Spring break: Bruges

Oh, hey. I've been back from break for less than a week and I've already uploaded all of my photos to Facebook (...pretty much because everyone else was... peer pressure...) and I'm blogging. Granted, last semester I blogged about once or twice a week, but whatever, that's completely besides the point...

So this vacation, my mom came to visit. We spent a day in Rennes, 2 in Bruges (Belgium), 1 in Brussels (also Belgium), and 4 in Paris (I'm not going to even...) After she left, I met up with some friends in Amsterdam for about 3 days. Soooo here we go:

We leave from Rennes early Monday morning (this is Monday the... 27th. right. right after Easter) and get on a train to Paris. We've got some time to kill in Paris, and I haven't gotten a haircut in roughly 6 years (okay or 6 months), so... what do we do? Oh, wait, there's a Beauty Bubble in the Paris Montparnasse train station! sure, okay, I'll get my hair cut in a train station for 10€. I refused to let my mom take a photo, because I'm sure I looked like a tool... everyone kept staring at me as they walked by with their fancy not-from-a-train-station haircuts and expensive luggage and such... but whatever. Cheapest haircut ever [that didn't turn out horribly].

Anyway, back to the trip.

We hop on a metro from Montparnasse up to Gare Nord in Paris. Last time I was in Gare Nord was when I came to Paris for a few days my senior year in high school. It was exactly how I remembered it, complete with creepers and everything. Anyway, a few hours (and a quick layover in Brussels) later, we're in Bruges! Let me tell you a bit about Bruges, as I myself did not know anything about it before my mom and Rick Steves (which is my new favorite person, ever) intervened...

BRUGES:

Northern Beligum, but not exactly on the ocean-> "The Venice of the North"

They speak Flemish ("Belgian Dutch") and French (but nearly everyone we spoke with also spoke English)

There's a giant tower in the center of town- the 13th century Belfort (Belfry). It "offers unrivalled views of Bruges and beyond, be sure to climb the 366 steps to the top where a picture postcard perfect panorama awaits you." (did it. ouch.)

"The Church of our Lady is one of the city’s most interesting churches containing many works of art, most notable being Michelangelo’s Madonna with Child marble." (didn't do it)

They really like bikes

and chocolate

but mostly bikes.



The first night, we grab a lovely dinner of mayo with a side of french fries (whoops, sorry, don't say "french"- they're just "frites"), a fine Belgian waffle with chocolate sauce and banana, and chocolates. We hit up Dumon for chocolates. I went in and asked for the craziest flavor they had... because really, who wants to eat a plain caramel or truffle, which you can just get back home? However, I didn't get the response I was hoping for. Instead, this Belgian lady sneers at me a little, and informs me that "We only have traditional chocolates here at Dumon. We don't do any "different" flavors". Okay, well look at you little miss boring.


Super fork + knife used when eating a waffle

Still, I manage to find some flavors that I've never gotten before. Speculoos and a marzipan strawberry. We continue to walk around the city until it gets dark, then head back to the hotel.

The next morning, after eating a enormous continental breakfast, we walk outside of the hotel and see an awesommmme market right in the square. It was smaller than the Saturday market at Rennes, but a lot louder. A lot of yelling in Flemish. We head to De Halve Maan ("The Half Moon"... I think) for a brewery tour, after getting lost for a solid 20 minutes. It happens. The street names are SO confusing. The tour was nice, and we got a "free" beer afterwards. Upon leaving, we were right near The Chocolate Line (what are the odds?!), where I bought a Cola flavored chocolate (surprised?) and one that was called "Marrakech"... I was intrigued... according to the website, it's "white chocolate ganache with mint leaves".

We climbed the tower in the middle of town (so. many. stairs.) then rented some bikes and rode out to Damme, where we ate dinner in a classy restaurant with absolutely terrifying photos of clowns on the walls. Seriously. I don't think they could've clashed more with the overall theme of the restaurant if they tried. *shudder* I wish I could've gotten a photo, but I felt that that would be a bit inappropriate...


The tower


Sooooo many bikes in Bruges.

The next morning mom bikes a bit more, I go for a run (and feel as if I'm the first person the Belgians have ever seen running, by the looks they were giving me...). We do some shopping, then head to the train station... off to Brussels.

Too tired to continue writing tonight/I'm in a middle of a good book... I'll TRY and get to writing about Brussels tomorrow... hm.