The Epic Journey

The next stop on the adventure was to take mom and Tony to the most magical place in Europe - Bruges (or Brugge). Matt and I fell in love with it instantaneously when we where there last fall and I was excited for them to see the fairytale land of canals, Gothic buildings, chocolate, beer, and fries. Hey, even the crappy movie In Bruges did not diminish the beauty and allure of the city.

Unfortunately, we were in Domburg - at the edge of the sea, on a long peninsula - and we needed to get to Bruges - just 50 km south as the crow flies but a 4 hour bus/train ride away. We decided to skip the trains and venture out using buses and ferries. Mind you, this is no easy task because the bus schedules at one stop are only good for that stop and are useless in determining a multi-step journey - not to mention this trip was going to take us across two countries, with two different bus systems. Have I mentioned I forgot my passport at home?

So here's the journey, in all its glory:

1. Walk from Kasteel Westhoven to Domburg Windmill (2.5 km, 25 minutes)
2. Bus from Domburg Windmill to Middelburg Train Station (20 minutes)
3. Train from Middelburg to Vlissingen is running 30 minutes late - hop on a bus from Middlelburg to Vlissingen Center (20 minutes)
4. Bus from Vlissingen Center to Fast Ferry (5 minutes)
5. Ferry from Vlissingen to Breskens (15 minutes + loading and unloading)
6. Bus from Breskens to Brugge (1 hour 20 minutes)
7. Get off bus at first site of Brugge to avoid passing out, since it was at least 100 degrees on the bus (the heat was on and it was about 75 degrees outside)
8. Walk to B&B (3 km, 30 minutes)
   

View Trip to Bruges in a larger map

But then we were there -Brugge! And she was just as magical as I remembered!

€ 30 and our last day in Bruges

For our last day in Bruges we had a list of sites and just €30. After filling up on our "buffet" breakfast of toast, nutella, and coffee, we headed out to the museums. We were pleasently surprised to find that the official Bruges museums cost just a €1 for those under 26 and generally come with a free audio guide. So away to the Gruuthuse Museum, a 15th century mansion with various artifacts and art from the city, and the Groeninge Museum, a building full of Flemish primitives, religious art, portraits, and modern art pieces.

Having only spent only €4 on site seeing, we were free to enjoy our last meal in Bruges. What did we have? Pancakes and chocolate waffles of course! We went to a wonderful little restaurant called The Flemish Pot and had lunch in a lovely little courtyard. We had a wonderful savory pancake with goat cheese, apples, and bacon, followed by a Belgium waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce - DELISH! We're not touring through Europe - We are eating through Europe. 

CHOCOLATE

...the best part!

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...

Snuffel Backpacker Hostel

We stayed in four-bed, mixed room at the Snuffel Backer Hostel - who's tag line is "the cheapest beer in town". And it truly did have the cheapest beer we saw in town - and not just the cheap stuff! The hostel was a great place to stay and we would definitely stay there again, however, it had it own quirks.

When we arrived we were assigned room 25 and told to "go through room 23 to get there". Simple enough. We climbed up the spiral staircase and opened room 23 with our key card. However, there was only a window in the room - no other door. So we thought we would try room 24 (which our key card also opened). There was another door in the room, so we thought we might have heard wrong. So we go to go out the other door and realize it is a fire escape that leads to the roof of the lower building. But hey, it's hostel and it's cheap - so Matt climbs down the staircase, across the roof, and looks at any imaginable way to get to "Room 25". Nothing. So we walk back down the spiral staircase to the bar and ask for directions once again. "Second floor - go through room 23". Okay...

Climbed back up the spiral staircase, opened up room 23, and still only a window. We looked in the shower, under the beds, out the window, at the ceiling...No room 25. So back down the spiral staircase, back to the bar, and asked once again. Response - "You are in room 24". What???

I would have thought we had made this up, misheard the nonexistent room 25, or chalked it up to a translation problem, but we heard the same story from an Australian the next night.

So, does room 25 exist? Where are you going when you go through room 23?

Also, travelers should be aware that the showers are in the next building over, you have to go through the bar to get to them, they don't open until 7:30 am, and you have to pull constantly on a cord to make the water come out. However, they have the most amazing water pressure ever and are exactly the perfect degree of hotness. Give me Snuffel's showers over ours anyday!

Bruges at Night

Church of Our Lady

We arrived in Bruges, after a three-hour, crowded train ride, after dark. And it was beautiful! The city was strangely quite, as it is more of a tourist day trip, and lit up beautifully. It was love at first site with Bruges and we knew almost immediately we would be blowing off Brussels to spend the whole weekend there. Even with our amazing camera, these photos don't do "Bruges at Night" justice - you just have to see it for yourself.

View of the Canal at Night

View from a Courtyard

Bell tower in Market Square