It’s wrap up time for my Last trip of 2023 to Europe and Abu Dhabi. Admittedly, this trip had been booked around a particular aspirational birthday flight. But exploring the Benelux areas (Belgium, Amsterdam and Luxembourg) in Europe are equally satisfying! The entire trip turns out to be so much better than expected. If you’ve spent anytime to read through the trip, Thank You! If you haven’t and want to, you can find the whole trip here. Let’s Go!
Top 3 Highlights
Highlight #1: Surprise Birthday Upgrade to the Etihad Residence
While flying in Etihad First Class would already have been a highlight for me. The surprise upgrade to the Etihad Residence is something I didn’t anticipate at all! Especially, since this isn’t something that is achievable through point redemptions and not something I would pay for. So this is a very lucky, once in a lifetime and probably never to happen again opportunity. Flying as much as I do, I rarely feel out of my element, but this is the first time in a long time I’m beside myself! I didn’t prepare for this and simply grasping how “much” airplane is available to me is a new and highlight experience!
Highlight #2: Bruges
It’s hard not to think of my magical visit to Bruges on this trip. Bruges is known to be this “fairytale” European city and I’m happy to report it is that much and more. Not only is Bruges incredibly picturesque, the added benefit of the town ramping up for the Christmas festivities makes the entire visit incredible! From the Christmas decorations, to the Light experience Trail and just how naturally beautiful Bruges is, I wouldn’t hesitate to return and spend a few extra days here!
Highlight #3: W Yas Island
My stay at the W Hotel on Yas Island is my third highlight of the trip. I normally don’t make a hotel stay a highlight, but in this case its a lot of what the hotel represents that compels me to. I am a long time Formula One fan and the Abu Dhabi Grand prix has always been a fascinating track for me to watch. The W Hotel is the only hotel that I know of that sits atop an F1 track. The hotel itself has a unique design that distinguishes it from many others. Add to the experience that I get upgraded to a pretty large room and am here during a race weekend (not F1 sadly) and you have the makings of a trip highlight!
Favourite Meal
Snert! Upon arriving in Amsterdam I did a quick search for traditional local foods to try. Snert, which is a split pea and ham soup variation shows up on the list. And it quickly becomes a food I needed to try without knowing I needed it prior to visiting. Throughout my time in Amsterdam, I would frequently search for restaurants that serve this tasty soup. Thankfully I did get to try this on multiple occasions and every time it really hit the spot. So while not an iconic meal this time, it’s a very memorable cuisine that I still think back fondly too. In fact upon coming home I looked up recipes and ended up making a batch myself!
If I could change the itinerary…
I think my general feeling for this Europe trip is there simply isn’t enough time. Even during the planning phase, there are so many things cut out due to time constraints. This Europe/Benelux itinerary is ambitious given those constraints. Especially whilst in Belgium, I didn’t get that much time to explore Brussels and the surrounding areas. I did have an interest in visiting Antwerp and Ghent but simply didn’t have the days for it. Throw in a day trip to Luxembourg and my time in Belgium was packed! It also doesn’t help that I had to wedge a multi day excursion to the Middle East in too!
What surprised me?
Europe does Christmas RIGHT! Before this trip, I’d read about how Christmas Markets in Europe are a thing. But it didn’t really hit me until visiting the sheer scale and commitment that the cities have to it. In many ways Christmas “takes over” the cities in terms of lighting, decorations and the markets. Not only are they incredibly festive, but they also boast some amazing food options and choices. From mulled wine to foot long bratwurst there is something for everyone. There’s a great vibe amongst the people attending, walking around and checking out different food items. It’s really just a good and fun time!
One memorable story from this trip
I’m already pretty happy to simply live above the racetrack. Since my interest is primarily Formula one and knowing that there isn’t an F1 race happening during my stay, I didn’t look too much further into on track activities. However, to my surprise when I check into the hotel, the staff tell me that its’ a race weekend for the Gulf 12. It’s an endurance race with pretty cool super cars. So while it’s not F1, being present for an actual race and all the different sessions really makes for a cool experience. The cars themselves are already quite loud so I can only imagine what a proper F1 car would sound like!
Did I pack appropriately?
In general, I got through the trip pretty unscathed. However, I don’t think I anticipated how cold and wet it could get in the Europe/Benelux area. In Amsterdam, temperatures dropped below freezing and I found myself layering up a bit more than I expected to. Most of my time in Belgium and Luxembourg it was overcast or rainy. And so I ended up in my raincoat for a good chunk of the time. I’m thankful that I did pack the appropriate gear for weather. But due to the weather I didn’t end up wearing everything since some items of clothing are better suited for dryer climates. Beyond that I didn’t have too many complaints about what was in my suitcase this trip!
Regrets?
I think my main regret this trip is my lack of food planning. I spent so much time tweaking the itinerary that I didn’t put too much effort for “things to eat”. This left me scrambling on many days to quickly search up interesting food spots. And in several instances, after a long day, laziness wins out and I opt an easy or comfortable option instead of something new or adventurous. I also think that due to the weather, my desire for more “comfort foods” in the cold also contributes to some of my choices. For future trips, I do hope to spend a bit more time generating a list of interesting eateries, so I don’t have search on the fly. Part of this research will also entail different kinds of food and locations. With location and weather sometimes venturing out in the evenings is less appealing when its far away or its raining or cold. So having all of this information on hand will help for easier and more efficient decision making when it comes to food!
Advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?
Europe is EXPENSIVE. Add in a weak Canadian dollar and you have the makings of a pricey trip. I think for many who decide to do a trip to some of these “traditional” European cities should expect a bit of sticker shock. There’s certainly ways to mitigate the cost, and I think a lot of pre planning will help! There are discounts to attractions either through prebooking or via city passes that bundle different attractions together. If you have the time, train travel can be an affordable alternative to flying. And public transit in a lot of the bigger cities can facilitate accommodations away from the city centre to cut costs as well.
Final thoughts?
In many ways this Benelux area within Europe has been a trip that’s been in my back pocket for several years. It originally was part of a larger European trip that was derailed by the Pandemic a few years back. I’d been looking for an opportunity to go ever since and the birthday flight booking and a cheap Amsterdam flight deal put everything into motion. I’m glad that this trip has finally come to fruition and being able to do so in Winter adds extra character to it too.
The Benelux area has always held a place of interest to me since it “feels” the most prototypical Europe and in many ways it delivers. But in other ways there’s a lot of quirkiness and different vibes to this part of the world too. And being able to explore a bit of the cultural differences has been very fun to do! Being able to then head down to Abu Dhabi for a bit more of a luxurious change of pace is a great way to put an exclamation mark on this trip.
Overall, I’m really happy with my last solo trip in 2023. With all my trips, looking back I’m always appreciative of all the experiences I’m able to have. I know I’m very fortunate to be able to travel as much as I do and in the way that I do it. Looking forward, I actually don’t have as many trips planned for the future and In some ways that’s kind of exciting. I’ve been leaning towards more trips with with friends and more spontaneous trips. So we’ll tie this trip up and look forward to that next one!
I loved looking at all the photos of this trip! The Christmas Markets in Europe are definitely something else. Thanks for sharing!
Always enjoy reading your blogs – fantastic pictures & well-written blogs!