Blogs from Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium, Europe - page 4

Oh, by the way, in case you've ever considered doing this, the WORST thing you could ever say to someone who's just sat down in a dentist's chair is "Now you do know in The Netherlands they don't use anaesthesia when they drill, don't you?". Ha Ha Ha. Very funny - I thought. But Dorine was deadly serious. Then she saw my face and got the nervous giggles. As I prepared to kill her. Slowly. I forgot to mention yesterday that the reason I could actually eat the Flammkuchen at lunchtime was that dentists in The Netherlands don't use anaesthesia when they drill. So no numbness or drooling, but plenty of pain. The upside is that I am now free to eat my way around Europe without jumping out of my chair weirdly every time I ... read more

I was really excited about visiting Bruges having seen many photos of this medieval fairytale looking place, as well as hearing great reviews from family and friends. I can honestly say that my excitement for visiting this place did not end up with disappointment and would say that Bruges is right up there in my all-time top 5 favourites cities. Before visiting Bruges, I did not know too much about it, except that it was surrounded by meandering canals and lined with medieval buildings. I discovered that Bruges was the hub of trade in the 13th century with other European countries and learnt that the city became the world's first tourist destination in the late 19th century. Upon entering the 13th century markt, I found the Historium Brugge. This attraction is very popular with tourists as ... read more

Friday 31 July 2015 Bruges is a short drive from the little town where we are staying and we have heard it is an attractive place to visit, so with the sun shining again we head off to find out for ourselves. The car is safely underground, but the downside is that the wet socks drying in the car won't make much progress while we are parked there. It's hard to find the perfect park. Above ground we were immediately captivated by the sight of a tall spire looming at the end of the street. We followed our noses and quickly found the streets which seemed to be attracting people. Bruges seems to be a city built around water, and canals carry boatloads of tourists under bridges and past delightful old buildings, some used as cafés ... read more

Today we caught a local train for a look around the city of Bruges. Only an hour from Brussels, Bruges is a medieval town built in the thirteenth century with a current population of less than 200,000. The old town surrounded by canals is sometimes known as little Venice. Arriving at the station, it was a 10 minute walk on cobblestone laneways to reach the town centre. With no map in hand, you just look for the biggest church and head towards it. After exploring the streets, we took the canal boat ride. No gondola's, just overcrowded power boats. There are no private boats on these canals, so the twenty or so tourists boats are a licence to print money, as they don't stop all day. The clock tower in the middle of town is worth ... read more

Today was our free day in Bruges and everyone was out and about - and with such an early start tomorrow - all my guest bloggers have been tucked into bed so you are stuck with me - again...here's my attempt at sharing our day 'by the numbers' (please note - based on what I remember from breakfast this morning): 2 travellers to Paris - Lynn Porter and Jack Zechner 6 explorers to Brussels - The De Villa-Choi clan and Liam Thomas 2 souls on bikes explore the countryside - Mr. Crone and Ms. Evans A pair of war buffs to explore more important Canadian moments - Mr. Wotherspoon and Johan (one of our tour guides) 25(ish) people on the canal tours - The Malones, The Colfers, The Fitzpatricks, The McBurneys, The Wallaces, The Wills, The ... read more