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shewhomustWe spent today in Bruges. After breakfast on board, it didn't take long to disembark and drive to a car park Roger had previously identified, next door to the railway station, not excessively expensive and whose price includes a bus ticket in to the centre. In fact it's close enough to walk, and we ended up walking back - but that's another story. Anyway, we had a splendid time not doing any of the deeply cultural things people had recommended to us, just admiring the streets and the buildings and the many, many chocolate shops... I hope there'll be a post that relives that walk, when I get home and can sort out the photos. But for the time being, just two silly pictures:
This is the first picture of the entire trip, and I think it's a pretty good thematic introduction to Belgium: a bookshop, something quirky and humorous (not necessarily funny, but humorous in intent) and a clutch of bicycles. We saw so many cyclists today, sometimes at the last minute: they come swooping past you in the crowded streets, which is unnerving. At the same time, you're trying to avoid being trampled by the tour groups, large crocodiles of tourists following their intrepide guides into narrow alleyways, giving way to no-one. Roger suggests that they are groups from cruise ships, which leaves me hopeful that they won't be so numerous now we are further from the sea.
After that, I needed a beer:
We lunched at The Half Moon brewery: the cheese platter comes with a scattering of grapes and walnuts, which was good, and a pot of mustard, which was unexpected (and I wasn't tempted to try it). I chose that beer - the Straffe Hendrik Wild - because it was described as their seasonal beer, made with wild yeasts. I did not realise, until I saw the bottle, that it was 9% alcohol. Luckily, it wasn't a large bottle (luckily in that respect - I enjoyed it all). We didn't feel the need for dessert, and were rewarded when the coffee was accomanied by a mini chocolate egg - and yes, it was very superior chocolate, white with a dark nutty filling.
After that - but no, I said I'd save 'after that' for another post. Eventually we returned to retrieve our car, and it wasn't a long drive to Ghent, where we will spend the next few days.
This is the first picture of the entire trip, and I think it's a pretty good thematic introduction to Belgium: a bookshop, something quirky and humorous (not necessarily funny, but humorous in intent) and a clutch of bicycles. We saw so many cyclists today, sometimes at the last minute: they come swooping past you in the crowded streets, which is unnerving. At the same time, you're trying to avoid being trampled by the tour groups, large crocodiles of tourists following their intrepide guides into narrow alleyways, giving way to no-one. Roger suggests that they are groups from cruise ships, which leaves me hopeful that they won't be so numerous now we are further from the sea.
After that, I needed a beer:
We lunched at The Half Moon brewery: the cheese platter comes with a scattering of grapes and walnuts, which was good, and a pot of mustard, which was unexpected (and I wasn't tempted to try it). I chose that beer - the Straffe Hendrik Wild - because it was described as their seasonal beer, made with wild yeasts. I did not realise, until I saw the bottle, that it was 9% alcohol. Luckily, it wasn't a large bottle (luckily in that respect - I enjoyed it all). We didn't feel the need for dessert, and were rewarded when the coffee was accomanied by a mini chocolate egg - and yes, it was very superior chocolate, white with a dark nutty filling.
After that - but no, I said I'd save 'after that' for another post. Eventually we returned to retrieve our car, and it wasn't a long drive to Ghent, where we will spend the next few days.
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Date: 2017-04-13 09:48 pm (UTC)It's also just a great collection of objects hanging out together. They look like they enjoy each other's company.
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Date: 2017-04-14 05:02 pm (UTC)