[Bus Tour Day 7] Bruges, Belgium, and back to London

---

The last day of our tour had arrived! We left early to make the long trek back to London, but in the middle of the day, we got to stop for a short visit to Bruges, a medieval city in Belgium. Bruges has many old-fashioned buildings still in use, and the streets look a lot like you would expect an old European town to be. There were a lot of things to see and do, and despite how cold and tired we were, we made the most of the time there.

We first ate some french fries, as they are a staple in Belgium. After that, we went off in search of some Belgium chocolates, and Sophia and I found ourselves in a very small shop where everything was handmade. The young man working behind the counter was the son of the man who owned it, the chocolate maker himself, and he gave us his recommendations for the very best of all the MANY kinds of chocolate. We got to pick everything out piece by piece - it was so delicious! I also bought some chocolates to take back to my coworkers, as coming home without omiyage (souvenirs) is quite the faux-pas in Japan.

There was a nice walk back to the bus, and then we were off towards the coast again. While the French customs officers didn't even bother stopping us to see our passports, the British officers wanted to see everything, so we all had to get off and get into a line for them to inspect our documents. After that, we had to wait for the boat that would take us all across the channel, which made me a little bit seasick, but we made it through in one piece.

We arrived back in London around 7 pm. We were exhausted, but also exhilarated by the amazing trip we'd just taken. I said goodbye to all my new friends, and then walked the short 10 minutes back to my hotel. I was so happy that I'd taken the risk and gone by myself on the tour, and that I'd thought to get a hotel so near so I could easily get to and from the bus drop-off point. I spent the night doing laundry (as I'd only brought one week's worth of clothes) and getting ready for the second half of my European vacation.

---