Oud Huis Amsterdam Brugge

... other Churches.

I did have a couple of moments with brief drizzles, but overall I had some beautiful, sunny weather and I enjoyed a few hours of walking around Brugges (while eating a delicious waffle for part of it), before returning on the 25 minute train back to Ghent.

Which is where I am now, and I'll go eat at a friend of Johanna's house for dinner tonight. It is, by the way, definitely ...

Today I said goodbye to rainy, rainy Bruxelles, and took the half hour train (8 euros) to Gent/Ghent, where I met up with my first host ever, Johanna. She was the first couchsurfer to welcome me into her home back in 2007, after I had finished my year in South Korea, in Beijing.

- Before going to Ghent, I actually made a stop in the Musical Instruments Museum in Bruxelles ...

... part where there was 3 in a row! They all sold some amazingly presented food and after making some purchases we went for a quick walk around another church (I'm not religious, but I love looking through all the old, well built and presented buildings!).

On the way back to Calais, we went via Ypres, a city which was completely demolished during World War 1. The two main buildings in the centre of the city both ...

... attention to detail.

Back on the road, we headed further north and crossed over the border in Luxembourg. We stopped briefly at some motorway services, but as we were running short for time we didn't get the chance to stop in Luxembourg city. Going through one village we did see a pretty cool house on top of an outcrop of rocks, which looked great all lit up, but it was hard to get a shot which did it justice.

After crossing over into Belgium we stopped for gas, then ...

... the market and the shops and then went on a boat ride which was fantastic, after which we went to a tea-room which claimed to have the best hot chocolate in town, and it was really good! It was incredibly sickly though and gave both Erin and I a headache for the ride home!

Altogether a really fun day out in Bruges, truffles bought, Belgian food eaten and Belgian alcohol drunk, and Belgian chocolate drunk! This is another place where we will definitely be returning!!

... wild night scene, but if you are not into that - or you had to be conservative with your euros - don’t bother.

Bruges on the other hand - definitely worth it. Despite getting lost about 20 times today, it didn’t phase me. Beautiful tiny windy roads with cobblestones - not a bother anymore as I bought an ankle brace - littered with sky scraping churches and towers. One thing, admire the ...

... there is a commentary- very annoying. we wandered about the backstreets into the afternoon and the day trippers had left so lovely and quiet. We found a little wine bar that sold food and had a light dinner of tapas, quiche and a glass of wine on the side street very quaint. We headed back to camp and planned to go tomorrow to Paris.

... the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives there - don't know how many - can anyone please confir Then on the coach to Brugges in Northern Belgium, not far from the ferry terminal. It's a lovely place, especially in the sun (we'll have to go back because, well yes you've guessed, it rained all the time) and full of tourists like us. Final night on the ferry with a great disco and quiz (we didn't win).

... the Belgian border. Phil leads us to a sweet little medieval town, Brugges, which to my first glance seems like a mini-Brussels but with a more welcome, warm feel. The small streets are lined with shops on both sides, all old architectural styles. There's a small gothic church in one of city squares . Just down another street is the Grand Place, like a mini-Brussels, and it's ...