Brugge was beautiful. Like Amsterdam it is built on and around canals. We had a lovely boat ride and it’s something to do I’d firmly suggest if you’re there. But back to the beginning of Brugge.
Having walked the 1.3 km to our hotel we found the keys wouldn’t work. We left the hotel staff fixing the lock and walked back to the railway station to get a train to Oostende. We’d decided we wanted to see and touch the North Sea. We didn’t notate the temperature but probably in the high teens. Getting to Oostende from Brugge by train was only 14 minutes and with a kilometre walk to the actual water we were done fairly quickly. There were a number of fish stalls along our walk, we lingered for a quick look knowing we had no way of cooking decided not to buy anything. I wanted to buy some soup as the wind coming off the North Sea was freezing me almost to the bone but it looked like a variant on Clam Chowder so I didn’t.
Getting onto the sand we found people busily preparing for a sand sculpture exhibition. Some people were building sandcastles ready for others to sculpt while others were starting to sculpt. I don’t have a photo of these people starting to sculpt as it felt like I was invading their privacy so all you get is this photo.
We walked back to the station and then back to Brugge. Saw this lovely display at the railway station so I took a snap. I just had to.
Besides the canals the other things that stood out to me in Brugge were the churches and the chocolate shops. I suspect there were more chocolate shops than churches but I really wasn’t counting.
So. Many. Chocolate. Shops! It looked like they were all handmade. We tried not to buy at every shop and succeeded but they looked divine. We caved after one meal and bought a couple of orange slices dipped in chocolate. My waistline grows just remembering the fabulous taste.
Lots of lovely old buildings in Brugge but I’m neglecting to show you any photos. Next week I’m talking about Brussels.