Geo: 50.8371, 4.36761Today I sadly said good-bye to Brugge after spending three wonderful days in this beautiful city. This morning I wandered to some of my favorite places and also through a small park I had not visited before. It was nice to walk along the canals before the boat tours were out as I was able to see the reflections of the buildings in the water. I had to check out of the hotel by 11, but left my bags as I had no specific timetable for catching my train to Brussels.I wandered into a chocolate shop and bought a small sampling to try. They require a minimum of 5 pieces so that is what I got. I tried passionfruit, coconut, violet, orange and tiramisu. Some were milk chocolate, some dark chocolate and some white ... read more

Geo: 51.2094, 3.22523This morning I set off to follow one of the walking routes in my guidebook called "Strolling through silent Bruges." It was a beautiful 4 km (2.48 mile) walk with many interesting sites along the way. First, I had to go through Market Square. Well, I suppose I could have gone around, but I just love that place! On Wednesdays there is a food and flower market held on the square. There were large trucks lined up in rows with all sorts of goodies. There was a row with meats and cheeses, one with flowers and several with fruits and veggies. Everything looked so good that I decided to buy a snack for later of some fresh strawberries and a sugar waffle. Snack purchased, I set out on my walk. The walk started at ... read more

Geo: 51.2094, 3.22523Today I traveled from Amsterdam to Brugge on the clean, fast and timely European train network. I had a mid-afternoon train so I spent some time just sitting in the park by the Rijksmuseum and then packing up all my stuff. My bags are getting heavier and heavier. Must be all the brochures and nativity scenes I have been collecting!I got to Amsterdam Central Station, found out where my train was leaving from (15a, which is actually farther to walk than 15b), grabbed a sandwich and cookie and sat down to wait. I took the Thalys train, which is the high speed train with service all the way to Paris, via Antwerp and Brussels. The platform has a nice drawing of the train with which carriage is which so you know where to wait. ... read more

Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095Today was much nicer out than yesterday. It was breezy and cool and perfect for wandering the city. I got up early as my first stop was the Anne Frank House Museum. Now, if you ever go to Amsterdam and want to visit this museum, you should definitely purchase your ticket ahead of time. This saves a lot of waiting in line. People can wait for 2+ hours to get in! And that is in all weather in lines that form outside with limited shade or shelter from rain. I arrived a little after 8:15 and was the first in the pre-purchased ticket line. It was a pretty chilly morning and I almost could have put on my gloves, but I did not. I enjoyed the fact that I had on jeans and they ... read more

Geo: 50.0553, 19.9274I had a very good night's sleep and woke up feeling ready to do a few more things before I had to head to the airport for my next stop. I wandered down to the Square to get some breakfast. Stopped at a nice coffee shop and got a museli with yogurt and fresh fruit and a fresh orange juice. I ate this sitting in the Square watching the early morning activity. I had noticed them setting up some metal staging the day before but thought it was for this film festival that is happening next week. Unfortunately, I found out it was a Catholic holiday (Corpus Christi?) and all the museums and many of the stores were therefore closed. Boo! I was planning on checking out the museum that runs under the square ... read more