Belgium

Yummy, gooey deliciousness....Not to mention beautiful unique scenery....these are just a few words that describe the incredible cities in Belgium.  After last minute planning, we decided to take the train to Brugges, Belgium.  Not only were we tired from our wonderful day of cooking, we randomly decided to take this trip, so we had not prepared.  These two factors did not seem to matter though, as everything we experienced was new, exciting, and wonderful. 

While riding in the first class section of the train, we met a woman from Canada.  She was 45 years old and spending 5 weeks 'backpacking' through Europe, hostels and all! Never having been to Europe, she decided to take 5 weeks of vacation and travel to places that she may never see.  Sounds great to me, and it was nice to meet a new friend along the way who likes to travel as much as we do!  We invited her to tag along with us and she was greatful to have some company. 

Anyways, with new friend in tow, we arrived in one of the few preserved cities in the world.  We were fortunate enough to get there when the sun was shining.  One thing I have noticed about Northern Europe is that there is always a chance of rain.  So, that being said, we were fortunate for the beautiful weather.... at first.  After getting out of the train station, we were amazed to see the beautiful town in front of us.  We signed up to take a canal cruise through the city so that we could see an overview before we began to wonder.  It was very educational, informative, and we saw some neat houses and bridges.  Every corner that we turned, there was an opportunity to take a photo, and we sure took a lot of photos! 

After our 30 minute cruise, we headed towards a cute little cafe in one of the town squares.  A mussel special was on the menu, and I was ready to dive in.  I had to complete my Belgium experience with the known famous foods; mussels, beer, chocolate, and waffles.  Every bite was delicious, and every calorie was worth it.  My meal of mussels, french fries and mayo, and beer was over and we headed to... of course... a chocolate shop.  We tested a few shops before we choose the right one to buy some gifts for people back at home.  If I could have brought home chocolate for everyone, believe me, I would have, it is wonderful.  Not too sweet, but not bitter, just right.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the ancient midevil city.  Taking pictures of beautiful churches, bridges, houses, and chocolate shops.  It was obvious that it was going to eventually rain, so we went into a few churches to take a break from the cold, rainy day.  We stumbled upon the statue of "Madonna and Child" by Michaelangelo in one of the beautiful churches.  I bought a postcard and sent it to myself, something I have done in each city that I have been to.  When I get home at the end of the summer, I will be presented with postcards from all over the world!

We decided at the last minute to make a quick stop in Brussels before heading back to Paris.  Literally, we were only there an hour, but we were only there for two reasons.  First, to see the famous Grand Palace Square, and second and most importantly, to have a Belgium Waffle.  Oh the waffle, now I wish that I could bring back one of these for everyone!  On the outside, it was crunchy, but on the inside, it was gooey and delicious.  I had chocolate and strawberries on mine, and ate every bite.  We quickly took some pictures of the square, and our waffles, and headed back to the train station to continue on to Paris.  We are thinking that we are going to Versailles tomorrow, so now we must go research about that!