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Day 2

  Time to say goodbye, Ghent!

Morning.

Outside it was cold and the previous evening we returned late after a ride through the streets and breweries of the city of Ghent.
The radiators were at full capacity but getting up from bed was a leap of faith 😀
A new town was waiting for us so, after getting up we got dressed faster then a lightning, we went downstairs to have breakfast and after half an hour of talking with our hosts we were ready to go! Their kids are fantastic, the eldest son is able to speak 4 languages and he is only a kid! Unbelievable how he switches from one language to another to make his life easier, although not the life of the listeners 😀
What to do now? First of all we went to have another breakfast at Paul Boulangerie: we saw some delicious cakes that it would have been a pity not to taste them!

So, full of energy we were really really ready to go!

We will kill you, wind!

The road to Bruges is really easy and flat, you can follow the sign to N9 till Koning Leopold Straat and then follow the canal named “Kanal Gent-Brugge”. Roads are really clean and safe so you shouldn’t have problems.

Let us

stay here! 😀

The only thing you need to be careful of is a small detour to Knesselare that you should follow otherwise you will find yourself like us and other cyclists in front of a bridge under construction with the road closed, and this will make you lengthen your trip by 4 km.
In addition, following the river you will not find any restaurant, so if you detour to Knesselare you will definitely have more opportunity to find a
restaurant or shop open!

Anyways, both the routes are beautiful and surrounded by infinite green fields, populated by cows, chickens, and weird animals that Bruno decided to call….. drumrolllllllll……. WEIRD KANGAROOS! Exactly, Ladies and Gentlemen, exactly. Weird Kangaroos! We do not have any photo of the weird kangaroos (Arthur: I think that they don’t exist, but don’t tell this to Bruno).
And cows, cows everywhere, and do you want to know something about cows?
THIS PHOTO!

After a little discussion and some mooing Arthur sent a photo of the cow to his mother and when he got back home he found it on the wall.
A little bit disturbing btw
But you know what is funny too? Bruno while eating at the local carrefour in Knesselare! (as I said before there are no restaurants along the river so we did a detour to this little town). Look at him eating a gorgeous sandwich!
For the next trips we promise to inform ourself better about the wind! Being Bruges close to the sea and us in its direction we have found a killer wind against us for almost the entire track! Buuut as we said in the last article the best thing to do in this situation is to change your attitude into a smile! And swear. Just a little bit, it could help! 😀
After the stop in Knesselare we decided to continue riding through the little villages following the N337 and sooo we left the canal! We suggest to follow this route too because the villages are pretty and deserve to be viewed 😀
Last kilometeres sweating like children at the park we reached Bruges!

Can you hear

the wind?

TIP:
Check the weather first. If it’s a windy day and you aren’t ready for it, don’t choose the “Kanal path”, but the “Little country path”. It’s more sheltered from wind and you shouldn’t suffer it. Just follow the N461 until Knesselare, then it will begin the N337, that reaches directly Bruges.

What to say? We were really lucky, apart from the wind it was a hot and sunny day and also this time we reached the city one hour before the sunset.

Blast from the past: Bruges

Bruges is a pearl, of course touristic but very charming!
Bruges is a blast from the past, she is romantic, it’s like to live in a painting.
Cobblestone roads that thread under beautiful brick arches, and pass through beautiful houses and wonderful
stone churches. And how not to mention the canals that cross and embrace this beautiful city?

If you are a couple don’t miss this Unesco heritage city because it is very romantic. Our girls wanted to kill us for going there without them!

As soon as we arrived in the city we found ourselves in front of the imposing, Gothic, Sint-Salt-Salvatorskathedraal.
Breathtaking at daytime and fascinating at night when it is all illuminated. A MUST SEE!
Bruges is a city to explore by bike or by foot, especially Markt, the central square, where Belfort is located! Belfort tower is one of the symbols of the city and used to control the territory. If you want you can visit and climb it to watch one of the best landscapes of Belgium.
We visited it only from the outside due to the long queue.
The square is surrounded by historic buildings, among which there is the Historium, where you can wear magic glasses and catapult yourself in the virtual reality at 360 degrees of Bruges of the Fifteenth century.
After the visit of the city center we were a little bit tired and desirous of a bed where to lay for the rest of day so we decided to reach our hotel! Last 2 km with a pain in the ass literally but aware that the next day we would have had the wind behind us.
For this second day we chose to stay in a hotel, and for this, after much research, we found the hotel right for us: Hotel Velotel, but before leaving the sky gave us a beautiful
show: a rainbow blown up from nowhere, without it having rained, right in Markt, and a gorgeous sunset! Hey Bruges, do you love us?! 😀

The hotel is not far from the city center, just 2 km but by bike it’s very close to!
As you noticed we rarely decide to sleep in the city center and this is because we love to see the less touristic part of the city, the local’s houses, the parks and so on.
We had a really good experience in this hotel. At the arrival we had been welcomed by the front office manager Geert with a glass of juice and this made us very comfortable. He is an easy going person and a good feeling immediately!

If you are a bikewanderer like us we really recommend you this hotel because is Bike friendly indeed it has a large deposit for the bikes! 🙂

The room was pretty and clean and you can’t imagine how Bruno was happy to see the coffee machine inside!

You have to know that he is Napolitan so he doesn’t have blood in his veins but coffee. A lot of coffee.

Obviously, there are no shortages of figures!
We don’t know who is to blame, but one of us has forgotten Bruno’s bag outside the room and at the moment of taking the shower we couldn’t find it. We started looking for the bag in the wardrobe, under the bed, in the bathroom, we couldn’t find  it and at some point Bruno heard someone knocking. He asked Arthur if he had heard it but Arthur replied that he had knocked on the closet so no one knocked. Bottom line Arthur went down to the reception desk to ask if they had found the bag and here is explained  the knocking on the door! It was the cleaning agent who knocked to ask if that dead bag on the floor was ours: D

Ok. Let’s forget about it!
After the shower we were really hungry so we went back to the city center to eat something and visit the city at night!
Eating in the city center is not cheap, about 24-30 Euros for a main dish, more than a flight ticket from Milan to Brussels. LOL

After dinner we had a walk in the city center to see Markt again. Its lights are really suggestive and the little streets is something you shouldn’t miss.

There are a lot of pubs so you can do a lot of things in the evening.
Upon returning to the hotel we met Geert who was dismantling from his shift and the receptionist so we stopped to talk about our stay in Bruges and our journey. We also took a photo with them!

Sleeptime! Longest ride of the tour for us the day after!
Next week we will talk about how we reached Antwerp and the rail network in Belgium. We will give you some nice tips about bikes and trains 😀
Thanks for following us and keep pedaling!

Arthur and Bruno

Just before to start, we wanna introduce you to this tour.

We’ll divide it in 4 posts, one for each day that we toured:

1. From Bruxelles to Ghent;
2. From Ghent to Bruges;
3. From Bruges to Antwerp;
4. Back to Bruxelles.

It’s time  to start. Take a seat. 😀

DAY 1

Bruxelles: Time To Ride!

Early, early in the morning, but very early in the morning, as usual, we got up to take the plane to reach Brussels.

After a double breakfast, one at home and another at the airport, we took the plane and once we reached Brussels we decided to have another breakfast in one of the fabulous bakeries of the city center! We love to stay healty ah! 😀

Once we arrived, after the breakfast I mean, we rented two city bikes at Velo Central.
The bikes were quite good, not the best  for traveling but they’re okay for 40-50 kms a day.

The main flaw is that they didn’t have an insurance for bicycle theft, so you should  better lock your bike and if possible, bring it inside your Airbnb or choose a hotel with a bike deposit.

I’m not saying that Belgium isn’t safe but in case someone steals your bike you will have to pay €350.

If you wanna travel by bike but you’re not a ruptured cyclotourist we suggest you to bring your own bike, or at least combine your riding with trains! 🙂  We will talk about rail network and bycicle in the future posts!

There are many bike rentals (ProVelò, Cyclo, Villo!, BlueBike) in the city (not too much in reality) and they offers quite the same prices.  Villo and BlueBike are not good for traveling but only for the city).

Since we have decided to visit Bruxelles at the end of our trip and not in the first day, after a quick look around, we left the city for Ghent.

Due to the high-traffic Brussels wasn’t an easy city to cycle, even though it is full of cycle paths. A lot of cars invade the lanes for cyclists but once you get out of the city everything turns out to be a paradise! After few kilometres of uphill climb and the incredible traffic in Molenbeek, the Islamic district of Brussels, the road became free and the fun started! 😀

Road To Ghent!

Cycling in Belgium is really easy and well organized. As we said in the last article the country is almost entirely covered with cycle path and indications. To reach Ghent we followed the road N9, that connects Brussels directly to Ghent. It’s the best way to reach the city, even though the first part goes up and down hill! So prepare your legs and your motivation! 😀

LET’S UP

& DOWN! 😀

You can do this route with all kind of bikes. It’s about 55km and the cycle path condition was pretty good, just pay attention if you use a fixed, ’cause the steady climbs and downs could cause you some issues. We saw a lot of  e-bikes during this track 🙂

We did a little stop in Aalst, a little town in the middle, where we ate at the local Spar.

Unlike our expectations, food wasn’t bad; on the contrary, Belgian cuisine is very good!

You know,we are italian and hard to please with food but we didn’t eat any Italian food in those day, just to say.  😛

We will talk about it in the further post. In Aalst we ate just a sandwich 🙂

After the break we covered the last 30 km upwind, a killer wind, but of course if you are a cyclist know that the best thing to do in this situation is to change your attitude, change your attitude into a smile! 😀

Outside Aalst we realized that the landscape had changed. We found ourselves in the Flanders with beautiful canals, uphill and green fields. It’s hard not to fall in love with this part of the country!

Enjoy it! 🙂

AN

ESCALATION

OF

FLANDERS

BEAUTY!

Show us your beauty, Ghent!

A little bit tired because of the early get up, we arrived in Ghent at 5 p.m.

What to say about Ghent?

Ghent is one of the most fascinating city of Belgium, the gem of the Flanders such as the “rival” Bruges but less touristic. Its city center is full of interesting museums, art galleries and nice shops. Unesco heritage site, the city center is Emile Breunsplein, the most photographed part of the city where the cathedral Sint-Baafskathedraal is located.

If you, like Bruno, love the gothic style, YOU WILL LOVE GHENT.

St. Bavo’s Cathedral is the symbol of gothic style in this town and is really famous for housing a masterpiece of the Reinaissance: Jan and Hubert Van Eyck’s The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb also known as The Ghent Altarpieces. The cathedral also hosts some beautiful artworks by the painter Rubens.

There is a lot to do in Ghent: we suggest you to stay there a couple of days and don’t miss the Castle of the Counts built by Philip of Alsace in 1180, the Belfry Tower that is the proudest city symbol of indipendence and the Cloth hall.

Time to reach our Airbnb now, so after a couple of hours wandering in the city center we followed Coupure river to reach our host house: “Swonnie“!

We were a little bit excited to make this experience and I can say that our expectations have been met fully!

Tom and his family welcomed us very warmly, we felt like we were longtime friends.

He speaks 8 languages so if you ever go to visit him he will surely talk in your language better than the national average of your country 😀

As we said in the last post many people use AirBnb because it is cheaper than hotels and you can find a room even in the city center for a bunch of Euro. But, as we think, the soul of AirBnb isn’t just a matter of money but also a cultural exchange with your host.

Furthermore, we had the opportunity to stay in a typical Belgian house and to climb its typical stairs 😀

Belgian houses could be a bit weird for people who come from “ South Europe” because we have a different architecture style: Belgian houses are narrow and tall, built on several floors connected by steep staircases.

They were so little that we did them in a kind of slow motion!

For dinner we went back to the city center and ate a gourmet burger at Ellis, a nice restaurant in Korenmarkt, a square located in the city center and one of the most touristic location of the city because of the several historical buildings.

After dinner and few beers we did a night ride through the beautiful streets near Vrijdagmarkt.

The atmosphere was pure magic, this neighbourhood really deserves a walk at night because of the beautiful lighting of the buildings! It was like a ride in the past! 🙂

Belgian people really know how to enhance their cities, for example with the promotion of their local brewery. Each town have own typical beers.

GREAT! FOR US! 😛

At the end of the day we were really tired but also happy: we really wanted to visit Belgium and we were about to abandon the idea of visiting this country in those days for some organizational difficulties with work, but you know, nothing can stop a nomad mind! 😀

In the next post we will talk about the second day: from Gand to Bruges, so if you like our adventure stay tuned! 😀

Keep pedaling guys!! 😀

Arthur & Bruno

Hello dear friends!

We have just returned from Belgium and we are happy to say that it has been a really beautiful experience.
We read a lot about this country and we were really curious to discover it with our wheels (not really our, we rented two city bikes “adapted for travelling”).
This time, differently from our trip in The Netherlands where we booked only hotels, we decided to try AirBnb in two cities: Gand and Antwerp.
AirBnb is a platform where people can share their houses or a room with travelers and differently from an hotel you can spend time with your host, talking about everything you want.
So, why to choose AirBnb or any other sharing accomodation platform as Couchsurfing?
Many people use AirBnb because it is cheaper than hotels and you can find a room even in the city center for a bunch of Euro. But, as we think, the soul of AirBnb isn’t just a matter of money but also a cultural exchange with your host. It’s great opportunity to discover a country not only as a tourist but live like a local or just get recommendations for “secret spots” and good restaurant from people in-the-know.

We met very beautiful people during our stays. We met the polyglotal Tom (he knows 8 languages), his wife and their beautiful children that hosted us in their cozy and typical house in Gand. With a glass of white wine in our hands, we talked about politics, living in Flanders and the difference in accent between North Italy and South Italy having a lot of fun.

In Antwerp, our host Bart, really suprised us with his house and his “tatami bed”, especially Arthur was really excited because of the Vynil collection from Chopin to Radiohead and many more. And of course Murakami’s books. And of course the tatami. And of course everything. Lol

During our trip to Belgium we didn’t use only AirBnb but also a hotel and the house of a friend: we stayed in Brugge at Velotel hotel because of their bike friendly attitude and the distance from the city center and in Bruxelles in the house of a friend from Italy that is now studying in Belgium.

In the next articles we will talk about all this, we will tell you everything, from the first morning to the last afternoon, from the waterfall of beer and the Belgian food to the cycle culture of the country.

You have to know that Belgium is a country for cyclotourist, the cyclepaths cover almost all the territory and the drivers always respect the cyclist. If a driver blows the horn is because you’re doing something wrong

We will tell you about how Arthur blew a tire 7 km before Bruxelles in the middle of nowhere and how he pushed the bike to the station, how Bruno almost damaged his knee playing football at the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

We will also talk about the excellent rail network that allows you to transport your bike wherever you want 🙂

If you want to know details about Belgium all you have to do is select one of the following link:

• Chapter 1: Ghent Lover!
• Chapter 2 : Weird kangaroo, killer wind and lovely Bruges
• Chapter 3: road to Antwerp
• Chapter 4: To Brussels with Beers!
• Belgium in a Nutshell

Stay tuned and keep pedaling guys!

Arthur And Bruno – BikesPhilosophy