people go to Brussels to see a statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain and I can’t cast stones because I’m now one of them!) is actually a replica. The original bronze statue was made in the early 1600s and now sits in one of the city museums. It’s kind of funny – the Manneken Pis has no real historical significance. It wasn’t crafted by a famous artist and it doesn’t have any wild and crazy stories behind it. Rather, it’s quirkiness just kind of embodies the unique spirit of the city and as part of that, the statue has more than 800 (!!!!!) costumes. That’s right – millions of people every year flock to a statue of a boy peeing into a fountain because it gets dressed up in these seasonal costumes that range from soccer jerseys to formal tuxedos to service uniforms. There’s even a published calendar online of what outfits he’ll be wearing on what dates. Unfortunately for us, he wasn’t dressed up in any of his costumes when we visited. More disappointing was coming up to the site and realizing just how small the statue is (basically the size of an American Girl doll, if not slightly larger) and how small the viewing area is. People were even pushing and shoving to take pictures with it! Isn’t that crazy?!

Brussels was interesting to me in that we were able to see the biggest main sites in just a couple of hours and we left feeling completely satisfied with what we saw and how much time we spent there. Don’t get me wrong – I could have spent hours more diving deeper into the culture and the history – but I also didn’t feel like I lost out on anything by not spending more time there.

Ate All the Stereotypical Belgian Food

If you go to Belgium and don’t have a waffle, were you ever really in Belgium? I had three food priorities for my trip: frites, waffles and chocolate. I scratched beer off the list because, for the life of me, I still can’t drink beer without my face scrunching up like I just sucked on a lemon.

My first night in Antwerp, we headed to a nearby frites stand for dinner (#vacationdiet y’all!). There were dozens of them in Antwerp and man, they do them so right. Hand-cut, fried to order, crunchy and salty and, you guys, they serve them with so many different sauces! I skipped the mayo-based ones because mayo is a no-go for me, but there were still so many others – flavored ketchups, fancy mustards and all kinds of tasty concoctions that pair perfectly with those fresh frites.

On day two, we started with waffles and coffee at a grab and go shop on our walk to the train station. They weren’t anything fancy, but they were warm and sugary and while I’m sure they’d be nothing special to most, I thought they were SO good!

And then, when we were in Ghent, we were just walking through town and this aroma hit us – this sweet waft of sugar that permeated the air. Waffles, freshly baked on a street cart. But Nicole, girl, you just had waffles for breakfast before you left Antwerp. Yep. Sure did. And then I had street waffles for lunch. Regrets? Zero. And, for the record, Belgian waffles do, indeed, taste better in Belgium.

And, fun fact about Brussels: it has more than 135 restaurants per square mile, one of the highest densities of restaurants in the world. And we totally intended on having a nice dinner while we were there…except we were so full from our breakfast waffles and our lunch waffles that we couldn’t even think about dinner. Something to aim for next time.