More on Europe...

Well, when we last left the story, we had just left the White Cliffs of Dover (England) heading for Calais, France.

Once in Calais, we immediately board a bus for a trip to Bruges, Belgium.
Bruges is a beautiful small city, about 62 miles from our French port. We get there in plenty of time to look around this gorgeous city.

As you can see from the picture at right (click on any picture to 'embiggen'), Bruges is a typical Belgian city near the ocean with many canals. The water was clean, the buildings very old, and walking around was comfortable with temps in the 60's F.

Not long after we checked into our hotel, we ere out walking, exploring this old city. About a block away, there was a vendor working out of a small building selling one of my favorite foods I'd ever had in Europe, real Belgian Waffles. I smiled to my wife and said "oh, this you HAVE to try", and bought her one and watched as her

eyes got wide when she took her first bite of this light pastry from heaven. I got one for myself, and we walked slowly around the city.

Like most European cities, there's beautiful, small cobblestone streets, with quaint pubs and restaurants and little shops to poke into. Many of the buildings are medieval in architecture, and just ooze history. Being as we had some time to kill, we decided to stop and have a drink.

Well, you just HAD to know there'd be a picture of me like this.. *chuckling*.

Well, here I am having a beer at a nice Belgian ale house. (yes, my wife had a beer too, they're not BOTH mine!)

Now, below this, is one of my favorite pictures of Bruges.

 

 

In the center of town, there is a Market Square, with some incredible buildings surrounding it. We just walked slowly in awe at the age and condition of these buildings, and you're left wondering, why buildings in the US don't last so long. Of course, ever few feet I was taking pictures of this and that, my wife enjoying her first visit to Belgium, and me, my first visit to Bruges.

The picture at right is the 13th century "Belfry" building, housing a municipal Carillon comprising 47 bells. The city still employs a full-time bell ringer, Aimé Lombaért, who puts on regular free concerts.

When we left the Market Square, we went back to our hotel for one of many dinners that were part of the tour we were on. We had some typical Belgian foods, and by the time dinner was over, we took one more short walk around town, as at night, it's even more beautiful as during the day.

Such ended our trip to Bruges. The next morning, we would be leaving on the bus again for a quick stop in Brussels, then on to Cologne, Germany to get on a ship for a cruise down the Rhine River.

More on that another day.

Have a great Hump-Day all...!