What We Did, Saw, and Ate
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After spending a day in Brussels and a day in Antwerp, we hopped on a train and headed to Brugge. Kristen had been to Brugge previously, and loved it so much, so we were excited to spend some time there. Upon arrival we checked into the Hotel Prinsenhof, which was a very lovely hotel, dropped our bags and set out to explore. Brugge is a very walkable city. Just be aware that it is pretty much all cobblestones so wear appropriate footwear.
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Our first, and I daresay most important, destination was a waffle. Kristen had told us about this truck parked in the square that makes the best waffles in the city, and boy was she right. They make them fresh to order, so you do have to wait a few minutes for your order, but boy is it worth it. Waffles are forever ruined for me. I’ve heard there can be a line, but luckily for us when we walked up there were just a few British guys standing around waiting for their waffles to cook. Shelby ordered the speculoos waffle, but I opted for plain dusted with a little powdered sugar. Best waffle I’ve ever had! I’d hop on a plane right now and go back to Brugge JUST to eat this waffle.
After stuffing our faces, we immediately worked off every calorie by walking to the top of Belfry Tower. We climbed the steep spiral staircase up 366 steps, which was not an easy task, especially on a very hot day, but we rewarded with pretty views of Brugge. If you have issues with small confined spaces, heights, or are not in very good physical shape, I recommend you skip this spot.
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After climbing back down 366 steps, we walked around exploring the city and just taking everything in. We popped into cute shops as we walked past, but spent a good bit of time in both The Chocolate Line and Dumon sampling (and buying) delicious Belgian chocolate.
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In the late afternoon we headed over to the Halve Maan Brewery for a tour. Shelby and I are not huge beer people, but we did find the tour interesting and truly enjoyed the beer we got to try at the end of the tour. Warning if you do this tour, there are about 250 steps involved, many of which are so steep they recommend you go down them backwards! After all the steps at the Belfry Tower, and then this, that beer was much deserved, ha ha.
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After relaxing at the brewery for a bit with our beer, we decided we needed to get some food in us that wasn’t a waffle or chocolate, so we grabbed a table outside at Aquarel. We each ordered a different pasta dish, and they were all excellent. We didn’t realize how hungry we all were- we each devoured our meals!
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After dinner we walked around some more, following the canals and discovering pretty spots around every corner. We popped into Hill’s Donuts and each grabbed a donut for dessert that we brought back to our hotel and enjoyed in bed in our hotel robes before drifting off to sleep.
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The next morning we had a few hours in Brugge before we hopped on a train and headed to Gent. We started the day with breakfast at Kottee Kaffee. This cafe seemed to be filled with locals, which to me is always a good sign, and the owners were very lovely. The coffee was excellent, as was the food. We didn’t end up ordering the bread sampler, but regretted that decision as we saw it arrive to nearby tables. We’ll just have to return!
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After breakfast, we headed over to the canals to catch a boat tour. This is always something we like to do, because you see the city from a different view point. The tour lasted about 30 minutes and was really enjoyable and informative.
Ok, now we are off to Gent! Be back soon with this last stop on our Belgium adventure!
-Ash