Belgium {Bruges}

After our time in Brussels and Ghent, on our third day in Belgium we arrived in Bruges.  Bruges is, without a doubt, the cutest little town ever.  And, along with that, come the tourists - a lot of them, us included.  I think it's fair to say, we really liked Bruges at dusk and dawn, when the crowds thinned, the sun or lights were setting and reflecting off the canals creating a beautiful images at every corner.

In the Market Square

Bruges at night

The classic shot

Just another random street, with a beautiful view

Bruges is pretty small, and easy to see in an afternoon, so our only full day, we decided to get out of town.  We rented bikes and headed for the country.

On our way out of town

Heading along the canals

We had a map of a huge circuit of bike only trials along canals, through the country.  It was so cool to bike from little village to little village through along the tree lined canals and fields full of crops, cows, horses and even some pigs!

I had to stop for a photo here

Bruges beautiful country side - taken from Damme

Of course, we had packed a picnic.  We found the most amazing butcher shop in Bruges and stopped by before we headed out.  It was family run, literally mom, dad and their 2 daughters were working.  The line was out the door and they had everything from prepared meals, to pre-made salads and cheeses.  We found the perfect spot to enjoy our lunch along our ride.

Another beautiful picnic spot we found

View on the other side of our picnic

We biked for Kilometers through tree tunnels.
There were 2 sets, lining both sides of the canals

The bike ride was amazing, and the perfect way to spend the day in the country side.

Back in Bruges, we enjoyed some more of Belgium's delicacies - beer, chocolate, frites.  Most bottles of beer had the year the beer has been brewed since.  Most of them were older than our country, from the 1100's and 1200's.

On the left was Brian's favorite beer he had.
It's an Abby beer, so brewed in an Abby

Another cute corner we walked around

Like a kid in a candy store.
Brian found the best frites in Bruges.

Back at Market Square - the Bell Tower

Just another picture perfect corner

The Bell Tower at night.

We heard twice that the best chocolate shop in Bruge was
The Chocolate Line.  It was the only one we tried, so
I guess we'll never know, but it was pretty fantastic.

One last Leffe Blond on the train back to the airport.
Back to reality, and no more indulgences

Until next time Belgium, we will be dreaming of your delicious beers and your beautiful country side.