Bruges, Belgium
Monday, October 3 London-Bruges
Who said driving in Europe is difficult… piece of cake, just don’t do it on 3 hours sleep! Had troubles with our GPS, got lost twice driving to Bruge. Our GPS had no Belgian maps. We got to Bruge, and had no idea where our hotel was.
We drove around looking for the Office de Tourisme and got lost in the old narrow cobble-stone single-lane roads through Bruge. As we passed an old church, Gwen asked me to slow down so she could have a better look, and lo and behold, what was across the road?... our Motel… Amazing! Totally unexpected, but that was it. It is 550 years old, and we are on the top floor in a huge suite overlooking the old Bruge town.
Gwen and I left the kids to watch TV and sleep in our room because they were exhausted. We went to have some moules and frites at the market square. We collected the kids and tookj them back to the square to buy some Belgian chocolates and Belgian waffles… what else is Belgium famous for???
Tuesday, October 4 Bruges
We slept in until 8 this morning. Breakfast was delicious, typical French breakfast in the 550 yr old kitchen area. We walked into the market square and bought a €3 tourist book of Brugge which contained photos and a map of all to see in town. We mapped out our route and set off to see all 25 must-see attractions on foot. We saw the Church of Our Lady, where we saw Michaelangelos’s famous sculpture, “Madonna and Child”.
Another highlight was praying in the Basilica of the Holy Blood while touching a vial of Jesus’ blood that was entrusted to Brugge in 1150 by the knights Templar. After lunch we did a guided canal boat ride, then had some more waffles for afternoon tea. I took the kids back to the hotel for a rest and to work on their journals, while Gwen visited some art galleries, including Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso. Gwen and Zeke had more mussels for dinner. I had some Flemish stew. We walked around the streets once more before heading back to the hotel for an early night.
Who said driving in Europe is difficult… piece of cake, just don’t do it on 3 hours sleep! Had troubles with our GPS, got lost twice driving to Bruge. Our GPS had no Belgian maps. We got to Bruge, and had no idea where our hotel was.
We drove around looking for the Office de Tourisme and got lost in the old narrow cobble-stone single-lane roads through Bruge. As we passed an old church, Gwen asked me to slow down so she could have a better look, and lo and behold, what was across the road?... our Motel… Amazing! Totally unexpected, but that was it. It is 550 years old, and we are on the top floor in a huge suite overlooking the old Bruge town.
Gwen and I left the kids to watch TV and sleep in our room because they were exhausted. We went to have some moules and frites at the market square. We collected the kids and tookj them back to the square to buy some Belgian chocolates and Belgian waffles… what else is Belgium famous for???
Tuesday, October 4 Bruges
We slept in until 8 this morning. Breakfast was delicious, typical French breakfast in the 550 yr old kitchen area. We walked into the market square and bought a €3 tourist book of Brugge which contained photos and a map of all to see in town. We mapped out our route and set off to see all 25 must-see attractions on foot. We saw the Church of Our Lady, where we saw Michaelangelos’s famous sculpture, “Madonna and Child”.
Another highlight was praying in the Basilica of the Holy Blood while touching a vial of Jesus’ blood that was entrusted to Brugge in 1150 by the knights Templar. After lunch we did a guided canal boat ride, then had some more waffles for afternoon tea. I took the kids back to the hotel for a rest and to work on their journals, while Gwen visited some art galleries, including Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso. Gwen and Zeke had more mussels for dinner. I had some Flemish stew. We walked around the streets once more before heading back to the hotel for an early night.