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Belgium and Netherlands
  • Ben Smeele

Belgium and Netherlands

Going to a work conference in Antwerp then a week in the Netherlands. Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 6, 2025
    Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    About to head off.

    September 6 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Spent the day getting the final items ready. Arrived to Brisbane airport 3 hours early hoping to get a good seat but apparently there was none available and he wasn't able to help.
    Backpack was 14.5kg and quite full. Laptop was 6.5kg so all good across the board.
    Feeling a little surreal to be heading off half way around the world. Sorta just going through the motions at the moment.
    Feel a little bad Sarah drove me up but also glad as I got to spend a little more time with her.

    Got on the plane and it's quite a tight seat but can't do much about it as it's a packed flight. The first leg to Doha is 14 hours. Hoping to get some sleep.

    The starlink internet was good but I mostly just watched the plane movies or tried to sleep.

    Apparently I only got 3 hours of sleep. Feeling a little brain dead but this is all part of it.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    3

    Stopover in doha

    September 7 in Qatar ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

    Just arrived in Doha. Only a few hours sleep but I have 3 hours till my next flight.

    I had a look around the airport, video calling mum and dad on the way. Just walking to my terminal saw me 5500 steps and that's with travelators but I needed it after sitting for so long.

    I had a look at burger king to get a price comparison as there was no McDonald's interestingly. The whopper combo set you back $25 or 60qar

    As I was walking around the had a lot of Falcon statues where people could get photos with these statues. There must be some thing about this as not long after I ran into someone who had some real falcons or some kind of hawk. He was kind enough to let me take photos.

    I asked when I got to the counter if there happened to be any exit row seats and if I could please get one and she was able to find one for me which I am very thankful for.

    On the flight out I was seated next to a Dutchman returning to Rotterdam from the Philippines and a Dutch/indo lady who came back after visiting her grandchildren in Bali. It's always interesting who you end up next to on a plane.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    111

    Flight to Amsterdam

    September 7 in Qatar ⋅ ☀️ 41 °C

    The plane flight was good. Took about 6.5 hours which was fine but I didn't get much sleep though the company was nice.

    In my row there was an older lady who looked Chinese but lives in Florida and was just visiting her grandchildren in Bali but coming back to the Netherlands to see her sister.

    Next to me was a Dutch professor in psychology who was visiting Sri Lanka as he is on the board for an orphanage there which he sends his students to and helps the kids psychologically.
    He swore by these ear plugs so might try and find some.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Amsterdam arrival

    September 7 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I arrived in Amsterdam a little worn for wear and sniffly. It started off with a 1:15 hour wait for customs then thought my bag was missing so mini panic until I found it dumped in another area as I took too long in customs.
    I then found the train station and found a booth to book a ticket which I used the 9292 app to figure out which platform to go to. Well I stuffed something up as I somehow booked the scenic route (I hoped not worse) as was told I can't get the express Eurostar to Antwerp and instead had to go to Rotterdam first and maybe 2 more trains after.
    I was also in the wrong class so had to move to a standing area for half the journey.
    Second train to Roosendaal.
    The train internet didn't work so was working off a screenshot and hoping it was correct.
    Got my sim working and found the last train to Antwerp and the hotel which would be another tram.
    Sat on the train a bit and it wasn't moving then the announcement said it would be a 5/10/15/20 delay due to a broken down train. Really looking forward to a bed.
    Ended up being a 30 min delay with the second issue being a 10kmph speed limit due to fairs at level crossings.
    My last leg was a tram in Antwerp which was underground and I took the right one the wrong direction which added a little ore onto my trip.
    I felt a little unsafe carrying everything and walking down a subway for the tram but quickly got over it as more arrived.
    It was interesting though as I think I ended up in a Jewish area which was interesting to see everyone walking around in their attire and even the kids having the side locks.
    Walked the last leg to the hotel and just felt like crashing as it was 8pm by that stage but was a little hungry.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Antwerp first night

    September 7 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    After a quick shower and lay down to get my energy back I headed out and just started walking down a street looking for some food. I didn't want much but found plenty of offers as I went.
    Found myself absolutely blown away by the church and sourounding buildings.
    I found a pizza place and got a simple margarita and beer which came with chill oil and hit the spot well enough.
    I was not much longer so headed back and crashed till the morning, little broken but forced at least till 6:30.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    First day in Antwerp

    September 8 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I forced myself to sleep in but by 6:30 I figured I should start the day.
    I went out and had a little look around but everywhere was closed and there was noone out walking or doing anything. Feels a little like a ghost town in the morning.
    I went back to the hotel and had their breakfast which was ok but basic continental style.
    Most of the day ended up being a working day with a quick pop out to get a coffee, water, grapes and a hotdog for lunch.
    I kept working till about 6 and then went out for a dinner at a salad poke bowl place which felt good to eat something healthier.
    I then headed back to the hotel and met up with Andy for a quick drink. Braiden and Andy went off drinking into the night with some xurrent guys but I came back to my room as was feeling sick and tired, that being said I ended up staying up past 12 working on the script to make sure it was good for tomorrow.
    Sleep was quite hard and believe I only got a few hours, this wasn't helped by the fire alarm going off due to someone smoking in their room. Luckily it ended quick enough I didn't need to actually get up.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    Xurrent conference day 1

    September 9 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Started the day off with breakfast downstairs and a little more work trying to get things looking good for a demo today but feeling very sick.
    Got ready for the conference and walked down the street which is always lovely with the architecture of this place.
    The conference is in the Hilton and apparently 300 people coming. Andy keeps introducing me to everyone which is great but heavily struggling as feel shattered and tired. Trying to remember names but today may end up being a write off.
    Sore throat and eye twitches has set in, I'm hoping it's just jetlag but we will see.
    Throughout the day it came in waves of being able to focus and not. Most of the day was a struggle but a couple of the items were interesting. I was worried at one point as one of the announcements was ipaas integration which may replace the work that I have been recently doing but Andy and Braiden seemed unphased. We had someone walk up to the virima booth and wanted a demo and a presentation to his boss the next day which made the work we did feel worth it.
    We went out for a dinner and got a beef stew as was told we had to give it a try. It fell apart and was really good to eat while feeling sick.
    The other guys went out a late night drinking again but I headed back to the hotel and instantly crashed.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    111

    Xurrent conference day 2

    September 10 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Again I woke up and felt quite sick.
    Did my best to make it through the day with going in and out of focus.
    We won the partner of the year award which was a nice reward for the hard effort everyone has put into everything.
    After the conference we went out for a dinner at a local pub where I ordered some bitterballen with drinks. They were ok with mustard but it's like someone blended the inside into more of a gravy than pulled meat. For dinner I got a chicken pot pie(vol-au-vent) or something similar to that. It was good but I was fading alot so I went back to the hotel and crashed for over 9 hours.
    As I walked back I took a slightly different path and came across a castle looking building which I figured I needed to look at tomorrow.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    11

    Xurrent conference day 3

    September 11 in Belgium ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I woke up this morning having slept 9.5 hours but still having a constant runny nose and head cold. I needed a shower to clear my head then headed off down the road for a breakfast with Andy. The other guys had had a late night again so Braiden wasn't anywhere to be seen.
    Breakfast was an omelette at a place called Capri coffee which was just next to the Hilton. It was good to have some decent food, but again, the cost of living was always quite surprising.
    It was the Partner day part of the conference, which was good as no customer discussions but I often excused myself and spent some time in the bathroom blowing my nose.
    We got some decent swag at the end of a bag with a puffer jacket which was quite pleasing.
    I walked back to the hotel with Andy doing a slight detour but we got caught in the rain slightly.
    We then rested for a bit and headed downstairs for some work before dinner later.
    I started researching where I go next or spend another night here so I can rest up and try to kill this sickness but this hotel is $360 a night and I'm not willing to spend that just to stay in the room.
    After some work and and I went for a walk around the city were we headed to the castle or fort. On the way we went past n1 chips place and I got a sausage onion on a stick and some bitterballen. These ones were much better than last night but still not as great as dad's. There was a statue of a giant maybe with some small people pointing at his crotch, no idea what was going on there.
    We came across another couple of churches and community squares which were lovely to see.
    Interestingly you could hire actual scooters here. Like motorbike scooters, I was interested to look into further but figured I would need a licence.
    Later we headed back to have a pho dinner to try clear the nose and it helped a lot. After dinner the guys wanted to walk a little more so we walked down one of the streets we haven't yet and found tram 3 which we were explained was a 30s club. We played rummikub but the place just had a nice atmosphere.
    After a drink there we tried some other places and found a pool bar and had a few games.
    Then on the way back Andy and I found a speakeasy type restaurant with some other places off of an inner courtyard. We both felt there wasn't enough time so headed back to bed as I was still sick and he had an early meeting.
    I was glad we had a little get out together though.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    Breakfast club breakfast

    September 12 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Walked down to a local breakfast spot to help start my day. On the way I noticed a market so I wanted that for a bit, considering if I could bring anything back but deciding better of it. It felt quite international but figured I would grab something "normal".
    The breakfast was €14.5 and coffee was €5 which is quite a bit.
    The chilli was appreciated though.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Cathedral of Our Lady Onze-Lieve-Vrouwek

    September 12 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I popped into the church to have a look around. It cost €12 but figured it was worth a look around.
    There is a certain solice or reverence in a place like this, in the floor of the church there was multiple tombstones, unsure if they are still occupied or not but there is a place you can go downstairs and it took you to what looked to be some empty coffins.
    The scale of the building often blew me away as I walked around, thinking this would have taken multiple human lifetimes to build and thinking of the shear number of people who much have walked through those doors.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Taveling to Middleberg

    September 12 in Belgium ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    The path was fairly simple, doing a tram to Antwerp central, train to Roosendaal and then another train to Middleberg. A few of the trains were delayed but nothing major or off-putting.
    I expect to be some wall or sign when crossing a boarder but honestly there is nothing, even less than Qld to NSW border.
    I used the bathroom at Roosendaal which cost .5 euro.
    Most of the trip was fairly boring looking over flat farmland but this was still nice and calming.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Lunch at jells Middleberg

    September 12 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    I arrived in Middleberg and dumped my bags at the hotel for a later check-in. I was getting quite hungry so went out in search of food.
    Initial feelings is this is a slower pace town and quite beautiful to walk around. The rivers through the city make it feel very Dutch.
    I started wandering for lunch and it bucketed down with rain which I took short shelter from and then as I was heading to the cathedral I found a lovely place for lunch in the sun (weather changes quick)
    It took a while for my food as she forgot to place me order but I didn't mind resting in the sun for a minute.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    Tall John Abbey Tower Abdijtoren de Lang

    September 12 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    After lunch I went and looked at the church. This once was free to enter (I think). There was a placard talking about how the abbot become the most powerful in Zealand and during the war the area was bombed by Nazis as Zealand hadn't surrendered. This caused most of the city to be burnt or destroyed but they have been able to faithfully restore most of it.Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    11

    Hotel De Beau Rivage

    September 12 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    I booked a cheaper hotel being only $180 per night, the stairs up are quite dangerous and the floor isn't flat anywhere but it has its charm. I'm thankful he put me right up the top in the middle room overlooking the water so I can watch the boats. He seems like a very nice guy but I think I'm the only guest staying.
    After lunch when I came back I had a little nap before heading out and facing the day a little more.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Molen De Hoop - Middelburg

    September 12 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    While wandering I saw my first proper windmill from a distance so had to go have a look. It wasn't grand upon approaching compared with everything else but I'm still glad I went to see it.
    While walking in the area I ran into an older couple out walking their cat. The cat seemed very well trained.Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    121

    Middleburg wandering

    September 12 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    While wandering I came across another church but this one is now an art gallery/uni.
    A very small Merc.
    The streets were relatively empty with most people in their homes. I noticed they didn't really care about privacy and often had the curtains open which was nice to see a slice of their life.
    By the end of the day I had walked over 17k and was feeling a little sick again so I headed back to the hotel for an early night.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Onto Delta park

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    I got up and had breakfast at the hotel, was able to find 9.5 hours sleep again so the cold was much more at bay this morning.
    Breakfast was nice looking out across the river and watching the boats interact with the bridges.
    The speed limits on the bus were interesting, they would change from 30-40-60 then a 60 striked through.
    I still haven't booked tonight's accommodation and it was starting to stress me a little, but I didn't know where I would be so will have to figure that out later. The internet on my phone was struggling as well.
    On the way I passed the main parts of the dam where there was these huge pieces of concrete that they plunged into the sea to stop it going into the harbour I guess. It was interesting because there was so many of them instead of just one big wall.
    After getting off the bus I had to walk down a sketchy side path with no-one around. I imagine not many people bus here.
    Delta Park turned out to be a water theme park which cost €25 to go through and didn't really appeal to me. I gave Mum and Dad a call to check before heading back off.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Hitchhiking to Rotterdam

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌩️ 17 °C

    I thought I would try hitchhiking as it was going to be 3-4 hours to get to Rotterdam by public and it was back the opposite direction.
    I was picked up by a guy called Damir from Slovenia. He cursed my luck a little as he had tried hitchhiking before for hours and no-one picked him up and here I was 15 mins in and he gave me a lift.
    We discussed many things but an interesting topic was regarding cost of living and pay. He let me know he earns about €3000 a month after tax. He worked as a bolter on heavy piping for water or reactors. He also brought his very small 2 bedroom apartment outside of Rotterdam for about €340k. Note heavily on the small.
    He was kind enough to drop me all the way into the centre of Rotterdam and he figured he would get a haircut since he was here.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Check-in to motel one rotterdam

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    So I was now in Rotterdam and immediately looking at the gnome with a butt plug.
    I needed to find a place to stay and dump my luggage. I started off getting lunch at McDonald's because I figured it would have wifi so I could book a hotel. Interestingly to use the McDonald's toilet you needed to purchase a toilet pass on your order. Also turns out the wifi wasn't that great and the reason my phone wasn't working was, I had data saver on so I could have booked something back on the car ride but that happens sometimes.
    I booked into a motel one as it was relatively decent on price and I knew I was dating one in Antwerp, that was okay.
    Bag checked my stuff as the check in wasn't open yet and then chilled for a little bit upstairs in the lounge but looking out across the city, I figured I needed to go out and explore more.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1231121

    Inital Rotterdam wander

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    From the top of the hotel I researched a little and thought I had enough time to make it to kinderdijk so I looked up the transport and started heading that way. On the way I saw this church which had a free open day so I wandered around quickly. I really liked the stained glass window, each window was done to a different style. There was also a graffiti artist working on something new there.
    Continuing on to the train, I came across a crowd of people who were watching some people surf in particularly dirty water that occasionally was pumped I think from train movements but not sure.
    Continuing on I came across a food court which was absolutely massive and I think also a hotel. I'll have to come back there for food later. Due to my wondering I was a little late for the train so would have to catch the one in half an hour's time but the markets were on so I wandered through that and got some chips with frittersauce which will have to be one of my favourite toppings.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    2

    Kinderdijk

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    To get to kinderdijk I had to catch the subway transfer to a bus and then transfer to a ferry and walk the remainder. It only took about an hour and a half but my walking was maybe half the trip.
    It started to rain quite badly along the way but I continued on.
    Google initially wanted me to go one direction but I saw some windmill signs on the ground so I followed those.
    Upon arrival they had. I take it you could buy to access the boats and the museum but it was just crowded with Asians and I wanted to take my own path so I kept walking.
    Every now and then it bucketed down again so I took shelter for those moments. But otherwise, I just kept walking and enjoying looking at the windmills and the farmland.
    It interested me that people still lived in those windmills.    Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    1

    Travel back to Rotterdam

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    I walked and took a different bus method back and found the bus lights interesting. They have a special set of lights just for the buses which had 5 lights in a plus pattern(though the one in my photo was diagonal). Due to the way the lanes worked and the lights it often allowed the bus to jump in front of other cars waiting for lights.Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler

    Early crash to bed.

    September 13 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    I came back to the hotel with a plan of checking into the room, putting things on charge and lying down for a little bit before going out for dinner. Next thing I knew it was 1:00 a.m. and I had slept already. I felt slightly bad about sleeping through going out for dinner, but had to remind myself that I had already done a lot today and I'm still recovering from a cold so extra sleep was useful and needed.Read more

  • Ben SmeeleBelgium and NetherlandsTraveler
    112

    Rotterdam morning

    September 14 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I slept in a bit somehow but got myself out wandering and looking for some breakfast. It was coming on 9:30 and most places were closed and the town still asleep but I found a coffee shop that had just opened so I got myself a latte. Then headed back to the hotel and got myself the hotel breakfast which was basically the same as in Antwerp. I started trying to make a coffee though because they had a machine there but then they stopped me and a guy made the coffee for me but he wasn't so great with the milk.
    I then started to walk to where dad's address was, or well where I think it was.
    On the way I noticed the pop up urinals by the church and found interest in the rubbish bins as I had watched an article about how they don't have rubbish days but instead these are large bins underground which the lift up by the hook on-top.
    I made it to 19a Vlinderstraat (butterfly street) which as dad had said had been bowled and replaced with an apartment block.    Read more

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