Beer and chocolates
Monday, 14 May 2007
A whirlwind visit to the medievil but quaint Belgium town of Bruges
Checked in and 10 minutes later we began our relationship with ridiculously cheap beers as we had to pass an hour until our room was ready. A Jupiler or a Hoegarden EURO1,60. This was a much welcome relief from the price of beer in Paris.
Hostel was warm and inviting, and looked a lot nicer than the hostel recommended by the bus company. The only gripe that we had was the terrible showers. Picture this...
To turn on shower:
1)Press the button on the shower wall
2)Stand under water for 15 seconds (maximum)
3)Water turns off
4)Repeat steps 1-3 until you've had enough of pressing that damn button, and you are only half clean.
As Bruges was such a small place, you could walk anywhere. This was to be our first (but not last) encounter with the local phenomenon- the cyclist. Forget the car, the two wheel machine is all the rave in this part of the world.
After Missioning around to get our bearings, we went to the bar at the hostel where we meet a group of folk on an Intrepid tour. We got to know them (Ozzies, a kiwi and a Canadian) and have a few more beers. We even broke out the Texas Hold-em, with bar straws as chips. It wasn't long before the first Euro was on the table. In the end, Em cleaned up, despite our new Canadian's friends confidence.
We eventually got dragged along with them to checkout a visiting fair, complete with rides and carney folk. Glad we went, as it turned out to be an experience. Nothing like progressing your way through the varying degrees of thrill seeking rides after a few beers! The highlight was this crazy ride that spun you six ways from Sunday, at ridiculous heights. As it turned out, you got the best upside down view of Bruges.
Needless to say, day two was somewhat subdued. We looked at the morning market for fresh foods. Following a light snack, we went sight seeing. There are a lot of old buildings, namely churches here – sounds boring, but this place was one of the few towns in Europe to escape any damage throughout the war. This means that everything here is old, a preserved piece of time. They even still have cobblestone roads, and horse and carts. One church also displays Michaelangelo's Mother and child, his only artwork allowed to leave Italy. We also hiked up to the belfry of the tower in the main square. 366 steps. Good way to burn off beer.
All in all, our trip, albeit brief, was fun. Next stop...Amsterdam!
Labels: Travel
posted by Tim @ 5:18 pm,
2 Comments:
- At 17 May 2007 at 6:39 am,
Unknown said... -
Hi Tim & Emma,
Nice to know that you survived from the hot pot in Sigapore and are enjoying you staying in Paris. Wish you'll enjoy the rest of your journey.
wei - At 28 May 2007 at 5:52 am,
said... -
heyhey! hope all is well, i'm at uni, stressing out on latest assignment but only a week to go! having a big party at my place for the end of semester. anyhow, looking forward to new pics. hope to hear from you soon
