After the Viking Cruise, we traveled by plane to The Hague (South Holland in the Netherlands), and spent a few days there, then traveled by train to Ghent, Belgium. This was Karen’s dream- to be able to bike through Belgium and enjoy the beautiful sites!
We stayed at the Marriott in The Hague, which happened to be right next to the site of a big NATO conference two days after we left. But the security was already beginning to impact our movement in and out of the hotel. However, we were still able to enjoy the bikes provided by Marriott with our proximity to the North Sea, The Hague, and Delft. The neighborhoods (including Embassy residences) were very nice near our hotel also.
The highlights of our stay in The Hague had to be riding the beautiful bike path along the North Sea and our ride to Delft (one of our favorite cities).
Nest stop Ghent, Belgium for 5 days. Another great little city that is not as touristy as Brugge, Brussels, or Antwerp. We settled in the Marriott hotel right in the heart of Ghent. We were able to walk to every thing we wanted to see in Ghent. However, we did rent e-bikes for 3 days and ventured out to Bruge and other rural areas around Ghent. The biking was fantastic!
The bike ride to Bruge was everything we could hope for in a destination ride. Beautiful tree lined paths, canals, no traffic, etc. Bruge was also beautiful with centuries old, well maintained buildings and much to see and do. The only downside to Bruge is how popular it has become with tourists. It was more crowded than I expected. We were still very pleased that we got to see it. But I am glad that we made Ghent our home base.
Back in Ghent we toured Fort Gravestone ( a block from our hotel) and enjoyed the culture and vibe of Ghent. We revisited some of the places we fondly remember from our previous day trip to Ghent, on a train from Paris, back in 2014. But we also had plenty of time to discover new places. We really enjoyed Ghent and the Marriott hotel was a wonderful experience with a fantastic location!
We spent our last day (and night) in Amsterdam. We had a few hours to revisit the city before flying home the next day.
After three weeks of being away from home, we were ready for our usual homelife routine. We missed the grandkids so much! We sent postcards from some of the larger cities we visited and we talked often on Messenger, but nothing beats face to face and hugs. Now it’s time to plan our next adventure!
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