#belgianfries

So we’re currently sat in a tent in rainy Berlin, at the end of our first week. I have probably learnt more about European culture in the last 7 days than I have ever done in the rest of my life! So, here are the totals so far:

Miles travelled by car: 869 Miles walked: 57.8 Cities visited: 4 Burgers eaten: 0 😔 Thing learnt this week: Free walking tours are awesome.

Bruges: So first stop on our trip was the lovely Bruges. We found a campsite just outside the town, and walked in to the centre. We were wondering what to do when I spotted a couple of guys with giant red umbrellas, advertising a free walking tour. We figured we’d check it out (it was free, so why not?). It turns out, free walking tours are great - the guides really know their stuff, and really try to entertain and educate you, because the more they impress, the more likely you are to tip! We were shown around Bruges by our guide, and he taught us all about the history of the town throughout the medieval times, the old hospital, the cloth halls, and much more. It was two hours well spent, and we learnt a lot about the town that we would probably never have known! The tour was called the Legends of Bruges tour, and I highly recommend it. After the tour we got ourselves some Belgian waffles, covered in fruit and Belgian chocolate, which the vendor put a Belgian flag in for us! We also had some Belgian fries (apparently the Belgian people are really bitter that everyone calls the French Fries).

The campsite (Camping Memling) was really nice, and the perfect distance to walk to town from. Although it was very quiet, and we did feel like we would be told off if we spoke too loudly!

Amsterdam: In Amsterdam we stayed at Camping Zeeburg, on the edge of the city. The first night we walked in to town to watch the sunset, and managed to time it perfectly with a free ferry ride across the river, and got to watch the sun go down from the water. The second day we got up early and headed in to the city, to try and hit all the sights on our list: we took our picture at the “I Amsterdam” sign behind the Rijksmuseum, took a tour around Coster Diamonds (they do the Queen’s jewellery), popped in to the Apple Store to charge our phones, went to the floating flower market, visited the “bridge of 15 bridges”, saw the Begijnhof, saw the Anne Frank house and went to the Sexmuseum. Busy day! On our last morning we headed up to the Zaanse Schans, a tourist attraction with 8 traditional windmills. We ended up buying some cheese and some Stroopwaffels. Pictures to come later (when I have wifi!)

Camping Zeeburg was nice, but I think was more aimed at the ‘festival crowd’ - it has very lively atmosphere with its own bar, and everyone around smoking weed (which is, of course, legal in the Netherlands).

Hamburg: Hamburg was just a quick stopover on our way to Berlin, to break up the journey a bit. We stayed at the K 357 Stadtunterkunft Hamburg hostel, which was actually really nice - we ended up with a 6-bed dorm to ourselves, and the place was clean and tidy, and most importantly: quiet!

In the evening we walked down to the Planten un Blomen park, and looked around their rose garden and Japanese garden. At 10pm every night, Planten un Blomen puts on a fountain light show, which is free to watch. We sat on the edge of the lake huddled under our picnic blanket, and watched the show with the other few hundred people who had turned up.

Berlin: In Berlin we stayed at a campsite just outside of the city - a bit too far to walk this time. So we hopped on the bus on Thursday morning and went in to town to get ourselves on another free walking tour - this time led by an Australian called Steve. Steve took us around the centre of Berlin, taking us through the history of the city, but mainly focusing on the Berlin Wall. We started at the Brandenburg Gate, and walked all around past the old Luftwaffe HQ, crossing the route of the wall a couple of times, we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust memorial, and the site of the Fuhrerbunker. Steve was great, even though his jokes were terrible, and was very knowledgable about the history of Berlin.

The campsite (Campingstratz Gatow) was nice and quiet, although I resent having to pay for showers!

That’s all for this week. Next week: Poland, Auchswitz, Prague!

Fresh Fast Food with Belgian Fries & Chicken Sandwiches

Discover mouthwatering Belgian fries and crispy chicken sandwiches at our modern fast food restaurant. We combine quality ingredients, fresh preparation, and bold flavors to create unforgettable fast food meals. From crispy golden fries to tender chicken fillets, every order is crafted for a delicious and satisfying dining experience.