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I was eager to abuse the free breakfast from the hostel, but it actually closed at 9:30 and not at 10 as I thought. I got downstairs at 9:31. Erf!

I left for the Lille Flandres station, which is just next to yesterday’s Lille Europe, to meet with my old friend Kévin. I was one of the first of his 20+ roommates, and still there! 😎 Kévin will join me in the Belgian crossing towards Luxembourg for the next three days.

We took a first train to Kortrijk (I paid until Mouscron, then switched to the Interrail Pass, ehe), and we leave the motherland once again.

Hallo België!

Last time I was in Belgium in 2016 was just for two very quick crossing towards the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it didn’t left me with the best impression back then. Let’s hope this time will be better.

We only have a few minutes in Kortrijk to change train, direction Lichtervelde. Again, not much time to explore the village, so we just wait on the platform. But all good, it’s brightly sunny and warm today!

The third train is almost empty, and we have half a carriage for us alone, speeding through the flatness of Belgium towards our first major destination of the day, De Panne.

What is there to see in De Panne, you ask? Wwell, it’s the terminus of the longest tram line in the World (I think, at least Europe)! Aptly named the Kusttram (Coastal Tram), it follows almost the entirety of the Belgian coastline, from De Panne to Knokke-Heist. I just couldn’t let that out of the trip! We took it a first time for a couple stops and went looking for some food.

After eating and walking through the cute little alleys of De Panne center, we climbed aboard the tram again a couple stops further. And that’s where disappointment struck. The tram was getting more and more filled, until the point it was fully-packed and Kévin had to give his seat to an hold lady (I was stuck under our bags and coats). We could barely see the North Sea or the beach either, except for a 10-min portion.

Kévin had to stand for about an hour, so it was clear we had to forfeit the idea of doing the entire 67 km. About halfway through the tram’s route, there is one city with a train station, Oostende [Ostend]. We made our escape from the tram there, saw that it was still packed after that, and decided that after a walk in the ugly city and on the beach, we would go directly to Brugge [Bruges] from there.

The train was a short 13-min ride to the magnificent Brugge. It’s already getting dark, but dear god it doesn’t make it anyless beautiful! It’s easy to understand why it’s called the most beautiful city in Belgium. The whole interior is a perfectly preserved traditional old town typical of the region, with houses roofs stair-shaped. And the Belfry on the Markt (the central place) is as impressive by its size than by its architectural beauty.

Our hostel was in the old town, at walking distance from everything interesting, and they had a concert of a swing band that night. A great way to improve the day after the tram fiasco.

It’s also great to have a friend travelling along, someone that knows me but too well to whom to talk. To talk too much (sorry Kévin.)

Also here’s the video for last week: