Journeys and destinations...

Hey fellow travelers , I have been living in Germany since 2013 and have traveled  in Europe at every opportunity I got. Along the way I have gathered some experiences which can be helpful for first time travelers  to Europe. So, here is a list of the lessons I learnt while travelling across Europe: 1.       Not spending enough time at one place If you go city/country hopping too fast everything will look the same . You won’t be able to distinguish between cobbled streets or churches if you don't spend a good amount of time in each city. 'Good amount of time' could be variable on your interests but the point is to take in the specifics of a place instead of just checking it off a list. To really understand the culture and history of a city I have started relying on walking tours . Normally in this format a local guide takes you around the city they love on foot for about 1.5 to 2 hours. If you ask, they also give you great tips about places (restaurant

Sometimes you look at a photo and strongly feel the urge to visit the place. It happened to me when I was scouting for a place to spend three days on a long weekend. The photo which captured my heart was of the riverbank of Ghent. Love these buildings! When I read further about the city I found that it was exactly what I was looking for. Not too touristy, not too difficult to reach or explore by public transport and not too far away from Düsseldorf (my home away from home). Ghent is located in the Flanders region (north) of Belgium. People speak mostly Dutch but thankfully they also speak some English. Ghent is called a medieval city and its apparent as soon as you reach the city centre. But it is not locked in a time capsule, the old and the new go hand in hand here. So in the city centre you will find horse carriages (for tourists) as well as trams running seamlessly on the roads. Riding bicycles is also preferred by the locals. Owing to the Ghent University