In Bruges

I hate showering. That's not to say I don't do it, I do, (nearly) every day. It's just annoying. That being said, I find that I write the best blogs, in my head, in the shower. I should start bringing a tape recorder into the shower every day and just recording my thoughts. (Disclaimer: This blog is not one such post I wrote in the shower.)

Speaking of not showering, let's go back to Europe--more specifically, my favorite part of our trip to Europe: Belgium. Not necessarily the country, in particular, but Bruges.

When we were planning our trip, we originally planned to spend one day/night in Brussels, but literally everyone we talked to told us to skip the big city and see Bruges. And boy are we glad we did.

Bruges, to quote the movie (In Bruges), is a fairytale town. It's seriously hard to put into words, but it was just magical. It was like stepping back in time. If you've never been to Europe, I think Bruges is the town you see when you imagine it: Cobblestone streets, chocolatiers, main squares, quaint buildings, canals, french fries, and of course, beer. The beer in this place...I'll get there.

 

Walking into the city market square.

Authentic, delicious lunch. And first of many beers.

Church of our Lady Tower in the Market Square. The Christmas festival, including ice skating, was set up in the square.

The Provinciaal Hof

In the Market Square & Chocolatier - I wish you could smell it through the computer.

 

Cutest building ever? Cutest street sign ever?

On the canal.

And here we are at the most fantastic part of the day. As we were walking along the canal, I spotted this cool looking tree that reminded us of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Naturally, I took a picture, and we kept walking. We were on the hunt for a warm bar where we could sit and relax for awhile. 

Dr. Seuss, amiright? 

So, we round the corner and see people flooding out of a long hallway. A glance inside showed us perhaps the most wonderful sight we ever did see.

As we walked deeper into the hallway, we found that it turned into a bar/tasting room with hundreds--HUNDREDS of different beers.

Bryan was in heaven.

Unable to choose, I opted for a beer champagne (hello, when do I ever turn down champs?) and a blonde Belgium, while Bryan got a Delirium Christmas flavor. Excited with our purchases, we looked for a place to sit. EUREKA! A table opened up outside, with  perfect little view of the canal. And EUREKA again--it was the tree that we loved! It's like it was fate/love at first sight. Though it was a bit chilly, that didn't stop of us from sitting on that patio and drinking like it was 85 degrees out. We didn't want to leave.

 

Our view of the canal from our spot.

  

Our tree & me :)

By then, it was getting dark, so we decided to head back into Brussels and see if we could top our day. (We didn't, but of course we still had fun.)

Regretfully leaving Bruges.

Back in Brussels, there was yet another Christmas Market going on, so we walked around, watched some cool light shows, and by then, we were freezing and wet, so we popped into a cozy little bar for a nightcap and cheese plate before heading back to the hotel.

So that was Belgium. If I can give any advice, put Bruges on your bucket list. You will thank me!

                                                                 

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