Hello friends & family!
As I write this we are sitting on the train on our way to Paris. We left Brugge this morning after three days of strolling through the cobblestone streets, wandering past beautiful medieval architecture and trying our fair share of Belgian chocolates and Belgian beer (Drew’s favorite).
We left Amsterdam on Friday morning and had our first trip onboard a train with our Eurail pass. The task of getting on the right train and making a switch in Antwerpen came much easier than expected, and I can now breathe knowing we might actually be able to figure out this whole European travel thing. Even though it was a dreary day, the scenery zooming past the countryside was very beautiful.
When we arrived in Brugge we hopped on a bus to head to our hostel. This particular hostel is a chain of hostels that are in several cities around Europe and had more of a hostel feel, bar included.
Our first day we spent walking around and getting our lay of the land - similar to our first day in Amsterdam. We found a cute restaurant along a canal and enjoyed a long meal accompanied with Belgian beers in order to take cover from the rain. We went to our hostel’s bar that night and took advantage of the drink coupons that came with our room - 2 for 1 drinks all night? Yes please.
The next morning we went on a run along the canal and through the park of windmills. Couldn’t have asked for prettier scenery for our first run... if only I had some wooden Dutch shoes, then I would’ve fit right in. We stopped at a local bakery at the end of our run and enjoyed our pastries sitting in the park. The rest of the day was spent walking all over town. One of the people at the hostel told us we had to stop at one of the fry-carts and try the fries with “stoovlesaus” which is a Flemish stew and a local delicacy; similar to a beef stew/gravy. I wasn’t the biggest fan but Drew absolutely loved it. We had lunch in the market square, which wasn’t the most spectacular meal of the trip thus far, but enjoyed the atmosphere and people-watching. On the walk home we stopped into one of the what seemed like 500 Belgian chocolate shops and enjoyed the melt-in-your-mouth chocolates. Well, I did. Drew doesn’t like chocolate which is something I will never understand.
That night we walked about two blocks from our hostel and had an authentic tapas meal and shared a carafe of the house red. Next door there was a biergarten which turned out to be one of our favorite spots in Brugge - a must-see if you ever make your way to Belgium. The bartenders were friendly, the music was great and the overall atmosphere was inviting and lots of fun.
On our third day we walked back to the Market Square and climbed the 366 steps to the top of the the Belfry of Brugge, which is a bell tower that was built around 1240 and renovated and added to in the 15th century. Drew conquered his fear of heights and although his knees got a little shaky while passing people on the spiral staircase, we made it to the top and were rewarded with spectacular views of the city. That afternoon we returned to Hof van Bereop, and when I didn’t think I could love a place more, I ordered a Gingerito which is probably the best drink I have ever had. Gin (instead of rum), fresh mint leaves, fresh chunks of ginger and tonic.
We finished the night at our hostel’s bar and called it a night. We woke up early this morning, enjoyed our last complimentary breakfast and hopped on Bus 16 to the train station. After two train changes in small towns in Belgium and France, we are now on our first high-speed train of the trip on the way to Paris! We are staying in a hostel near the Eiffel tower for the first three nights, and then we have an apartment in the 4th arrondissement for five nights after that. Brian, Drew’s brother, is meeting us for those five nights so it should be a good time.
Drew's personal beer tour while in Brugge:
More pictures of the trip will be on Facebook soon!
Au Revoir!
Emily & Drew
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