When life gets overwhelming, I tend to look for the good stuff—happy stories, good people, and fun memories. So, it's no surprise that I recently found myself rummaging through my photo archives from our spring trip to Europe.

Today, I'm excited to share what I found in the "Ghent, Belgium" file on my computer. We had a lovely visit that came complete with a stunning Airbnb (the photos on the site don't do it justice—trust me), slow evening walks (perfect for stumbling upon beautiful architecture), and plenty of time to sample as much beer and chocolate as possible.

As I mentioned, the flat we rented was incredible. I did a terrible job or taking photos of the rental, but I did manage to capture our favorite spots: the living space and the deck.

As far as sightseeing goes, we sort of broke our trip into history lessons that also afforded us great views of the city from up above and exploring the city at the street level. We, of course, started with a castle that happens to be located right in the middle of the city.

Our next stop was the beautiful Belfry of Ghent, which is located just down the road from the castle. You can actually see it in many of the photos above!

The tour of the belfry is full of really fascinating information about how the bells are made and how the mechanisms controlling the chimes actually work. Then, when you make it to the top, you're rewarded with more amazing views of the city.

At the street level, Ghent is just as charming as you might imagine. We loved walking around, winding our way through side streets, and ducking into shops and the occasional restaurant or bar.

We were also really intrigued to find a few key spots that were perfect for hanging out for a bit. The first was the Stadshal, which is a modern event structure built right in the middle of the historic center of the city. I shared more about it here, if you'd like to get the backstory, but we were definitely excited to see a food and drink festival taking place at the Stadshal while we were in town!

The next spot we decided to spend a little time was something my husband came across in his pre-vacation research: an entire street dedicated to graffiti art! I loved it.

Graffitistraatje // Graffiti Street // Ghent, Belgium

One of the things we noticed on this trip was just how much we missed being out in nature. Most of our vacations revolve around hiking, camping, and other outdoor adventures. Truth be told, this trip didn't offer us the peace and quiet we're accustomed to. So, we found this pretty park and spent some time exploring away from the hustle and bustle of the city.