506 Steps

Belfry in Market Square

Our tour of Bruges began with the 366 steps to the top of the Belfry in Market Square for a panoramic view of the city. It was worth every step!

French Fries Belgium Style

Since we could smell the french fries from the top of the Belfry, we just had to have some of the double fried fries when we got back the bottom! They are a local specialty and come with your choice of about 25 different sauces. Everyone in front of us was getting an orange sauce put on theirs, so I decided they must know best and ordered my fries with orange sauce.

The amused frier: "I have 25 different sauces and 10 of them are orange. Which one did you want?"

Me: "Which ever one you think is best."

The frier: "Okay, give her the Samurai."

Me, pausing to read the board that indicated the Samurai was the spiciest sauce on the menu: "Umm...how about another suggestion."

The frier: "Okay give her the _____(the sweet and spicy sauce)"

I am not sure if the fries where special or not, but with the sauce they were delicious!

Madonna and Child

Our next stop was to pop into the Church of Our Lady for a peak at the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. It was Michelangelo's only sculpture to leave Italy during his lifetime. Seeing famous artwork in the museums is wonderful, but seeing art work in situ is truly amazing.

De Halve Maan Brewery

The next stop on our walk was De Halve Maan Brewery Tour, which is one of Belgium's 400+ breweries. The tour guide informed us that there are so many breweries because the water use to be polluted and was undrinkable so they brewed beer to drink instead. They make Brugse Zot, Brugse Bruin, and a seasonal brew, which during our visit was Brugse Bok.

After trekking up 240 steep steps through narrow doors, we arrived at the roof top of the brewery for another bird's eye view of the town. The brewery tour was generic and unmemorable, but at least it came with a drink at the end, even if getting the drink did involve standing in a long line.

Every beer has its own special glass it is to be served in, and the local guide notes that it is an annoying tourist habit to steal beer glasses, especially since they only cost €2-3 anyways. And I most definitely saw a tourist slyly put her glass in her bag in the courtyard at De Halve Maan. Seriously, you could afford the €10 tour and three beers - buy the damn glass!

Anyways, I have my doubts as to each beer needing its own "special " glass. I was in the local bottle shop perusing my new favorites - kriek beer- and looking curiously at the glasses. If it is all the same type of beer - just breweries' different varieties - wouldn't you think they would all have similiar glasses? Nope! Some looked like champagne glasses, a few glass mugs, some short round glasses, and a couple wine style glasses. Now explain that...