Bruges

Because of our faux pas on Saturday, we headed to Bruges on Sunday. Finally, some good weather! It has been cold and rainy since we got here, but Sunday was sunny and in the 70’s. It was a magnificent day to take a trip. I’ve learned that one must take advantage of days like these. Bruges is very touristic (a Belgian expression), but stunning! It’s a small, medieval town with gothic architecture, several waterways, and cobblestone streets throughout. There are many sites to tour, but we decided to spend most of our time wandering around and soaking up some sun. Many people bike around the town, but we decided to walk. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe. We ordered a beer with lunch and were asked if we wanted small or medium. We chose medium and when we got the check we realized that we spent 20 Euros on two beers! Oh well, the beer was delicious (Rodenbach) and this is a tourist spot. One of the sites that we toured was a belfry where you can climb to the top via some old, twisting stairs. The belfry houses a carillon room where you can observe the turning of a large drum that controls 47 bells. They city still employs a full-time bell ringer. The view from the top is amazing! There is a hall at the base of the belfry that houses temporary exhibitions. We got lucky because they were holding a Dali exhibit. We have been to the Dali museum in Tampa, Florida, but this exhibit featured some sculptures and watercolors that we had not seen before. We ended our trip with a visit to a recommended chocolate shop. We will be back to Bruges!