Bruges Visit #2



We loved Bruges so much last time, that we decided to go back with my mom and stepdad.  We only spent about 2 days there last time, and there were other things that we wanted to do when we came back.  It truly is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and the architecture is my favorite!!!  We found a great 3-bedroom rental for a few nights on booking.com, and it was perfect.  It was about 5 minutes out from city center by car, but had beautiful countryside views.  We spent the first afternoon wandering the city, eating waffles, and checking out little shops.  We ate dinner at a little cafe on the square and tried Flemish stew for the first time; it's a must! 

Our cottage

Jim & Jack in front of the Justice building

We kept getting stuck in this tour group LOL

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Grandma and Scout at our cottage

The grounds outside our cottage

The next morning, we headed back into town to make the opening time of the Salvador Dali museum.  I have always been a fan of his art, and this was a great showcase.  There is an audio-guided tour you can opt for that provides lots of great information.  I had no idea he had done pieces for Alice in Wonderland (though it seems fitting for his style.)  Here are a few pics I got in the museum...

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

We had a bike tour scheduled for the rest of the day, so we headed into Burg Square to meet our guide.  We used a tour company called Quasimundo Tours, and booked the Border by Bike Tour. 

http://quasimundo.com/borderbybike.html

We met up with Dieter, and walked to the nearby bike shop to get set up with our bikes.  We had chosen this tour because it goes around Bruges and out into the country, all in all about a 16 mile ride.  I had eaten enough waffles already, so this sounded like a necessary measure. 

Our first stop was a windmill

The view from the windmill

Another windmill we rode by

Beautiful countryside

We chose the border tour because the city is easy to walk, so we wanted to see some different scenery.  We stopped in a town called Damme to sightsee a bit.  We saw a great church with a beautiful cemetery.

This is a building in the town square of Damme...

Belgian Blue cattle are beautiful!

The tour included a stop at a great beer garden in Damme!  It was so cute, and the weather could not have been better!

A great Belgian beer we had

She thinks the empty bottles are cool

More beauty on our ride...

We spent the rest of the time enjoying the city and taking in the sites.  There may have been another waffle stop… or two.  Don't judge.

The next day, on our way home, we stopped in a small French village and grabbed wine, cheese, sausages, and baguettes to take home.  Taking the Chunnel is great, as you can stock your car up with French goodies at a fraction of the price!  Mom & Jim had never been to Dover, so we stopped there for some white cliffs viewing time.  They loved it and were glad we made the detour!

The trip was amazing!  I'm almost done with the Normandy post (it's the first part of this trip), and should have it up soon!

Happy travels!
xo