Bruges
In the middle of our time in Paris, the four of us took a quick side-trip to Bruges, Belgium. None of us had ever been to Belgium before, so it was a new adventure.
My expectations were a well-preserved old European city with cobbled squares, canals, and plentiful beer, chocolate, mussels, and waffles. Our stay did not disappoint.
Upon arrival in mid-afternoon in Bruges, we took a cab to our bed and breakfast. I was facing backward in the van, and it felt like a poorly calibrated amusement park ride. Lots of twists and turns, never knowing where we were headed next. We did get to our place with no problem, and claimed a few flights of stairs into our finished attic/loft of an apartment. It was super cool.
Once settled in, we made our way out and oriented ourselves to the Bruges city center, which is definitely best experienced on foot. If you’ve ever been to Venice, there are a lot of similarities to the layout. It’s really a labyrinth of narrow streets that wind in whichever direction they please. There are also a series of canals crisscrossing the city. it’s really lovely. To aid in our orientation, and to beat some unexpected heat, we took a canal tour on a little boat. The tour guide was difficult to hear, but we got enough of the gist (there are lots of canals and lots of old buildings - mostly churches. it was an easy way to see some of the sights.
The remainder of our time in Bruges was dedicated to aimless wandering, beer including a brewery tour, and eating (including a visit to the open-air market in the central square).
Our time in Bruges really hit the spot for a cooler weather change of pace.
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| Our Bruges B&B |
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| Boat tour |
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| Boat tour |
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| Excellent beer terrace |
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| Market |
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| Waffle |
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| The brewery tour included great views |
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| Brewery tour |
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| Beer |
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| Family waffle dinner |
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| Our B&B was a very old Belgian house, with many interesting features |
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| Enjoying breakfast at the B&B in front of this amazing window |
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