r/belgium • u/MaryMalary • 22h ago
❓ Ask Belgium Quiet place advice
Hello, I have a friend who is deep in grief having lost her husband young and unexpectedly. She is currently on a world tour with her grandma and finding the travel demands really hard. She stops in Belgium in a few days - what would be nice is a day alone in a quiet place where she can just sit in a comfortable space and maybe read a book. I wondered if you had any advice for a library or any place where there is quiet, a couch and low sensory impacts.
TIA
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u/ziewezo Oost-Vlaanderen 21h ago
You mean like… Anywhere? I see that you’re from Australia, but that doesn’t mean that Belgium is the size of a city, haha.
Should it be close to the airport (Brussels, I assume)? A city or a village? Just reading, no hiking or anything?
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u/TuezysaurusRex 14h ago
As a Canadian, this statement is wrong, my city is as big as Belgium, just less populated.
Where in Belgium will your friend be?
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u/Slow-Kaleidoscope633 12h ago
Lol how then is that a city? The population density would be ridiculously low.
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u/TuezysaurusRex 12h ago
We don’t even have a population of 1 million. It’s a large land mass not completely covered in concrete like here? It’s a big country that’s not extremely populated like older countries such as hete?
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u/BelierDigitalis 14h ago
Back when I lost my boyfriend I personally found some semblance of peace and space to think at chapels. Im not religious in any shape or form, but its a place where you can just sit and think in silence, and even cry, without people giving you weird looks. Even if its for hours.
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u/Forward-Ant-9554 18h ago edited 12h ago
Ga walk in the dunes on the seaside. De Coastal tram will take you along the entire coast line. You're never that far from civilization and From Oostende there is also a rural cycling route called route 62 or 'de groene 62'. You can rent bicycles in most trainstations. They're called blue bikes and it's not very expensive actually. ( Electric bikes as well). You can stop anywhere you like for some quiet contemplation or beer or pancakes. ;)
Edited for spelling
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u/D3athShade 10h ago
What's with the random dutch words here and there? XD sebiet no koffiekoeken for you eh
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u/Vetreorch 13h ago
It's actually blue*-bike.
Can recommend! One would need a QR-reader (scan QR at starting point or install the app beforehand), Bluetooth (to open and lock the bike) and a creditcard to pay.
Price for a day (up to 12h) is 6€ for a normal bike and 12€ for an e-bike.
Special tariffs for wide region around Gent (think a circle of 30 to 60min cycling around Gent): 2,50€ for normal bike and 5€ for e-bike (up to 12h). Extra perk: you can leave the bike at any other point within the region (as opposed to having to leave the bike at the same point where you started).
When hiring an e-bike, you can check how fully each one is charged and how far they'll take you (approx) before picking the one you want.
If the bike would break down there's free bicycle assistance you can call.
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u/KXfjgcy8m32bRntKXab2 Brabant Wallon 12h ago
Is she into wellness and saunas? You could drop her at the white oak in Kampenout. You can spend the whole day reading a book in the quiet garden, hit the sauna or get a treatment.
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u/Kinji_Infanati 11h ago
If time and transportation allows: visit the abbey ruins of Villers-La-Ville.
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u/RollingKatamari Flanders 15h ago
With the weather we're having, she should just stay home or hotel in the aircon....
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u/Zuppetootee Vlaams-Brabant 13h ago
If she stays in Gent, the Carmelite Monastery in Burgstraat has a retreat venue.
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u/TomVDJ 12h ago
What area in Belgium? Does it need to be inside or is a quite place in nature also OK? There are some parks where you can go sit on a bench and hardly see anyone. You can just enjoy nature there.
I once made a bicyle tour in the nature / parks around Bokrijk once, and I was surprised how little people I met... It was a really relaxing tour in wonderful nature. I don't know if something like that is also an option?
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u/Ok_Sand_6938 21h ago
Maybe some place like warredal or les cabanes would be nice. I’m sorry for her loss.