(Not) In Bruges (Anymore)

So it's been a while, but it seems my assumption that wi-fi was freely available in most of Europe was sorely mistaken. The Internet lied, and somehow I'm surprised...

Anyway, in real-time Dave and I are en-route to Prague, sailing along on the nicest coach bus I've ever been on. Free water and snacks, newspapers and magazines greeted us at the door, and as you can see, free wi-fi for the entire 4.5 hour journey. Better than most of the trains we've been on, come to think of it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. On to Bruges.

Trains run every hour from Brussels to Bruges, and your ticket allows you passage on any train of the day, so Dave and I basically checked out of our hotel and went straight to the train station. Dave had done some searching in the hotel the night before and heard about a large outdoor market that takes place every Sunday outside the train station, and our plan was to check it out and head on our way once we'd had our fill.

Now I'd like you to take a moment and picture a Loblaws Superstore. One of the really big ones. Now take away the walls and roof. THAT was the market. HUGE!! The second largest in Europe, in covered at least six city blocks, and sold everything from food to clothing to cleaning supplies to furniture and textiles. There were full-on meat counters, cheese and olive bars (with dozens of different flavours) and some of the freshest fruit and veg I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. We came out, arms full of food to last us the next three days, and set back only about €20 for it. Awesome.


The hour-long train ride to Bruges went quickly and smoothly. Our arrival in the city, however, was a bit more eventful. The skies above the train station were dark, and we soon discovered that the rumbling we'd been hearing since we arrived on the platform had nothing to do with the trains thundering across the tracks. It started as soon as we walked outside... Rain, followed closely by HAIL!! Peppercorn-sized bullets falling from the sky. We took cover under a bus shelter, ducking out into the onslaught every once and a while to try and figure out which bus would take us to our hostel. Thanks to a kind local, we figured it out and arrived at the Snuffle Backpackers around 30 minutes later, cold and soaked to the bone.

One well-deserved lunch later the skies had cleared and Bruges, a beautiful city in any state, was blanketed in white. It was beautiful (and much easier to take in when you weren't being pelted with ice), but it didn't last long. The streets were dry in a matter of a couple hours. Dave and I took advantage with a walk to the Markt, the city's main square, and a visit to the Church of Our Lady. Most of the church is under renovation, unfortunately, but we were still able to go inside and see the Madonna and Child, a bona fide Michelangelo and one of very few found outside Italy.

After orienting ourselves with the city, we headed back to the hostel for the evening. A bar on the main floor was open to the public and boasted a wide selection of Belgian beer at extremely reasonable prices (we've discovered that beer and pop are approximately the same price in this part of the world. It's a wonder anyone stays sober at all). The evening was punctuated by Skype calls to all parents, and to Lee and Adam, who were to meet us at our next city, Amsterdam.

Day two in Bruges was set at a slow pace. We started with a boat tour through the many canals that wind through the city, and then continued on foot, walking through the narrow, cobblestone streets.

Bruges is probably the closest you could come to living in a fairytale, or maybe one of those little Christmas villages my Nan puts up every year. Narrow, winding streets, paths running along swan-filled canals, quaint little cafes and restaurants serving hot (Belgian) chocolate, or oysters for two. It sounds tacky here, but it's easy to embrace it when you're there.

And in that vein, Dave and I decided the best way to spend our last sunny afternoon in Bruges was to rent a tandem bicycle! We lasted about 45 minutes before fear for our lives and those of others outweighed the romance. Tricky things, though I was on the back so I didn't really have to do anything at all unless particularly inclined. Dave did extremely well, though, especially considering he seemed to have come down with a head cold.

We toned things down after the bike-ride, spending the late afternoon and evening walking and exploring the city. We had a late dinner at a small snack-bar just off the Markt, which ended up being one of the best meals yet on the trip. A giant bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce, topped with a mountain of Parmesan cheese, and all for the price of €3 a bowl. It was so good, Dave and I both stared sadly down at our half-full bowls, unable to eat another bite.

With Dave not feeling well, we called it an early night and headed back to the hostel. We had to catch a train to Amsterdam the next day, a change of pace of ever there is one!!

More on Amsterdam soon... At least what I remember of it.