Bruges

Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Day 7—Bruges, Belgium

Bruges was absolutely gorgeous! If you are visiting Belgium any time soon, let me save you some time, skip Brussels and just go to Bruges. The waffles, fries, and chocolates are just as good and the city is small and lovely. Bruges is very quaint and small and they have extravagantly detailed churches, horses and carriages, and flowers everywhere. They have a row of fancy upscale shops, as well as small souvenir shops. They have gorgeous architecture and the canals and bridges just add to the natural beauty. As far as we could tell there wasn’t a bag area of town, everything was close and a short walk, and we absolutely loved it.

We checked out of our hostel in Brussels early to go to the train station and make the trip to Bruges. Our train was a double decker and we gladly sat on the top level for a gorgeous view of all the small farms and churches along the way. When we got into Bruges, we followed the group of tourists headed to the center of town. And in case the thought crossed your mind, we did lug our bags all around the city, and I think my collar bone is bruised as a result. I actually don’t think that my ankles and knees will ever recover from the added weight coupled with the uneven stones, but I think it’s a small price to pay to go somewhere so beautiful. We walked around for a little while and saw the main square which is stunning, before getting waffles. I had cherries and crème and Morgan got strawberries and crème, and I’m pretty sure that both of us were very happy to have waffles for the second day in a row. We ate the waffles on a bench in the main square and people watched for a bit. Then a bee came and attempted to eat my waffle, I defeated the little guy with the help of a couple of local girls whose food he was also trying to eat!

 



 

The dog sleeping in the
window sill.

When we were finished we tracked down a frog that is supposed to turn into a prince if it is kissed by the same person 100,000 times. So I sat there and kissed it over 59,000 times until I finally got bored. Okay that’s a lie I only barely kissed it once. No prince for me. I mean seriously, you know something is a myth when the goal is so lofty that no one would ever manage it and it could never be proved wrong. From there we walked to a canal boat tour, and paid seven euro to see the city by boat. Our driver and guide was a complete stud, and I didn’t so much listen to the tour as just stare at him. I picked up some information, but also his English wasn’t fantastic. He said that purchasing windows in Bruges is really expensive (I didn’t catch the reason why), so the people used to be taxed based on the number of windows they had. He also said that the houses with the most steps on the roofs were the wealthiest, like the more steps the more money you had. The steps aren’t stairs in case you are confused, they are a part of the architecture on the front of the house on the roof. We saw the oldest bridge in the city, and one of the most romantic hotels in Europe that is also a famous honeymoon spot. We learned about the a couple hospitals and churches, but I honestly couldn’t understand much of what he said. We passed a whole group of swans on the canal, I was so close to them that I could have reached out and touched them. They were gorgeous. We also saw this house that had opened up a window over the canal and their dog was sleeping with his little nose out the window, and he was adorable, the guide said he is always laying there and it one of the most photographed attractions. Overall, the boat ride was full of amazing views and was definitely a highlight for me. So I tipped the guy, mostly just for being so good looking, but also because I really did enjoy the ride.

SWANS!

After the canal boat, we went to find some more postcards to add to our ongoing collection. We found some easily and then went to get more fires. You can judge us all you like for the constant waffles and fries, but they are just so amazing. Morgan got a table while I waited in line (you’re welcome Morgan) for a century. It was worthwhile though because we greatly enjoyed our fries and mayonnaise, in classic Belgian style. We hung out a little longer and then started walked toward the train station. We found an H&M and decided to go in (we’re weak). I bought a jacket because the weather everywhere has been so unbelievably cold, and Mo got some leggings. We’re gonna come back with an awesome tan. Prepare to be jealous!

We made it to the train station, got some coffee to warm our bones, and then began the journey to Amsterdam. We had to take a series of trains to get there, but we navigated it all like a couple of regular pros. On one of the trains we met a couple, a guy from Arizona and an Australian that apparently were going to Amsterdam for this girl to meet the guy’s mother for the first time. I guess they met on a walking tour and have known each other for eight weeks and want to get married. No one worry about that happening to me, I’m still holding out for the frog prince. We made it to Amsterdam Centraal and took the metro to the square where our Christian Hostel “Shelter City” is located. We literally walked out of the metro and it started raining, which made it a little hard to find, but we made it and got all checked in and assigned to our beds. When we checked in they told us that we weren’t allowed to have drugs or alcohol in the hostel, which completely ruined all of the plans we had to go to bed early and not drink or do drugs at all. However, when I sat down on my bed I found a bottle of vodka hidden under the pillow, so people obviously follow those rules really well. The girls who it belonged to got kicked out on the streets, so now I feel bad. No they didn’t, but they did apologize before hiding it again. We hung out in the café/lounge area for a while and got to experience the hostel prayer time which was extrememly cool because many people prayed in all different languages. I really like it here and I am fairly certain that all of the workers here are volunteers that come to do ministry, which is really cool. After spending some there, we went happily to bed.

It really was an awesome day, and I am continuing to feel blessed by all the experiences I am getting to have, and the person I am getting to see it all with! She is the perfect travel companion for this unbelievable adventure! I love her and will miss her so much while she is here for a whole year without me! I’m soaking up all this time with her while I can! Looking forward to seeing my grandma and grandpa tomorrow as well as experiencing the city of Amsterdam!



Notice the steps on the front of the building!