Bruges, Belgium

We had a great time in Brussels, drinking all the beer and eating way too much chocolate.  We got on the road, headed west towards Bruges.  I have been before, right after graduating from high school in 2007.  Fortunately, not very much about the city has changed.  It is a beautiful old city, protected by UNESCO, full of canals, cobble-stoned streets and medieval buildings.  We didn’t have the best weather, but fortunately we managed to stay mostly dry.

We didn’t have any plans when we arrived which was quite refreshing.  We spent our days leisurely strolling through the streets taking it all in.  There are two breweries in town, and they both make really great stuff.  So good we stopped by a couple times during our three days there.  One morning we climbed to the top of the belfry which has some truly remarkable views of the city.  It also houses a carillon dating from the 18th century, which we were lucky enough to see in action.  On our last day in town, we rented a couple of bikes from the hotel.  We spent the morning riding them on the outskirts of town, and then after lunch we explored all of the more residential streets in the city.  It was a great way to see the city, and also a great opportunity to see some of the less touristy areas.  

Samantha and I both loved our time here and decided that this would almost certainly not be our last time here.  It’s such a peaceful little city that feels almost frozen in time.  The food was great, the beer is to die for and the surroundings are incredible.  Of course, we knew we had to leave eventually, and we were both super excited for our next stop, Amsterdam.  On our way out of Belgium we stopped by one of the most renowned breweries in the world, the trappist monastery St. Sixtus Westvleteren.  While lay people aren’t allowed to see the brewing process, we were able to sample some beer and have a trappist grilled cheese.  It was amazing.  Stay tuned for our next post!