A Delicious Day in Brugges

I had heard some mixed reviews of Brugges.  On the one hand, people said it was really sweet and cute, very idyllic.  However, others said that this had been taken to an extreme, and that it was just a big tourist trap. So I wasn't that excited to go, but felt like I should check it off my list. I'm glad we went. It's a wonderful little city, even though it is full of tourists. I totally get why they are all there-- Brugges is great!

The drive from near Dunkirk was very short-- less than an hour.  We parked in a huge underground parking garage, which turned out to be super-cheap!  When we got out of the car, even a couple levels below ground, we smelled really good food-- the air was thick with waffles and fries!  I was super excited to see that we had made it to Brugges during a weekly open market.  It reminded me so much of German markets-- not quite so much fresh produce, but lots of prepared meats, cheeses and other foodie delights.

There were a surprising number of roasted meat vendors.  It all looked (and smelled!) really incredible, and the lines were very long!  One of my favorite sights was locals packing bags of their purchases into their bike baskets-- what a fun way to shop!

 So many cheese carts...

 Fresh, local, hand-paddled butter!

All sorts of things we love...

Here's the sad part-- we walked around, and I just focused on taking pictures.  We figured we'd come back around lunch time and buy some of that delicious rotisserie meat, olives, cheese, etc. for an incredible picnic lunch, later.  We should have asked what time the market ended, because we found out when we were starving and headed back over that it had closed....  Next time!

We enjoyed walking all over the city and seeing all of the beautiful architecture.

Amelia felt that a somewhat religious pose would be appropriate here.

 The orange juice exceeded expectations.

 I usually try to avoid overly-touristed locations, but here it was fun to be amongst the international crowd.  And I have to say, it felt like such a luxury that nearly everyone spoke some English!

 One of the defining features of Brugges is the waterways.  There were a number of places set up along the rivers to give people a tour via motorized boats. Not quite the same feeling as punting, but it looked like a lot of fun!

 Oh, those buildings!!

 Just look at that brickwork inside the arches....

 We ended our time in Brugges with a meal in the market square.  What an incredible feeling, to be surrounded by such gorgeous architecture, with people from all over the world enjoying some sunshine and Belgian beer.

Jeff had a beer called Kwak, which is named after the sound it makes sloshing back into its bulbous glass. Funny, right?  One more little bit of trivia-- these wooden-handled steins were so popular at one point that customers had to turn in one shoe as a deposit when they ordered Kwak, to ensure that they did not leave with the glass it came in!  I should have taken a pictures of the larger beer sizes-- they were like this one, but about as tall as your knee!

 And here I am, doing my part by both wearing and drinking Belgian beer:

And of course Amelia took full advantage of the frites and mussels situation.

We loved our day in Brugges, and can't wait to go back again!

 Tomorrow, I will tell you a heart-warming tale of serendipity and the Belgian coast...