Bruges: Bulging Beer Bellies!

At 8am on Wednesday morning, red-faced and frantic from running with a large backpack from the metro stop I boarded this big blue beast of a bus ...

... and began the start of a two and a half week whirlwind tour around Northern Europe!

First stop - Bruges! And what better way to prepare ourselves for this medieval than to watch the movie of the same name?

(Source)

It is a little crass, I will concede, but very funny. And Colin Farrell is pretty damn easy on the eyes.

We arrived early afternoon, so after grabbing a bite to eat (a yummy pita pocket, which I then ate by the canal) I joined the free walking tour run by the hostel. I met two lovely lads, a Brit (John) and an American (Morgan) who I got to know better as we explored the town. 

Old town gate. Did learn facts about it. Have subsequently forgotten. Oops!

Spot the smallest window in Bruges!

The hotel where Ray stayed (and jumped out the window into the canal) is in the middle on the left.

After the walking tour we headed back to the hostel for happy hour, where we met a wonderful Canadian (Anne-Sophie) and an Aussie boy (Zac). 

Notice anything weird about the hostel bar clock??

As a group, we went into town with a mission - to consume Belgian fries (frites) and to find the bar with the 12% house beer (De Garre).

We succeeded. 

Both were delicious!

John was very excited by the free cheese.

We met a group of German boys, who were there for the weekend, and spent the rest of the evening wandering and drinking with them.

The Belfry all lit up.

The next morning, after much disturbed sleep (ahhh hostel life, thank you for living up to my expectations!), I went for a wander through along the canal and into town before meeting up with Anne-Sophie, Morgan and Zac. 

Bruges is amazing. Each street is as beautiful, or more so, than the last! 

I fell in love with it.

How could you not??

Although the swans were not a draw card as far as I was concerned - they scare me!

We saw a couple more the next night ... I kept my distance!

I stumbled across a free harp concert as I was wandering through the streets. 

Luc Vanlaere

It was beautiful and affected me so profoundly - I even ended up crying!! What a sap! :) I couldn't believe how much I missed playing and definitely intend on dusting mine off when I get home!

Windmill! There are a few that run alongside the canal as it circles the town.

Morgan, Anne-Sophie and Zac enjoying the view. I preferred keeping both feet firmly on the ground!

We went to the oldest café in Bruges (the sign reads 1515) ...

... for a delicious Belgian hot chocolate.

We topped this off with waffles for lunch (healthy eating and Europe aren't particularly compatible as far as I can see! :P)

Then we climbed the Belfry. 

Chartres has kind of spoiled all subsequent views for me, and the metal wire cage at the top was a bit of a distraction, but still worth the climb.

Oh my goodness the staircase!! So small and so steep!!!

Not fun :(

After the exertion of pulling ourselves up the 366 stairs, Zac decided we had earned ourselves a beer. So we went back to De Garre again.

It is down the smallest street in Bruges, and is very popular! We had to wait for people to leave before we could be seated.

Belgian beer is fantastic.

I am a big fan.

But it also wouldn't have been a trip to Belgium without trying some chocolate.

Mmmmm .. chocolate and hazelnut were destined to be together!!! (And no, these weren't all for me!)

Later that night Anne-Sophie and I decided to give the boys the flick, and went and had a girly pizza date at a restaurant down the road. 

It was really lovely just to sit and chat like old friends with someone I had only met 48 hours earlier. One of the best parts of traveling :)

We had the next morning in Bruges before the bus picked us up and took us through to Amsterdam, so Zac and I went souvenir hunting. The guide told us that the cheapest place was just down the road from the hostel. We were a little confused when we arrived however, and found not a tacky little shop or stall front, but a huge secondhand warehouse!

It was Bruges' answer to Super Shed. David, you would have loved it. Zac spent a while pouring over the beer glass selection, before finding one he liked for a 5th of the price of the ones in town. Score!

Afterwards we both felt our waffle quota was a little low, so we stopped to grab another. 

Mine came with Ferrero Rocher (!!!) ice-cream! It was delicious!!!

Zac chose fresh blueberry ice-cream. I stole some. It was amazing. I almost regretted my choice.

Almost.

I would definitely recommend Bruges to anyone who is considering visiting - if only for the food! But the town is the most picturesque I have seen, and is very easy to explore by foot. The vibe is very laid back, and the locals friendly and helpful. Oh, and did I mention the beer???

xxox