The second stop on our 2019 European adventure was Belgium. We arrived in Brugge (Bruges) from Amsterdam on Wednesday after transferring trains in Brussels. The Bruges train station was across the city from our B&B, so our first task was to trek across the cobblestone streets for about 1.5 miles with our luggage. Clunking all the way and dodging other tourists, we arrived at Maison Amodio B&B and were greeted by Henri, one of our hosts, who gave us a map and some tips and information about the town. After dropping the luggage in our room, we set out in search of lunch. Unfortunately it was almost 3pm, and most lunch spots were already closed. We bought a couple chocolates (called Belgian pralines) for a quick burst of fuel, and then found an Italian spot where we shared a small pizza. After eating, we decided to visit the Historium, which is an interactive exhibit that allows you to glimpse life in Bruges in the 1500s by walking through a series of rooms and watching short videos that tell the story of a boy named Jacob. It was interesting and fun, although a little light on historical facts. We took a break at the “Duvelorium” after the story ended to share our first Belgian beer, then ended the experience with a virtual reality tour. Mine was in German instead of English, so I didn’t learn much, but it was amazing to see the 3D medieval world. As a snack, we tried our first Belgian waffle, from a food truck on the Markt. It was chewy and delicious, with powdered sugar and raspberry sauce, and baked fresh for us right there. For dinner, we stopped at the grocery store for some crackers, salad, cheese, and bread, then went back to the B&B to relax.
On our first full day in Bruges, we started with a delicious breakfast spread at the B&B (bread, cheese, ham, homemade strawberry rhubarb jam, eggs, fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, croissants, yogurt, coffee), prepared by Geert, our other host. Fueled for the day, we went to the Groeningemuseum, where we got to see the amazingly detailed and beautiful paintings of the Flemish Primitives, including Jan Van Eyk. My favorite one was a painting with angels that had rainbow-colored wings. The museum also included some more recent abstract work that we didn’t like much. Around lunchtime, we went to the Brouwerij de Haave Maan (a Brewery) for a tour. The brewery has been around since the 1800s and the tour explained how the brewing process has changed over the years. At the end of the tour, we got to sample a Brugse Zot Blonde beer, and we shared a delicious burger and salad at the brasserie attached to the brewery. In the afternoon we went to the Gruutehuse museum, which had some art, but mostly focused on displays about the history of Bruges. The museum had just recently reopoened after renovations, and was very interesting, with a variety of types of exhibits. For a snack, we had a Belgian waffle from a stand just off the Markt, and then we climbed up the 366 stairs of the Belfry tower for a great view of the city. We had trouble deciding on a dinner spot on Tuesday, but finally settled on a cafe with a gorgeous view of the canal, where we tried mussels accompanied by fries with mayonnaise. The mussels were fun to eat and tasted good, although they wouldn’t be my favorite food of the trip.
On Friday we took a day trip to Ghent (Gent). Our main reason for visiting was the Gravensteen castle (Castle of the Counts), but we also checked out the Jan Van Eyk altarpiece in the church snacked on fries with stoufvleesaus, crossed the St. Michaels Bridge, and listened to an ensemble of French horns that was performing from a boat in the river while we ate a light lunch of fruit and yogurt purchased from the grocery store. By 4:30 we were tired and the sky was clouding up, so we jumped on the train back to Bruges. That evening we had our most relaxing and indulgent evening of the trip so far, with a slow meal by the canal, followed by gelato and hot chocolate.
Saturday was another day of exploring Bruges. We started with the Sint-Janshospitaal museum, which combines displays about the hospital (which has been around since 1150 AD) with art from another Flemish Primitive painter named Memling. The hospital part of the tour made me very thankful for our hospitals today–medieval medicine was practiced by barbers as well as surgeons! The art was beautiful, although I enjoyed the collection at the Groeningemuseum more. We also saw a temporary exhibit of Picasso’s drawings, etchings, and other types of non-painting art, including a bunch of animal prints he did for a nature book. For lunch, we again had some fruit and yogurt while sitting on some steps in the large Markt square. Then we went to the Beer Experience. For this “museum” we got ipads that we used to scan objects and listen to explanations. The best part was the explanation of the brewing process – like cooking! – and details about the different styles of beer. Our tour included some samples at the end, so we tried a few styles, including a lambic (weird), and an oude bruin (malty). Beer connoisseurs might disagree, but that was plenty of beer for us. After beer, we headed over to the other side of town to learn about Belgium’s other delicacy – chocolate. At the Choco-Story museum we learned about chocolate history. Cocoa was discovered by the Mayas and Aztecs in central America, then brought to Europe by the Spanish. At first, Europeans only drank chocolate, and even had special pots and cups for serving it. Later they figured out how to make chocolate confections, and the Belgians invented the praline, which is a chocolate shell filled with nut paste, creme, caramel, or other fillings. Afterwards we did some relaxing at the B&B, then went for an early dinner at a little local place where we got the menu of the day (I got fish with cream sauce, Chris got beef with red wine sauce). For dessert, we split a Belgian waffle from our favorite little waffle stand on the Markt, this time with bananas and chocolate. The perfect way to end our Belgian experience!
Sunday morning was quiet and cloudy, which made the trek back to the train station a little easier than when we arrived. Geert and Henri saw us off after one more delicious breakfast, and then we boarded the train to head to Paris.
My favorite poster of the trip (on the wall of St. Bavo’s cathedral in Ghent, which houses the Van Eyck alterpiece) 
Bruges Markt 
Wonderful photos and well-written post!
Happy and safe travels!