In Bruges

Like I mentioned, Drew and I went to Belgium for the Irish bank holiday last weekend!  Drew had been to Brussels before but both Bruges and Brussels were on our travel list.  So why not?  Besides the cool weather, it was pretty much just what we needed.  No mention of Nazis, no mention of Communism, no mention of anything but delicious waffles and a ridiculously huge selection of cool beers.  Happiness!

Our flight to Brussels was at 6:40am (always a bad idea) but we quickly got on the train to Bruges to spend our first two days there.  We haven't really done much train traveling thus far and it definitely took me back to college when me and Mere and Nell and Stephie lived the dream and traveled around western Europe.  We'd literally have 3 minutes between each train and Meredith would be barking out orders and directions while tiny Stephanie would throw our huge suitcases off the train with her bare hands while I ran around making sure no one robbed us while Eleanor made catty comments and planned the next games and activities we'd be playing on the train.  Pretty magical actually.  I want to write about that semester because so many cool things happened and we got to see and experience so much.  But maybe I'll do that another day.  It clearly made me think extensivelyabout this amazing time in my life.  Hence why I'm writing about it now.  Sigh.

Anyway, we got to Bruges, checked in our our charming hotel, went for a delicious Belgian lunch at a popular gastro pub, took a free 2-hour tour sponsored through the hotel, had a quick cat nap, and feasted on delicious seafood at a French (Belgian) cafe.  Here are some pics!

We're barely awake but let's DO THIS!

Our DELIGHTFUL hotel.  Wonderful service and beautiful interiors.  Highly recommended.

Lunch on our first day.  Chicken surprise!  With a heavy wine sauce and the cheesiest, richest potatoes you ever ate.    Oh baby.

Some Belgian beers and a chocolatey waffle.  Happy!

Our cute tour guide, explaining Belgian lace (and how you have to ask for the genuine stuff and pay top dollar for it)!

Bruges is like Amsterdam with it's canals, which I think make it even more charming.  This is an incredibly old building turned into a restaurant now.  Lovely.  

Funny looking trees along the canals.

Some more prime real estate on the canal: old home turned private mansion of some wealthy Belgian.

And...again.

Lovers on the canal.

Sint-Salvator Cathedral.  It evidently holds the blood of Christ?

Trying chocolate on our walking tour.

A gorgeous park/square, called a "Beguinage", which is where the Beguins used to live.  These were women who were KIND of like nuns but...had more freedom and did cooler things around the city.  

Silly nun in a restaurant roof's window.

She ain't no nun!

Convent turned Section 8 housing.  Or housing for the common folk.  Whatever.

Some pretty sights from the main Market Square!  This huge square reminded me a lot of Krakow's with the ornate buildings and quaint little cafes.

Center of the main Market Square

Belfry Clock Tower - we climbed to the top (but more on that later).

Cafes and restaurants and Belgian architecture.  

Dinner at Raymond!

Now that I have a job, I only eat lobster.
(Caption provided by Drew.)

After a stroll around town with ice cream in hand, we crashed to prep for a solid sightseeing day tomorrow.  More on that later!