Hotel Rubens Ostende

... again they were replicas. I put my engagement ring under the microscope here and saw what a cheap ******* Witek really is. Nah, he did all right actually! J

We next visited ‘Minniwater’, or ‘The Lake of Love’ which is basically a very pretty lake in Brugge. We sat there for a while watching the boats and the birdlife and just enjoying the peace. We had found a nice quiet little place behind some trees where we could sit on the edge and just watch.

Brugge, West Flanders, Belgium kimmykak

... came in a pot and the milk was heated as well. So my 16 Euro dinner came to about 37 Euro, or about $55.50. Oh well. Had a good conversation with a bunch of Swedes who were in town on business then made it back to the hotel. Today I got an early start and just walked the streets. There’s a canal ring as well as a canal network within the ring. Everywhere you turned there was another photo opportunity and I won’t bore ...

... ice cream combination was ridiculously delicious. After that, we continued to the main plaza (where the climax of In Bruges occurred, for those interested – it was crazy to be where it was filmed!). There, we walked around the bell tower, the Medieval Belfort, and admired all the fantastic architecture, including the beer wall that displayed every beer brewed in Belgium – a landmark in wall construction, I’m sure. We skipped lunch ...

... to our inn. This was all said in broken English of course, so we weren’t all together sure what was going on. After a short while the rain let up a bit and we took this opportunity to make a dash back.


In the morning, we again had a traditional style Belgian breakfast with all the fixings, but disappointingly no waffles. Which we discovered are more of a dessert item than breakfast. After breakfast we made our way back ...

First thing, we went on the essential canal cruise which was a different way of seeing what we had seen the day before and learn a bit more about it. Again we came across the fleamarket and the chocolate moulds I had looked at the day before had been reduced in price so I saw that as a sign and bought 2 matching ones. After checking out the restaurants, we decided to go back to our favourite sandwich shop and of course, our favourite patisserie for dessert. We have ...

... which was again absolutely divine and the coffee was okay (better than London anyway).

Greg went home for an afternoon siesta and the girls and I went for a walk along the canals and came across the market in what was the Fish market- I bought a bracelet, then we came across the flea market which was very interesting. I saw some chocolate moulds that were from the 1940’s but they seemed a bit ...

... after a little siesta, we went to the Folk Museum which was interesting. Nothing was in English but was fairly self-explanatory. We walked past a windmill looking for the Lace Museum- well, I was looking for the Lace Museum while the girls just wanted to go back to the room. We found the museum and Tara & I went in, only to find that the women doing the lace demo were on a break. We had a look at the church which was part of the ticket and it was a bit strange with an alter ...

... just walked towards the beach. Sun was shining and sky blue, like today, and it was the first day since I landed in Belgium. This was good omen! A few photos on the way to the beach... Before mass tourism and all the coastal buildings the coast was all looking like this So when people complain about wild construction in other countries, where they ...

... a freeway. The juxtaposition of modern and traditional elements ... it's a striking snapshot of time. A reminder of how much the world has, and will continue to change. Some things may remain constant but everything around it will always be in a state of flux. It's a unique and memorable experience to sit here and take it all in. Obviously the traffic on the freeway took away some of the magic of the moment, but still - it's at ...

Bubbi and I took on Belgium like no other pair has ever done. We tackled Brussels and Leuven, Brugge, Ghent and Antwerp. The citizens of these fine cities are still a little overwhelmed so I don't suggest visiting them for several weeks. You see my Bubbi asks questions; not just to the tourist offices (although she did ask them plenty) and not simply to the locals, but to anyone who crossed her path and even some who didn't. This constant question asking is not ...