25th Birthday in Ghent

It seemed we waited all winter for snow, even driving across the country to try and find it.

Turns out, we just had to wait for February to roll around; it snowed last weekend and then a thick blanket of white covered most of Belgium for the better part of a week. This meant spending my 25th birthday in the snow and under a bright blue sunny sky.

I've been lucky enough to spend my past five birthdays in five different countries - the previous two were spent in warmth in the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere. My 21st in Canada, my 22nd in the USA, my 23rd in Australia and my 24th in my beloved New Zealand.

This year, we're living in Belgium and at the moment, the borders are closed both inwards and out due to the ongoing pandemic, so while great plans abroad weren't in the cards, we made the most of my quarter-century milestone and spent the day in beautiful Ghent.

Ghent is Belgium's third largest city behind only Brussels (our home) and Antwerp, meaning there's plenty to do and see in this sprawling metropolis. The highlight of the day was visiting the STAM Museum, telling the vivid history of Ghent and its rich history as a cloth trading medieval city. Museums in Belgium are currently open as long as you book in advance so they can control the number of people inside at one time.

Here's how we spent my birthday in photographs:

Check out our vlog of Ghent!