This morning we woke up a bit early, grabbed a quick breakfast and were at the train station by 8:45 AM. We made a 9:16 AM train from Brussels to Bruges. The ride was very quiet and smooth as we rolled through the Belgium countryside. We passed by many farms and small towns along the way. By 10:30 we arrived in Bruges and took a taxi to out hotel. It was too early to check in, so we left our luggage at the hotel and took off to explore the city. One reason we arrived so early was to be able to visit the outdoor market that is held on Wednesdays in the market square, the Markt. As I remembered from when I was here in 2011, the vendors in the market sold all kinds of meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables as well as prepared foods. After taking many photos & enjoying the ambiance of the market, we bought some roast chicken & roasted potatoes for lunch. We enjoyed our lunch on some benches in the square before exploring more of the city. I felt comfortable wandering around, since I spent a few days here four years ago. Bruges is a small beautiful city that has most of its medieval architecture still in tact. Once we completed lunch we walked a bit more around the winding cobblestone streets and stopped in many small shops. We bought some pieces of delicious chocolate along the way as well as some hot chocolate. Today, just like yesterday, the weather was unseasonably cold and windy, so we returned to the hotel to warm up a bit. Shortly later, we were off again in pursuit of a restaurant I had eaten at four years ago. Along the way we stopped off at a bar, Charlie Rockets, and had a few beers before dinner. These beers were quite strong, with an alcohol content of 9%, which is about double that of the average beer in the United States. By 7 PM we found the restaurant we were looking for and had a great dinner. Once we left the restaurant, it was so cold out that we immediately went back to the hotel to warm up and go to bed.
This morning we woke up a bit early, grabbed a quick breakfast and were at the train station by 8:45 AM. We made a 9:16 AM train from Brussels to Bruges. The ride was very quiet and smooth as we rolled through the Belgium countryside. We passed by many farms and small towns along the way. By 10:30 we arrived in Bruges and took a taxi to out hotel. It was too early to check in, so we left our luggage at the hotel and took off to explore the city. One reason we arrived so early was to be able to visit the outdoor market that is held on Wednesdays in the market square, the Markt. As I remembered from when I was here in 2011, the vendors in the market sold all kinds of meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables as well as prepared foods. After taking many photos & enjoying the ambiance of the market, we bought some roast chicken & roasted potatoes for lunch. We enjoyed our lunch on some benches in the square before exploring more of the city. I felt comfortable wandering around, since I spent a few days here four years ago. Bruges is a small beautiful city that has most of its medieval architecture still in tact. Once we completed lunch we walked a bit more around the winding cobblestone streets and stopped in many small shops. We bought some pieces of delicious chocolate along the way as well as some hot chocolate. Today, just like yesterday, the weather was unseasonably cold and windy, so we returned to the hotel to warm up a bit. Shortly later, we were off again in pursuit of a restaurant I had eaten at four years ago. Along the way we stopped off at a bar, Charlie Rockets, and had a few beers before dinner. These beers were quite strong, with an alcohol content of 9%, which is about double that of the average beer in the United States. By 7 PM we found the restaurant we were looking for and had a great dinner. Once we left the restaurant, it was so cold out that we immediately went back to the hotel to warm up and go to bed.
Lovely sights. Sorry it's so cold, we have a cold snap here as well. Keep warm!
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