An Afternoon in Ypres, Belgium

After we spent the morning at the Battle of Waterloo – exploring the museum, climbing the Lion’s Mound, and more – we hopped back in our rental car and drove up to the city of Ypres, Belgium.

By this time, I was already convinced that I loved Belgium. I thought the scenery was gorgeous, the language fascinating, and the people kind. I had a friend in high school who had gotten to live in Belgium for a whole month, I think – what a neat opportunity! I wish I had asked her more about her experience there!

We parked in a public parking lot in the middle of town! You can’t immerse yourself in a city’s culture any more quickly than that! 😉

Bjorn and Steve opted to hit up a museum for a little while, so Signe and I decided to wander and shop (and eat).

We had pannenkoeken and Belgian waffles with Nutella at an open air type shop on a street corner. We were blown away by how many languages the girl at the cash register spoke! During the time we were sitting there, we heard her speak no less than 4 different languages to different customers who came in! It was super impressive – and it’s always humbling traveling abroad because I feel like we don’t have the same emphasis in America to learn multiple different languages while growing up!!

Signe and I then wandered around and bought things like scarves, souvenirs, and chocolate. 🙂 (You can’t pass up a place that offers free Belgian chocolate samples!)

We met up with the guys after a while and we continued on to our Airbnb! We’d be exploring Ypres area battlefields and historic sites the next day, so our Airbnb wasn’t too far away. It was actually in France, near the Belgian border!

Those slower afternoons with a chance to stroll around and shop can be so refreshing! And Ypres was absolutely fascinating!! What do you think of that Belgian architecture?