Bruges

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Excited to take our first train from Amsterdam to Bruges, we activated our Eurail passes and boarded around noon. We got to the first stop along our journey and were delayed an hour (sitting in the non-moving train) due to a fire in a tunnel up ahead. Once the problem was fixed, we made it to Antwerp with minutes to spare before our connecting train to Bruges. Classic backpacker scene: two kids sprinting through a foreign station, dodging between a river of people, running up a packed escalator, and jumping onto our train seconds before departure.

Two nights booked in Bruges, but as soon as we stepped into the fairytale town we already knew we needed to add another night or two.

As we walked down the cobblestone streets we were in awe as we turned around every corner. Everything is clean, quaint and adorable. Looking down tiny roads with ivy-covered homes with adorable window boxes and canals with ducks and swans, we fell hard for Bruges. It's romantic and medieval- the perfect place to decompress our first wave of overwhelming thoughts and feelings. 

The initial overwhelming excitement about our travels has since worn off as we realize 3 months of travel is daunting and exhausting. Not to say that we aren't excited! Everyday is still so fun and an amazing adventure,  but when we think too far in advance and realize we are still just beginning with 2.5 months left, it's easy to say "oh shit." Sharing rooms with snoring strangers doesn't lend itself to a good nights sleep, and for two introverts our own space has always been important to us. But we're not backpacking on a budget to be comfortable- were doing it to see the world and push our boundaries! And these first two weeks have just been an adjustment into that lifestyle.

DAY 1
We checked into Snuffle Hostel, a very modern exterior among all the other old medieval homes, and has a very IKEA-esque interior. We had a 4 person shared bedroom with an ensuite bathroom- definitely an upgrade from our past two hostels. After checking in, we wandered into Markt Square to find a place for dinner.

As the sun set on the Belfry tower, the lights inside the buildings began to illuminate the streets, creating warm and inviting atmospheres everywhere we looked. We sat at Hof Van Rembrandt and had pasta with bolognese and a salad with tuna-  an amazing change from splitting cheap sandwiches. After dinner we went across the street to Bar Des Amis for a drink, which has warm red walls, wood accents, and low lighting.

We continued to explore the streets, and as I drooled over Belgian chocolates through a shop window, Mike curiously ventured down a mini alley to the right of the chocolate shop, only to find the most amazing bar ever.

De Garre is a bar (if you can even call it that) in a 600 year old building. The walls are cream and all of the original wood work- stairs, banisters, ceiling beams- are all dark stained. The bar was elegantly done with white subway tiles and dark wood to compliment the original interior. We chose to sit upstairs where 3 or 4 other couples (which is about all this place could fit) were sitting quietly making conversation over classical music, candlelit worn-wood tables, and the house beer. Following suit, we ordered two of the house beers, "De Garre Triple" which are 11% alcohol. The bartender delivered our beers to us on a doily covered tray, with a small glass bowl of cubed cheese. Convinced Bruges is the most romantic place in the world, we had one more De Garre and happily strolled back hand in hand through the crisp fall air to Snuffle, excited to explore the city in full.

Mike puked that night. Might be allergic to Belgian beer, but no one in Belgium can know this.

DAY 2
Awake and at the complimentary hostel breakfast by 9:30-- today's selection: more bread, cereal, and speculoos spread (obsessed.Tastes like graham crackers). Back into Markt Square to climb the 366 twisting and steep steps to the top of Belfry tower, which had a lovely view of the morning sun waking up the red rooftops. The bells rang as we looked over the city below.

Back down, we walked through the entire Southwest chunk of the city, visiting the Church of our Lady, the Beguinage (home to nuns and awesome little tree houses), strolled through Minnewater Park where Mike sketched, and then had a shared lunch of beef stew served over fries and a salad (Belgian classic dish). 

With full tummies and tired feet (update: blisters still making me limp), we made our way back to Markt Square to have afternoon "thee" to watch the after work foot/bike traffic and after school youths pass by and journal while the sun set.

The evening was spent doing laundry and having a disappointing burger for dinner. However, the night redeemed itself by bringing us to Le Trappiste, a very cool, medieval dungeon bar in a cellar with brick walls that lead into the rounded brick ceilings (great suggestion by a good friend who was in Bruges last October). We did a beer tasting, but didn't love any of the beers we chose (shhhh..). With €6 left in our pockets we bought a couple of mini wine bottles and sat along the canal behind Belfry Tower watching swans pass by for a couple of hours.

DAY 3
Alone in Bruges; tonight we were able to get a private room at Snuffle! We checked out of our 4-bed shared room in time for breakfast, but couldn't check into our private room until 3:00. We spent a few hours in the common room of the hostel planning our next travel destinations. So far during our travels, we've realized we prefer the smaller "cities." With this in mind, we decided to skip Brussels and visit Ghent, Belgium instead. From Ghent we plan to visit Berlin then stay a week in Prague in our own AirBnB apartment!

We had a couple of hours to kill before we could check-in to our room, so we walked down to the Sunday market, which unfortunately had been picked over and was ending due to a busy morning of customers. Lots of food carts with fresh meats, fish, cheese, and baked goods. Enjoying another sunshiny day, we found our way to an outdoor patio to sit, sunbathe, and enjoy a cappuccino.

Back to Snuffle at 4:00 to check in and bask in the glories of having our own room and privacy. The room was massive and empty, with nothing but a bed and the ensuite bathroom, but we didn't care that it had zero frills. PRIVACY! We took showers (with shampoo and toothpaste that we finally bought.. Been a rough week and a half using just Dr. Bronners as body wash, shampoo, and toothpaste.... Yes, toothpaste…) and headed out to explore.

Clean and with soaring moral, we walked around the other half of Bruges. As we strolled along a canal, we noticed high school or college kids dressed to impress and setting up a concert on a a dock. Curious and dying to hear live music, we went and sat on the dock with other onlookers and listened to this brass band play amazing medieval royal-sounding songs for 30-40 minutes.

The other half of Bruges was very residential and quiet, but we managed to find old windmills and the oldest bar in Bruges. For dinner we went to a Brasserie/cafe restaurant to share another classic Belgian meal: half chicken, chips (fries) and watercress. Deciding to soak up our moment of privacy, we went to the grocery store after dinner to buy a bottle of chardonnay (which had alcohol in it this time) and cheese. With no cups or glasses, mike used toenail clipper to McGuiver two cups out of our Evian water bottle. Kinda worked.. A little sharp.

The night was spent watching "In Bruges," a violent film with beautiful Bruges scenery (which was fun to point out all of the places we've been) and then "Inside Out" because I would've had graphic nightmares if we hadn't ended the night on a lighter note. Bedtime was spent reading and playing mahjong- a little mental recheck before heading out to another foreign city- Ghent!