Dag!
Ah, Brugges! It was like a breath of fresh air as soon as we left the train station. Turls was relieved as he no longer had to put up with all the Parisites! The pace change is like going from a formula one racing car (Paris), to a horse drawn cart (Brugges), quite literally!!
Our hotel, Hotel T' Keizershof, was a two minute walk from the station, and we had already crossed a gorgeous canal, with pristine green grass along the waters edge. Our hotel was a family run business, and was really lovely. Their motto is”When you're asleep, we look just like those big fancy hotels”. They had artwork that their kids had done in all the rooms and were very friendly people. Everyone here speaks excellent english, much better than Paris.
After dumping our luggage, we set off with our little map and found one of the many spots that offer canal tours. It was great to see some of the buildings and bridges around the canals. It was a tight squeeze, my legs were nearly too long in the boat, so you can imagine how cramped up Turls was. We then walked to the main market square, watched a little bit of music and dancing, climbed the Belfort Tower (another 366 steps!) and then hired bikes for the rest of the afternoon.
This was not only great fun and very relaxing, but was also a great way to get around town and take in more of what it has to offer. We saw some windmills, nearly hit a hundred pedestrians, bought some Belgian chocolate and then sat by the water eating it and making ourselves sick. I have some bike riding injuries (surprise surprise) with few scrapes on my legs, not from falling off but from kicking sharp parts of the bike with my leg! Hopeless!
We sat for a little while among the locals and had a beer at a pub near where we were staying, took the bikes back and had some dinner. We were tucked up in bed nice and early, and based on how much better I am feeling today, we needed it!
This morning we wandered around the Begijnhof, which is a 13th century community of unmarried and widowed women, in which women still live today. It's like stepping back in time. Brugges really is beautiful and we would recommend that anyone traveling should stop in for at least one night to recharge their batteries!
We are now sitting on a train, making out way to Amsterdam. I am loving the train travel as opposed to air; it is so much easier and less time wasted.
Bye for now,
Ange & Turls xx
