Day 7: Bruges

I could most certainly live in Belgium.

I started the day with a two hour jog/walk around the city, getting lost repeatedly in the winding, narrow medieval streets. Fortunately, the city is surrounded by a wide canal that forms the shape of an egg, with the longest diameter about 1.5 miles, and the main square at the center. Therefore, if you get lost and hit a canal, the best thing to do is just head in the exact opposite direction. Worked every time.

Market Square of Bruges


After the jog, I had signed up for a 4-hour guided bike tour of the countryside. Our local guide, Steven, was both a Ph.D history student and wryly funny. The tour and the countryside were beautiful, with lots of cows, sheep, farms, and flat bikepaths. We went to nearby Dammes to see another beautiful, but smaller, medieval town that used to be an important port for Napolean. We stopped for a bier break in yet another small town before heading back to Bruges. The ride was wonderful, although the weather flopped back and forth between down-pouring rain and bright sunshine. The Belgian countryside is wonderfully flat, and bikes are abundant here. Scooters and regular bikes might just outnumber cars on the roads. Getting the chance to try out the local form of transport was quite fun.

A Belgian Blue cow (they're big!) in the countryside.


I returned to Bruges and rewarded my very active day with a trip to Damons, a well-known chocolate shop near the Market Square. The reputation did not disappoint, and I happily enjoyed my selections while cruising the streets with a little window shopping. Since most of the shops close at 6pm, I decided that since my day was on such roll with so many of Belgium's cultural treats, I should splurge a bit and try the local mussels at a nice restaurant for my last dinner in Belgium. I found a table outside just right off the market square, and ordered the famous "moussels". My mussels in garlic sauce were quite tasty, and of course, were served with pomes frites. The restaurant manager saw me sitting alone and came over to talk a bit, and later sent a bowl of gelato to my table on the house. Bonus!

After dinner I went back to the hostel for the very popular 9pm 1-euro happy hour, and joined a fellow hosteler I met the day earlier for a beer. By 10pm, I was completely beat from the jogging and bike riding, and even the loud bar couldn't keep me from falling asleep almost immediately.

One more day in Bruges, then off to Germany. More photos are coming soon.