The thing about writing in these travel-blog entries is I can never add quite enough detail to do the experiences justice. Bruges was spectacular, these swans were in the canal immediately in front of our Hotel. You can't really tell from the photo above, but there is actually a swanling on top of the mother (I assume) swan's back. We stayed at Hotel Europ, which I would highly recommend to anyone who visited. It is somewhat of Budget hotel, but it was far more posh than our lodgings in Amsterdam (which served its purpose despite certain things it lacked). Our room was a bit more affordable because it did not sport a canal view. Kate and I figured we weren't in Bruges to spend time in a room so this was just fine. It was clean, had a great free breakfast, (excellent meats, bread, boiled eggs, and fruit). A comfortable small room, nice bathroom with a fitting decor that seemed appropriate for Bruges.
A better view of the canal below.
Notice Kate in the photo below trucking along towards the hotel. Almost there Kate!
Below is the Bruges city hall in The Burg square. This is a short distance from the hotel and where we would be catching a bus back to the train station instead of trying to repeat our "arrival" experience of navigating the cobblestones, suitcases in hand.
After settling into the hotel, using the facilities, and Kate checking out what stations were available on the television we went and found some sustenance in the town. Bistro Lily with its al fresco dining immediately caught our eye. They had Belgian fries with mayo, nice looking sandwiches, and beer.... ahhh beer. Belgian beer! I had a crab sandwich which seemed to be popular- it was "faux" crab, and I knew this going into the arrangement, yet it seemed very popular so I gave it a whirl. Aside from the roll it came on, it wasn't all that great, but I ate three quarters of it. The beer and fries more than made up for it. I can't remember what brand I had off hand (sadly) but it was something I could not get in the states, and it was mighty tasty.The photo below is a public fish market that unfortunately was not operating when we strolled by. I thought it was photo-worthy regardless.
The photo below is the Beguinage, a community of women who have devoted their life to charity and God. This particular community was one of the only remaining communities of this type which is still active. Descriptions of the community are quick to point out that these women are not "nuns". This is probably one of the more beautiful and tranquil places I have ever been. The photo does it no justice. The trees were enormous and permanently leaning from winds that must be quite unrelenting in the sky of Bruges. The breeze, undulating through the leaves made a hypnotic sound that could have had me lying in the grass, gazing up through the branches without much thought to the time I might be wasting. 
The photo above is Jeruzalemkerk, Kate and I would have loved the chance to explore all of these, but we had the unfortunate luck of being here on a Monday when many of the churches and tourist sites are closed. We would have to fit in some priorities on Tuesday, however we wanted to venture into the Belgian countryside as well so time was limited.
The photo below is the Beguinage, a community of women who have devoted their life to charity and God. This particular community was one of the only remaining communities of this type which is still active. Descriptions of the community are quick to point out that these women are not "nuns". This is probably one of the more beautiful and tranquil places I have ever been. The photo does it no justice. The trees were enormous and permanently leaning from winds that must be quite unrelenting in the sky of Bruges. The breeze, undulating through the leaves made a hypnotic sound that could have had me lying in the grass, gazing up through the branches without much thought to the time I might be wasting. The photo above is Jeruzalemkerk, Kate and I would have loved the chance to explore all of these, but we had the unfortunate luck of being here on a Monday when many of the churches and tourist sites are closed. We would have to fit in some priorities on Tuesday, however we wanted to venture into the Belgian countryside as well so time was limited. The gate below was near the Beguinage, (Begijnhof- Dutch). The area outside the community was as captivating as the serene area of solitude within. Otherworldly is a descriptor that is lacking in every sense.
The photo below is the back side of a complex adjacent to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This is a pilgrimage site, and we would be taking this site in with more scrutiny later in our stay.
The church above is St. Anne's church and it is located in what was once a poorer immigrant community. This once down-and-out neighborhood was a little more my style than De Pijp.
WINDMILL!!! There are supposedly 4 of these in Bruges, however since they are far apart we managed to take in two of them. I wanted to climb up to the top of this one, and I probably would have, but Kate had this idea that we were going to get arrested. In truth that stairway was fiercely steep and the whole windmill swiveled slightly so it wasn't the most safe activity to do. If I was younger I would have done it in a heart beat. Lately I'm too much of a klutz so I had visions of myself breaking my neck, and I smartly avoided this.
The gate above is one of the old medieval city gates. Complete with outlets designed to facilitate the dumping of hot oil on some jerk you don't want barging in without proper credentials.
The photo below is the back side of a complex adjacent to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This is a pilgrimage site, and we would be taking this site in with more scrutiny later in our stay.The church above is St. Anne's church and it is located in what was once a poorer immigrant community. This once down-and-out neighborhood was a little more my style than De Pijp.WINDMILL!!! There are supposedly 4 of these in Bruges, however since they are far apart we managed to take in two of them. I wanted to climb up to the top of this one, and I probably would have, but Kate had this idea that we were going to get arrested. In truth that stairway was fiercely steep and the whole windmill swiveled slightly so it wasn't the most safe activity to do. If I was younger I would have done it in a heart beat. Lately I'm too much of a klutz so I had visions of myself breaking my neck, and I smartly avoided this.The gate above is one of the old medieval city gates. Complete with outlets designed to facilitate the dumping of hot oil on some jerk you don't want barging in without proper credentials.So Rick Steves is an ass. Kate had a "Rick Steves" travel guide to Bruges that told us that the city didn't wake up till 10:00 and that was when we should get dinner. In fact just the opposite was true- so much so that this stupid Pizza Hut was the only place save a couple of bars, that was open. My idea of fine Belgian ale with roasting meat, or pots of mussels would have to wait an evening. Instead we had a pepperoni pizza with cheese bread sticks. The weird thing here is they served the bread sticks with ketchup and salsa (no sauce). We asked for some marinara sauce and the waitress looked at us like we had three heads- who knew this was the custom? I had a large beer which was essentially the size of a pitcher. It was just sort of a pilsner, and I've been trying to google what it was, and for the life of me I can't find it. I should have carried a notepad to record all of these important details. Pizza Hut by the way seems to be universally rated one star by people who have been there.
Bruges at night is just fabulous- enchanting. It was quiet, and we felt like we were on an adventure lurking around the old stone masterpieces in the dark, alone with the spirits.
Whooo too much Belgian beer makes for bad photography!!!!
These nighttime shots are incredibly difficult to take, especially with my 5 year old digital camera. I'm pretty proud of this one below- it looks photo shopped.
These nighttime shots are incredibly difficult to take, especially with my 5 year old digital camera. I'm pretty proud of this one below- it looks photo shopped.
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