As soon as I stepped off the bus in Bruges, I instantly fell in love. I almost regretted spending every night in Brussels, and wished I would have spent a night or two here. But being my first solo trip, everything is a learning experience.
Bruges which is referred to the " Venice of the North" is adorable to say the least. Walking around the cobblestone streets is like taking a step back in time. It is almost fairy tale like with it's swans wading through the canals, houses that from a distance look like gingerbread, and horse drawn carriages. Unlike many European cities this Medieval city remains much intact.
The tour started with lunch, and our tour guide lead us to a charming little restaurant, however my partner in crime and I decided to stray from the group and found an even better place at a square right around the corner. Bruges has its own brewery so of course we had to try the local brew, along with Fries, and Cheese Croquettes, it was an amazing lunch, as was every meal I ate in Belgium.
After lunch we met back up with the group where our guide was now taking us on a walking tour of this enchanting city, with a brief history lesson. One interesting fact was that at one time Bruges was the "Chief Commercial City of the World", and was once one of the wealthiest cities during the Middle Ages. No wonder it is the second most visited city in Belgium.
About a half hour into our tour our guide led us to a small dock where we had the option to pay 4 Euros to take a boat tour of the canals. How could I pass it up? Although the weather has behaved so far today, as soon as we left the dock, the skies opened up and it started to rain. No problem, the captain passed out umbrellas and away we went. The rain only lasted about 5 minutes, but remained on and off the rest of the day. Although the canal ride was nothing like the gondolas of Venice, it was worth the time and money.
We continued with our walking tour and ended up in the main square. Here is where our guided tour ended and were given time to explore and shop on our own.My new friend and I decided to forgo the shopping and found a cafe to have a hot chocolate and what else but a Waffle. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day before heading back to the bus, and to Brussels.
Once back in Brussels, I headed straight to the hotel. I was exhausted, and since it was once again raining outside actually had pizza and a beer at the hotel bar and called it a night.
Bruges which is referred to the " Venice of the North" is adorable to say the least. Walking around the cobblestone streets is like taking a step back in time. It is almost fairy tale like with it's swans wading through the canals, houses that from a distance look like gingerbread, and horse drawn carriages. Unlike many European cities this Medieval city remains much intact.
The tour started with lunch, and our tour guide lead us to a charming little restaurant, however my partner in crime and I decided to stray from the group and found an even better place at a square right around the corner. Bruges has its own brewery so of course we had to try the local brew, along with Fries, and Cheese Croquettes, it was an amazing lunch, as was every meal I ate in Belgium.
About a half hour into our tour our guide led us to a small dock where we had the option to pay 4 Euros to take a boat tour of the canals. How could I pass it up? Although the weather has behaved so far today, as soon as we left the dock, the skies opened up and it started to rain. No problem, the captain passed out umbrellas and away we went. The rain only lasted about 5 minutes, but remained on and off the rest of the day. Although the canal ride was nothing like the gondolas of Venice, it was worth the time and money.
We continued with our walking tour and ended up in the main square. Here is where our guided tour ended and were given time to explore and shop on our own.My new friend and I decided to forgo the shopping and found a cafe to have a hot chocolate and what else but a Waffle. It was the perfect ending to an amazing day before heading back to the bus, and to Brussels.
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