European Odyssey: In Brugge

We started the day with a tour around the Grand Place in the center of Brussels which today served as the end point for a marathon. We both remarked that it would be incredible to finish a marathon at the foot of the tower and the energy of crowd was contagious as runners moved past us to the finish line. It was hard not to get caught up in the enthusiasm and we stopped several times to cheer on these athletes as they ran along.

After our walk, we decided that we needed a breakfast waffle and followed that up with a breakfast lambic. (Don't worry, it was noon.). We went to Moeder Lambic for our drinks which we enjoyed outside in the incredible weather we've been having. One last turn around the Grand Place and we headed to the train station for our ride to Brugge.

Brugge is one of my favorite places - it's like walking into a fairy tale city. Buildings and canals here date back to the 1200's. This is our first true brush with canals on our tour and the fact some were built 700 years ago shocks me to no end. It also humbles me. It's too easy to forget our place in history and what those before us have accomplished. Sometimes you need to walk on a cobblestoned street to remind you of that.

We started our day with some frites and special sauce in the market. The special sauce was mayonnaise and curry ketchup with onion. Okay, I'll admit it. I don't get the mayo on fries. But, I did enjoy the curry ketchup quite a bit. America, get on this.

We wandered the town, admired the chocolate, lace, and beer stores and then went to dinner. (You can guess who admired what in that previous sentence). After dinner, we admired the city and canals before finding the Cambrinus, a bar with 400 beers on the menu. Tomorrow, the serious tourism in Brugge begins.