We had a great time this past weekend as we celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Bruges, Belgium. The city is small, beautiful, clean, and very quaint. It is touted as the "Venice of the North" as it has multiple canals running through it, although I didn't see any operatic singers steering a gondola.
To cross the Channel this go around, we drove our car into the Chunnel train and were in Calais, France in 35 minutes. This is a huge freight train with double decker metal cars that carry everything from our small car to large coach buses. Basically, you just drive the car into the freight car and enjoy the ride. When you arrive on the other side, you exit the freight car almost directly onto the main interstate. I think this is the best way to cross...it's faster and cheaper.
We stayed at a B&B called A Room with a View and was very pleased with our choice. Everything in the city is within walking distance because it is such a small city. The best part is that the whole place is cyclist and pedestrian friendly. They have true bike lanes surrounding the city, not just a stripe on the pavement painted as a afterthought when global warming became a hot issue. You are separated by metal or concrete barricades from the main road. Very nice and safe. Within the city bikes are allowed anywhere and are once again granted bike lanes...these don't have barricades, but not many cars cruise the city...it's best saved for walking and biking.
While Bruges offers fabulous museums, we opted against anything touristy. I even bypassed the chocolate museum...I just want the chocolate however they decide to make it! We opted for a relaxing, laid-back weekend, holding hands as we browsed the street shops and making use of the free bikes from the B&B to work off some of the waffles. Out of shear coincidence, we were in town for the Pageant of the Golden Tree. This parade, which happens only once every 5 years, chronicles the history of Bruges and the commemoration of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaretha of York. They had great floats and costumes and it was fun to feel a little like a local celebrating their city. We had a very nice anniversary dinner at Chez Olivier, a small 10-table French/Flemish restaurant overlooking a canal. The husband is the chef and the wife is the server...they make a great team and serve delicious food.
We had a beautiful weekend in a beautiful city. Monday was a UK bank holiday, so Edgar had the day off. We took advantage of the great weather and cycled through Richmond Park. You should see the deer there...I'm going to try to get photos of them posted. In the meantime, enjoy our photos from Bruges!
To cross the Channel this go around, we drove our car into the Chunnel train and were in Calais, France in 35 minutes. This is a huge freight train with double decker metal cars that carry everything from our small car to large coach buses. Basically, you just drive the car into the freight car and enjoy the ride. When you arrive on the other side, you exit the freight car almost directly onto the main interstate. I think this is the best way to cross...it's faster and cheaper.
We stayed at a B&B called A Room with a View and was very pleased with our choice. Everything in the city is within walking distance because it is such a small city. The best part is that the whole place is cyclist and pedestrian friendly. They have true bike lanes surrounding the city, not just a stripe on the pavement painted as a afterthought when global warming became a hot issue. You are separated by metal or concrete barricades from the main road. Very nice and safe. Within the city bikes are allowed anywhere and are once again granted bike lanes...these don't have barricades, but not many cars cruise the city...it's best saved for walking and biking.
While Bruges offers fabulous museums, we opted against anything touristy. I even bypassed the chocolate museum...I just want the chocolate however they decide to make it! We opted for a relaxing, laid-back weekend, holding hands as we browsed the street shops and making use of the free bikes from the B&B to work off some of the waffles. Out of shear coincidence, we were in town for the Pageant of the Golden Tree. This parade, which happens only once every 5 years, chronicles the history of Bruges and the commemoration of the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaretha of York. They had great floats and costumes and it was fun to feel a little like a local celebrating their city. We had a very nice anniversary dinner at Chez Olivier, a small 10-table French/Flemish restaurant overlooking a canal. The husband is the chef and the wife is the server...they make a great team and serve delicious food.
We had a beautiful weekend in a beautiful city. Monday was a UK bank holiday, so Edgar had the day off. We took advantage of the great weather and cycled through Richmond Park. You should see the deer there...I'm going to try to get photos of them posted. In the meantime, enjoy our photos from Bruges!
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