The Colin Farrell movie doesn't do this town justice... In Bruges.

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I can’t believe I checked out of my Heilige Geest apartment today. So sentimental. The guy from the Guesthouse came today to inspect my room & give me my security deposit back around 9 am. From there, Dad & I took a taxi to our hotel in Brussels. (Since our flight leaves tomorrow at noon, we figured it would be wisest to just get a room for the night before in order to not have to get up at the asscrack of dawn to get to the airport in time). We opted for the cab due to the copious amounts of bags that we had - 3 giant suitcases, 2 wheelie carry-ons, Dad’s briefcase, & my backpack. That train ride would have been interesting… The cab from Maastricht to Brussels was only 160 Euros, so figuring in the fact that we would have had to pay about 100 Euros to travel by train, we figured the extra 60 was worth it for the sheer convenience of not having to lug those suckers around. Boy were we right… The cab driver was funny because he was happy we wanted to go in the morning because Holland’s soccer team played Denmark in the World Cup this afternoon at 2 so he wanted to get back to watch the game, haha. (Holland won 2-0, by the way).

Once we got to Brussels, I couldn’t stomach the idea of spending another afternoon there since I had been there 5 times already. Dad & I decided to take the train to Bruges - a small town in the Flanders region of Belgium, which is only a 1-hour train ride from the Brussels city center. It was a solid decision because the town is gorgeous . Let’s put it this way - there were so many things to take pictures of, my camera battery died after being there for only 2 hours. I swear, there were no “new” buildings in the entire city. Everything was old, brick, & beautiful. There were a ton of great churches, canals, & lakes. As we were walking toward the Marketplace (the true centrum of the city), we came across horse-drawn carriage rides. Since we literally didn’t know anything about the town before going there, we figured it was the best way to get to know the place. It was beautiful. Our tour guide was a teenager from Bruges who showed us some really nice places & was a genuinely nice girl. Her English was impeccable, & when we told her that, she said that at home she speaks Flemish & French, but that English is hard for her. I was so impressed because her grammar was perfect, & since she’s not a college student that was shocking for me.

Most of the buildings in Bruges were constructed in the 13th century. It’s amazing to me that these buildings have survived throughout the centuries & still stand in the condition they are in. It’s truly amazing that Medieval architecture was so sound & was so well-preserved throughout the years.

I think Bruges might be one of my favorite places. It’s a really laid-back atmosphere, & it’s a small town with a lot of charm. I’m sure once my Mom sees the pictures of it, she’s going to be really upset she missed it. I guess that’s just a good reason to have to come back. ☺

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Photos

Love lake
Apparently if you throw a coin into the lake, you're supposed to get eternal love.

St. Jan Hospital
This used to be a hospital, but now it's a museum.

Carriage ride
We told our tour guide that if she gets tired of Bruges, she could always come to New York & work in Central Park.

Convent
This is still a convent to this very day.

Canals
Bruges has an elaborate system of canals. It considers itself to be the Venice of Belgium.