Having already posted photos of Bruges on Facebook, you will have gleaned that I  enjoyed this little city very much. Apparently  I brought the heatwave from Dubai with me as everyone I spoke to told me that they had not had such high temperatures  for 30 years! For us Aussies 30° is not “hot” but for these Belgian locals this was unbearable heat! Not that they were whinging, far from it! The local Brugians (if there is such a word) were genial and kind and grateful for the good weather which saw their restaurants and shops busy with happy tourists.

Such a lovely summery, relaxed feel was evident as locals and tourists alike strolled or cycled through the streets. The canal boat tours were full and the many squares, promenades and outdoor cafes were buzzing with people enjoying beers and ice creams…and chips! Yes folks, the local delicacies of Bruges are chips… and mussels! Apparently  Belgium and Bruges in particular are famous for their delicious chips. I was told they are twice cooked and this is the secret for their deliciousness. Of course I had to find out for myself so after having strolled around for awhile and been on a canal boat tour it was now about 4pm and I  realised I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I  entered a small cafe and ordered a small portion of chips. The man behind the counter asked me what sauce I wanted with them and I asked what sauces could I have. He pointed to a poster on the wall that listed over a dozen different sauces! Who knew there could be so much choice? Overwhelmed and not sure what they all were, I chose mayonnaise. Within minutes I had a small cardboard boat filled to the brim with crisp, hot chips, a generous dollop of mayonnaise on top and a tiny little 3 pronged fork sticking out of the mound! They were good, crispy all the way through and the generous amount too much for me to finish.

Spoilt for choice was an ongoing theme as I  wandered in and out of the chocolate shops, mostly located all in one street. Belgium is well known for their chocolate making and the amazing displays of creativity in the windows were very enticing and eye catching. Each store had similiar varieties but usually their own specialties as well. Again I  was totally overwhelmed! As a self confessed chocoholic you would think I would’ve gone berserk buying up big but as tempted as I  was to try one of everything, in the end I didn’t.  Not out some sort of Catholic  resistance to temptation, but just because a) there was just too much choice and b) it was too hot to be having chocolate delights become an oozing melted mess in my bag! In the end I  bought one small bar of nougat (which I haven’t eaten yet) and one Florentine biscuit which I  ate there and then.

On my walk around I was also surprised at the many small and large galleries there were. I did not pick Bruges for an arty town but it was. Unfortunately it was late in the day that I  made these discoveries  so I  vowed to try and get to a few the next morning.

The  next morning  I had an amazing breakfast at the hotel. For 14 euro it was a lavish spread of cereals, bacon, eggs, and a variety of breads, pastries, cheeses, cold meats and spreads! I was glad to fill up as I knew I  would be travelling most of the rest of the day. I  ate outside where I  was kept company by the resident parrot! I tried to have a conversation  with him but he only seemed to speak dutch! – and yes Jess and Christian I did make embarrassing  squawks just like I used to with the parrot at Whychyproof! (Family joke)

I set off to find those galleries I’d spyed the day before and taking a wrong turn instead of ending up at the gallery with all the traditional  flemish artists, I stumbled into a gallery that had an exhibition of Picasso and Miro works. It was fantastic!  This gallery has one of the largest privately owned collection of Picasso drawings and prints. I saw works I’d never seen before not even in books! It was same with  the Miro works. There was also an exhibition of a local surrealist artist whose works were as equally fascinating and as good as Dali’s. The works were hung in many rooms and it was a huge area to be wandering through. I  think there may have been an art school attached to these galleries as when I  had finished I sat outside in the gardens and watched as a group of young people brought out some large canvases and propped them against  a wall and took photos  of them. They were all slightly different versions of the same sitter so I  gather it was a class exercise of sorts. Needless to say this detour did not leave me enough time to find the flemish gallery but it was a great find so I  was happy!

The one other thing I squeezed in before I  had to head to the station was a trip to the Crocs store I had spyed the day before. I  decided that as pretty as those new sketchers runners looked, my feet had gotten hot and sore in them the day before and maybe Crocs were a better option for traipsing around train stations and airports! So new Crocs  were bought and have proved their comfort well over the last few days!

So that’s the chocs, chips and crocs part of this blog, so what to tell you about trains?

Firstly the Eurostar  was not as much fun as I thought it would be. Probably  because there are no scenic views to be had when your 100’s  of feet below the ocean floor! I also expected this train to have big comfy seats and plenty of leg room but the seating was akin to an aeroplanes and not much more comfortable. Idid however strike up a conversation with a Scottish man who lived in Brussels and this helped pass the time. He was a philandering musician whose wife had left him and taken the kids to New Zealand. He was obviously on the prowl, as when he realised that I wasn’t hanging about in Brussels, he struck up a conversation with the woman across the aisle who was. She was a Portuguese scientist who’d  lost her job in London and was heading to Brussels to try her luck! I  was completely forgotten as they disembarked together and left by myself  to struggle with getting my luggage off the train down 3 large steps! For a swanky new train it was a bummer to get in and out of and didnt even stop flush with the platform, so not only are you negotiating steps but also a 30 cm gap between the train and platform!

Brussels central station was a busy and rude place and not very well signposted (well not in English  anyway!) I lugged my luggage from one end to the other trying to firstly find a toilet and secondly someone to ask if I  could change my pre purchased ticket for the next day. Once I  was told no to my request of changing my Brussels to Amsterdam  ticket to a Bruges to Amsterdam ticket, I  then had to go to a completely  different area to buy a ticket to Bruges! Everyone I dealt with was curt and unhelpful, so I think this is another valid reason for getting rid of terrorists in the world!

The train to Bruges  was a much more pleasant experience and I  decided by the time I arrived that there was no way my tired feet and sore knees were going to cope with the walk to my hotel so I  hailed a cab! It might have cost me twice the bus fare but I needed to save what little energy I had to be able to explore the city.

The trains in the Netherlands were a different proposition again but more about my Netherlands experiences in the next blog… 😊