Europe

Another Day in Brugge

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Brugge, Belgium

Today was a catch-up day. Hard to believe we’ve been gone for a week already. Why is it that time always flies on vacation? Today we did laundry here at this awesome little hotel and Steve went biking. He went the opposite direction from yesterday, back to the coast, and he covered about 40 miles today. On those granny bikes, that’s quite an accomplishment.

This afternoon we took the De Halve Maan brewery tour. This is the only brewery here in Brugge and their beer is quite good. It’s called Brugse Zot. Like all beer in Belgium it has it’s own glass, especially designed for this particular beer. We got to see the very old implements they used to brew beer back in the 1700s and 1800s.

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Beer implements

They also took us to the top of the brewery which gave us a great view of the city. You’ll see that in the pictures. Of course the tour ended with a beer, so Steve was happy!

We also went into the big church here that has one of the only Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy. It is of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. It was really breathtaking.

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Michelangelo’s Virgin Mary and Jesus

Since this is our last day in Brugge we explored the shopping area for awhile, picking up a few souvenirs and essentials. Tomorrow we head to Brussels to meet our Tour de France tour group. We will be traveling with Custom Getaways and so far they’ve been great with the arrangements. We are excited to meet our fellow travellers and to get started with that part of the trip.

The press is beginning to buzz about Le Tour. The riders are here in Belgium warming up on the cobbled sections of the course, which we will visit early next week. There are also all kinds of predictions about who will win. We’re just excited to be a part of it all.

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Belgian Bikes and Beaches

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Brugge, Belgium

Today we began the day at the weekly market in the Brugge town square.The fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, and flowers were all so fresh! We didn’t buy anything as we had just finished breakfast at the hotel, but if we were locals we’d be regulars at the market. From there we went to the top of the town belfry–the big tower with a clock and carillon. It was a bit of a hike up the narrow stairs but worth it for the view of the town.

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Marnie in the belfry

After the hike up we took advantage of the free bikes at the hotel. What we thought might be a short little trip to Damme, about 6 km away, turned into a fun 35 mile exploration. Belgium has miles and miles of bike lanes, most separated from traffic. They are all numbered and allow one to explore the backroads, farm houses, and small villages.

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Biking near Brugge

We headed north to the border of Belgium and the Netherlands. In the town of Sluis we got fresh croissants, ham, cheese and drinks and ate lunch along a beautiful canal. At that point we discovered that there are detailed local biking maps, so we bought one. The map lead us to the North Sea! And, did you know that Belgium has beach resorts? We rode along the boardwalk for miles before we decided to head back inland and to our home in Brugge. What a day!

Tonight there will be a carillon concert in the square. We didn’t even know what that was until we got here but now we know they are intricate church-like bells. We’ll report back tomorrow.

The picture below shows Steve with a few more beers.

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Pub established in 1515

He has challenged himself to try a different kind of Belgian beer at each stop and he wants me to take his picture. So, here is the evidence. The last photo was taken at the oldest pub in Brugge, established in 1515.

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Brugge, Belgium and Beer

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Brugge, Belgium

Today we took the train from Amsterdam through Brussels and in to Brugge. Brugge is a well preserved medieval city and we walked almost the whole thing in about two hours. However, we were late enough that most of the attractions were closed by the time we got there. We have two more days here to explore, so we’ll have more information to come.

This is the land of lace,chocolate and beer, so we plan to try it all! In fact, this tourist city has a museum for each, plus a frites (french fry) museum. We’re going to pass on that one! The city is lined with beautiful canals, much like Amsterdam but the architecture is more 15th and 16th century.

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Canals in Brugge

Our first stop was a very old pub that serves home-brewed Belgian beer. It was good! After a long walk through the city, we found a quaint local restaurant where we had dinner (and more beer!)

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More Belgian beer

This is the Flanders region of Belgium so tomorrow we plan to take bikes from the hotel and explore the countryside, including the infamous battlefields of the “Great War” (1914 to 1918).

Tour fever is beginning to hit around here and we are hearing more and more about the big race, which will start on Saturday in Rotterdam. You may have heard that Lance Armstrong has announced that this will be his last Tour de France. At least we can say we say we saw a part of the grand finale.

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