We had plans to take Belgium commuter trains from Brussels to Bruges and Bruges to Antwerp. But after a mere two days of schlepping everyone around Brussels, we decided to take one of our taxi drivers up on his offer to drive us to Bruges instead (I checked around to make sure it was a comparable price to hiring another private transport). There was definitely traffic, but it was probably still less time than doing the whole train thing -- especially since we prove incapable of packing lightly. The local trains do appear to be quite easy. You don't have to book them ahead of time and they leave about every 1/2 hour. So, maybe next time. But this time, with kids, we chose convenience.
I always like to try and work one apartment rental into a long trip. It's a nice change from a hotel and I only pick rentals with laundry so that we can clean all of our stuff at least half way through our trip. I really wanted to stay on a canal in Bruges, so we ended up picking this Airbnb rental. It wasn't fancy and the lack of air conditioning sucked given the unseasonably high temps, but the location was BANANAS (ivory building with the grey bottom and green door above). We took a tour the second day and our house was a stop as a quintessential Bruges canal house. So we didn't sleep awesome, but worth the excellent spot in town -- away from tourist center, but within walking distance of the sights, a market, and several great restaurants. Plus, I think I did ALL the laundry one could possibly do in two days.
I'd promised Joel we'd do at least one brewery tour on this trip, so we booked it over to De Halve Maan to try and get into the last tour of the day. Again, I wasn't sure when we'd fit this in, so I didn't book tickets ahead of time. But it was no problem to purchase there. Because it was a weekend, they weren't actually brewing anything. It was still neat to check out this family-run facility and the view from the top was fantastic.
We lucked out and snagged a table in the courtyard after for more drinks and snacks (honestly, if you love bread, cheese, and charcuterie, you will never go hungry in Belgium). And the longest-running game of UNO ensued. We played through the deck at least five times with no winner. Eventually everyone's sweet tooth started whining and we headed to Dumon Chocolatier for the absolute best chocolate we'd had in Belgium thus far (and actually would have for the rest of the trip as well). They don't ship to the US, which is probably a good thing because I would have bought the store. Go there.
It was hot out and I was over peak tourist traffic, so we headed back to our apartment to rest and clean up. I hadn't made any dinner reservations for that night, but we passed Spinola on our walk home and it had the cutest outdoor spot on the canal and a tasty-looking menu. So we called and were able to score a late table there. We had fresh fish and real vegetables -- Kane had an entire lobster, of course -- and everyone felt better!
Well into this vacation pattern of staying up late and sleeping in, I dragged everyone out of bed to make our "early" booked bike tour of 10:30 a.m. We were meeting Mieke of Pink Bear Bikes in the market square and grabbed a breakfast from the corner store on the way. We arrived to find lovely Mieke and another American couple (who had previously lived in DC too, of course) and set off to pick up our bikes from Mieke's nearby garage. Mieke was super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and great with the kids. And this turned out to be maybe everyone's favorite day of our trip.
We rode along a completely charming canal to the nearby medieval town of Damme. We stopped at windmills (and even got to go up in one!), biked along poplar-lined paths, rode alongside horses, and stopped for much-needed beer and waffles in Damme. The kids were over the moon to ride bikes for four plus hours and I got to let them do it without trying to navigate where we were going while simultaneously making sure they didn't get run over.
It was incredibly fun and Mieke was so knowledgeable about all things Bruges -- the kids loved her story about how a dog saved Damme and now graces the town's flag and architecture. This is an absolute must do if you visit!
We asked Mieke where locals would go to eat a Saturday lunch and she said she'd head to L'Estaminet (which was also on my list of restaurant options, so go me for finding a local love!). This typical "brown pub" is also close to one of the most photographed areas of the city, but after we'd eaten, we had other plans! Mieke had also given us a heads up that there was one spot in the canals that allowed swimming. WHAT!?
She showed us where on a map, but I couldn't find the same spot online. I found something online called the Canal Swimmer's Club, but then we couldn't find that physical location. We popped into a local hotel and they directed us to the only spot one could currently swim. It turned out to be just a few minutes walk from our apartment, but I definitely could not direct anyone to it again. And it seems like it might change year to year. So if you visit Bruges, ask someone in the know!
There was a floating dock and lifeguards and FREEZING canal water that felt amazing after riding in the heat all day. And it was filled with local families, so it was nice to stay out of the touristy path for more time.
I had reservations for dinner at De Stove, but by the time we finished swimming and cleaning up, we'd missed that. We walked a bit and found nearby Brasserie Forestiere for a late and delicious last meal in Bruges!
As with Brussels, here's what else topped my list that we didn't get to:
Activities + Sights:
- The Belfry Tower
- Lake of Love
- Torture Museum (Kane was pushing hard for this)
- Basilica of the Holy Blood
- Lace Center
Food + Bars:
- 2be Beer Wall (also a museum of beer)
- Bar Des Amis
- Good list of other restaurants
No comments:
Post a Comment