Beltherway 2016
When I started dreaming of a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands, I thought I would combine it with travels through eastern France. But as the plans developed, I decided instead to visit Norway. A friend suggested I call this trip “Beltherway” — for BELgium, neTHERlands, and norWAY.
I planned the trip for the month of May 2016, and this turned out to be a perfect time to make this trip. The weather wasn’t hot, there were just a few days of rain, and the crowds weren’t as bad as they would likely be during the summer.
I flew Icelandair via Reykjavik to Brussels and spent the first five nights in Belgium, three nights in Ghent and two nights in Antwerp. I also spent some time seeing Brussels and Bruges. Then I went to Delft for two nights, with a stop in Rotterdam and a day trip to The Hague. Next I took the train to Amsterdam, stopping in Leiden for a few hours on the way.
I stayed in Amsterdam for five nights. While I was there I made some day trips, one to a couple of smaller cities north of Amsterdam, and one to Haarlem.
Then I flew to Oslo. I stayed there four nights, including a day trip to Fredrikstad, before departing on the “Sognefjord in a Nutshell” itinerary, with two nights in Balestrand en route to Bergen. After two nights in Bergen, I flew to Trondheim for two final nights before flying home.
I blogged a lot on this trip. I also took a ton of pictures.
Photo Albums
Brussels (111 photos)
Bruges and Damme (63 photos)
Ghent (131 photos)
Antwerp (76 photos)
Rotterdam (107 photos)
The Hague (27 photos)
Delft (104 photos)
Leiden (77 photos)
Hoorn and Edam (74 photos)
Haarlem (68 photos)
Amsterdam (230 photos)
Oslo (275 photos)
Fredrikstad (63 photos)
Norway Fjords (356 photos)
Bergen (192 photos)
Trondheim (114 photos)
I made a few “highlights” albums too, in case you prefer just a small sampling from some of the bigger albums.
Best of Amsterdam (55 photos)
Best of Oslo (34 photos)
Best of Norway Fjords (26 photos)
Blog Posts
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Name the Trip
I don’t know what to call this trip. My last three trips to Europe were easier: Italy, my Nordic Adventure, and the Balkans. But what do I call this trip? I was thinking “Northern Europe,” but that doesn’t feel nearly specific enough. Do I just call it “Belgium, Netherlands, and Norway”? It doesn’t exactly come trippingly…
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My Beltherway Itinerary
Yes, Beltherway (for BELgium, neTHERlands, norWAY). Thanks to Troy Aker for the brilliant portmanteau. This past weekend I went up to Rick Steves’ Travel Center in Edmonds for a trip consult with Lisa, and with her help I was able to firm up my itinerary, and I’ve finished booking all my accommodations, mostly through Airbnb.
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Day tripping around Balestrand
My next big trip is just over two months away, so I’ve been putting a lot of energy into making final plans. One of the big questions I had for myself is how to spend my day in Balestrand. On the way between Oslo and Bergen, I have two nights in Balestrand. I depart Oslo…
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Beltherway Itinerary Update
I decided that I really want to stay in Amsterdam and not in Haarlem.
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Follow along!
I leave on my Beltherway adventure in three days! I will be doing my best to blog daily while I’m gone, but full, exhausting days sometimes interfere, and frankly, full, exhausting days are more important than blogging.
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Traveling is not so fun…
… but getting where you’re going is nice.
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The movie was better
I made a day trip to Bruges today. It was very nice. But I liked the movie better. There was nothing wrong with Bruges. It’s exactly what it’s supposed to be: postcard pretty, cobblestoned, with charming bridges crossing charming canals, and with all kinds of shops that are expert at appealing to the throngs of tourists.
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Everything’s better after a good night’s sleep
Today was good. It might actually have nothing to do with getting a full six hours of sleep last night, but that certainly didn’t hurt. (And six hours sleep is close to normal for me. Even so, I had a nice nap this evening before going out for dinner.) It was overcast and drizzly and not…
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In which I am asked about Trump
It’s my third full day in Belgium, and today for the first time I was asked my opinion of Trump. But first I had to finish my Ghent experiences and sit on a train for nearly two hours to get to Antwerp.
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Keeping Kosher
I like to be a food tourist, which usually means looking for foods that are traditional to the place I’m visiting. After three days in Ghent, I decided on Plan B. (That’s B for Belgium.)
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Out of the frying pan…
… and into the freezer. Or so it seems tonight. The temperatures have dropped about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, from the upper 70s to the lower 50s, which, as those who know me are aware, is a good thing! And the forecast calls for chilly temps through next week. Rain is also in the forecast, but…
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Ten things there is nothing better than
Here are some of the things that are making my visit to Delft and excursion to The Hague memorable:
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Too much pressure, part one
I missed blogging yesterday because I was too tired, and now I’m a day behind, and the pressure is too great, so this post will probably be boring. Plus I probably don’t remember everything that happened yesterday. All I know for sure is I went from Delft to Leiden to Amsterdam.
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Too much pressure, part two
Now I’m really paying for being too tired to blog last night, because I’m too tired to blog tonight, and I already had to blog about yesterday, and now if I don’t blog I’ll still be a day behind. So here it is: a brief summary of my excursion to Hoorn and Edam.
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Being a tourist
I like to travel as a temporary local. I’m not big on tours, I hate walking around with my nose in a guidebook, and I like eating in restaurants that locals go to, not ones that cater largely to tourists. Staying in a apartment in a residential neighborhood far from the center, I can mostly…
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But what is the extra A for?
Today was my Haarlem day. It’s a short train ride to Haarlem, about 15 minutes. In fact, when I was first planning this trip, I was going to stay in Haarlem. It would have been a nice place to stay, I guess, pleasant to go back to after a day in Amsterdam. But I’m glad…
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Danger! Museum saturation possible! Proceed with caution!
I think I knew I was biting off more than I could chew, but this is Amsterdam, home of some of the world’s greatest museums and rich with history. I actually only went to four museums, but it feels like it was much more. And it didn’t help that I never stopped to take a…
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Out of practice
Last time I blogged I was in a completely different country where they speak a different language and use a different currency and where you didn’t have to say “It’s only money” every time you spent the equivalent of $5 for an ice cream cone. Since then I’ve gotten out of practice with blogging. Sorry.…
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Concertgebouw
I meant to blog about the concert I attended at the Concertgebouw last Thursday, but with all I’ve been busy doing, I somehow forgot. The concert was, in a word, sublime.
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Just like home
Yesterday in Oslo was like so many winter and spring and fall days in Seattle: grey and rainy. Fortunately I got most of my outdoor sightseeing done on Saturday, when it was beautiful (until late afternoon). So yesterday was a day to check out several Oslo museums.
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If Rick Steves writes about this place…
Fredrikstad could be the next Cinque Terre. It is surprising to me, given his Norwegian heritage, that Rick Steves gives short shrift to this country. His Scandinavia guidebook includes Oslo, Bergen, and the fjord region, and that’s it. Fredrikstad is exactly the kind of place he likes to discover and reveal to Americans. It has…
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Backup battery
I am on the balcony of my room at the Balestrand Hotell, trying to focus on what I’m typing. But I am distracted by the view of the Sognefjord in front of me.
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A contest (and some other stuff)
There’s a contest in this blog post. Keep reading to see what it is and how you can win. I drove around the Sognefjord region today, probably less than 300 kilometers, starting at 8:30 this morning and getting back to Balestrand at 19:00. I’ve taken some great road trips. Last year in the southwest, a good…
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Sunny
I’m overloaded on sun. After the gloom and grey skies in Oslo, I’ve enjoyed the last few days, but it’s also taking a toll. Being out in the sun all day, now three days in a row, has me worn down. Unlike the first two weeks of the trip, there have been no museums. It’s…
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Weather vane and troll hill
One of the lessons that’s hard for me to learn when traveling is to pace myself. As one loyal blog reader pointed out, I may have set a record for museum visits, and yet all I can think about is the museums I didn’t have time for. Bergen has some museums that are highly recommended in…
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Final Destination
I spent a good portion of the day yesterday at the airport in Bergen. Since I had to check out of my apartment by noon, and my flight to Trondheim wasn’t until 15:45, and I didn’t want to haul my luggage around, I just went to the airport early.
