Sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions. In the autumn of 2004 I  suddenly found myself in Belgium after turning down an attractive job offer in Italy. There was a girl, you see, and she convinced me to dump pasta and pizza for waffles, chocolate and a life with her in Belgium.

Ok, so that giant leap of faith didn’t actually work out for the relationship. But I did decide to stay in Belgium, where I ended up having a highly memorable four and a half years.

For all the details on my time in Belgium, check out my travel reports on Brussels & Leuven.

I’ve also written a short story collection called Based in Belgium.

Check out Leighton Travels on Instagram!