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Published: November 14th 2007
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Up before dawn brimming we were with excitement about going back to continental Europe. By 7am we were on our way to the coast to catch our train....by way of the Eurotunnel. This was my first experience where you actually drive your car onto the train to take it with you! And only 30 minutes later we were in Calais.
As we arrived on the train into France we got off and drove straight to Belgium. Probably the first country I have entered in years where they didn't stop us to check passports. Not a immigration booth in sight simply a sign saying "Belgie" on the motorway.
We entered Brugge and parked under the city centre. Climbed a few sets of stairs to find ourselves immersed in a Saturday market packed full of stalls. Clothing, cheeses and loads of fantastic smelling food stalls were all around us! First stop breakfast! After filling our bellies we walked to the main square to enjoy the atmosphere, a Belgian hot chocolate and a trip up the belfry (where i got a discount for being a young person (under 26) ). Hundreds of narrow steps later we were at the top of what
looked like a giant music box which played hundreds of songs. We sat down to rest, it felt like a long way up, and waited until the hour to name that tune. It was really interesting to see it all work but we couldn't hear the tune so we ran up the final few flights to the bells themselves. I still don't know what the tune was but know it scared us to death when the clock struck the hour long after the tune was finished. The views were stunning all around. Brugge is as beautiful from the streets as it is from the sky.
After descending the tower we wandered through the streets looking at nearly every chocolate shop on the way. We passed a lovely Christmas shop that just oozed holiday spirit which we had to go into. Inside there were decorations of every kind including pickle ornaments, which evidently Americans hang on their trees for their children. The child who finds the pickle first on Christmas day gets another present. Funny I don't remember a pickle on my tree as a kid so I'm not so sure how traditional that is?
Over the canals we
followed the horse and carriage route to the park full of beautiful white swans. It was also the end of the tourist trail where all the horse and carriages stop for a well deserved rest. We kept on wandering through the cobbled streets and found a monastry tucked back behind the park. Probably the quietest part of town helped along by the "Silence" signs.
We headed back to the park for a rest and a cafe offering mid afternoon Belgian waffles. The city is a beautifully filled with old architecture very reminicent of Amsterdam. They speak Flemish which sounds like a mixed of French and German but always have their English ready for customers. Small European countries never cease to amaze me with their multilingual ways. After our waffle we headed back to the main square passing a 200 kilo gorrilla made entirely of chocolate and men pulling candy into "rock". Of course submitting to some of those amazing chocolate shops on the way.
We wandered back to the market square to find the market had packed up and gone home. Without a sign that they were ever there and headed to the main square for dinner and
people watching. After a lovely day in Brugge we headed back for Calais and a supermarket full of discounted everything. We took a bit too long and missed our 10:20 crossing home. Luckily there was another at 11:45! It was a fantastic day in Europe and it's just so close I'm not sure why we haven't gone before.
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