The Long Awaited Brugge Update!!!
So, I went to Bruges / Brugge, Belgium about 3 weeks ago for the weekend. I took too many pictures, and updating became a colossal task...But I now worked up the will to do it! ENJOY!
Here is me on the train from Saint-Omer to some other place just outside of France on a lonnnnggggg days work on Friday (about 3 hours of work to be exact).
The Christines!
Arrival!
One of the first things that was noteworthy about this city: They're SO into biking here that they even have traffic lights specifically for bikes.
We weren't exactly sure where our hostel was located, so after we got off the bus from the train station, we headed over to a small pub for directions. Our hostel was located over a small bridge...
Our hostel was really cute, not going to lie. There was a bar and restaurant attached to it. We got a discount on any food/drinks we bought there and free beer samples with dinner.
I know it's kinda blurry, but I got the tortellini met aspergevulling.
The three of us:
Beer sampler:
The red one on the right was cherry flavored and tasted like candy.
WOOO! BELGIUM!
I like this picture because it makes me look like a walrus:
Here are our meals:
We got in kinda late, so most places were closed.
A creepy doll shop:
Here's this sign with these words on it:
Cute architecture:
A MORNING IN BRUGGE!
A picture above our table:
My breakfast:
Enjoying the breakfast:
Our hostel room:
(Above the sink was a light-up angel...I could NOT figure out how to turn it on. Frustrating.)
(my bed on the left!)
(Lockers to keep your jewels and other precious cargo in.)
(just in case you were wondering what that corner looked like.)
There was a woman staying there who was from Spain, had lived in France, and was currently living in Germany. She spoke English, Spanish, French, and German. She gave us some candies!
This was a bar located near our hostel. It’s called De Muppets and has Kermit on the window.
Here’s an antique shop that never opened during our time there.
The buildings here were quite fancy. Here are two older persons dressed for success:
Some Halloween decorations:
Brugge is known for its lace...It's also really into depicting dogs in uniforms.
Here's the grand place:
The Belfry Tower:
(you enter through here to a courtyard and then up a milllion stairs.)
Here’s some of the courtyard.
The day we went to the Tower, it was FREEEEEE...It remained extremely tall while being so.
Can you spot Christine?
One of the huge bells.
And another…
I like this picture, because Christine looks like a spy on a covert mission:
Checking out the view!
These were the stairs we had to travel up. It was insane.
I don't know why my hair looks so windblown.
Got some crazy eyes here!
After the tower, we went window shopping.
Chocolates of all sorts:
This FANCY tea, teapot, and tea accessories emporium had a poodle guarding the fortress.
I am immature:
Fancy teapots:
I was tempted to buy a teapot...but then I got all cheap.
This is the money holder for the canal ride.
In the boat!
A small outdoor market we later visited:
A sweet statue:
(The red paint around the windows (and on any of the other buildings in these pictures) is original paint from who knows when and is made with BULL'S BLOOD. not a joke.)
Some lady who probably drank too much Belgian beer.
THIS DOG was the best part about this boat ride. Apparently, he hangs out all day watching the boat tours. ...or maybe he just wishes he had a backyard and could be a little more free. Whatever. I miss my dogs.
Some sweet architecture:
If you look at the windows, some have been boarded up. According to the tour guide, taxation used to be based on the number of windows you had...so when taxes got to be too high, people would fill in their windows. Other buildings had the same things going on.
We passed by the dog again (there was even another dog in the window). I was too slow on the draw, however.
Here is the little flea market we passed on the boat.
Afterwards, we went to a lace shop. Here are more dogs dressed to impress.
Another random market, mainly for fish.
But this lady was there and tried convincing me that I had 300Euros to spend on a bracelet and that I should spend it on one of hers.
Here’s a random picture of us:
These were not for Halloween.
(OMG JK YES THEY WERE.)
Walking around...
(More dogs!)
Stopped at a frites and meats takeout restaurant.
(This fry guy is eating himself.)
THIS BIRD WAS THE COOLEST BIRD EVER!!!
ADMIRE HIS FEATHERS!
Here is the Belfry Tower again:
A sign with some personality.
There are creatures coming out of that green face.
Decorations at a club that apparently 14 and 15 year-olds frequent.
The weather was pretty cooperative while we were there!
This is a fountain in another place (the "a" is a soft "a")
Here we are in front of it:
(detail shot of the ground.)
They love bikes! I love them for loving bikes!
Some nakedness:
Loving life in a healthy way!
Pete Pan or someone posing as him.
Apparently dogs are fascists:
Church
BIKES!!!
(I know this is like the 30th picture of the tower.)
Beautiful weather!
A restaurant:
Next to the tower was a Salvador Dali Museum.
We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant that night recommended by the hostel. It was alright. There was an older guy I was facing towards, and I KEPT making eye contact with him solely because I had no other place to stare.
There are no pictures from the restaurant. The one picture I did try to take turned into disaster. Right before we were about to pay, I was going to take a picture of the restaurant's aesthetics (which were rather few...not trying to sound harsh, it was just kinda a plain place that seemed pretty popular). As I was about to do so, Christine (my roommie) suggested taking a picture of me. So, I handed her my camera and moved towards a window with a small display of fancy canisters (perhaps for pasta? I have no idea.) set up in a window, which was next to a bunch of bar chairs.
I foolishly believed these chairs would be a lot sturdier than they actually were, leaned on one, pushed it into the window display, the cans started tumbling, and i bumped into an OVERSIZED rolls of cellophane that was propped up on the window sill. That fell over and knocked all the other canisters down. It all was extremely loud, and it seemed like all the restaurant patrons were all silently waiting for it to end.
If I was someone other than me at that moment, I would have thought it was hilarious! But I wasn't.
After that, I was still hungry and decided to try out a cafe's waffles and garlic bread:
We then decided to go to a bar that served over 300 types of beer.
I really liked the cheery one I had tried the night before.
Here are some advertisements.
This beer turns you green:
This one turns you into a wolf:
This picture is funny.
This one is not as funny, but more representative of our state of mind (IE we were not drunk.)
After that, we ran into two Canadian brothers who we had met during breakfast. We went to an Irish Pub with them…
They were pretty funny, especially this dude:
Late night fries afterward:
The next day, we went to a Chocolate Museum.
Here are some buildings we passed by on our way:
(Here's a fancy windowed building.)
(This one tells you where every room is, which is pretty important for when you are stalking someone and keeping a journal. God FORBID you write that that person is in the living room when he or she is actually in the kitchen.)
This man made us chocolates:
This chocolate blob was the museum's mascot (???). This other blob was its friend, I suppose.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE EATING!
(From the looks of it, cocoa beans are basically a script away from being the next sci-fi thriller.)
This shows you what latitude is best for cacao cultivation!
Advertising:
This chocolate doubles as lipstick:
Something is off about these two ladies:
Does chocolate make you fat?!?!
It says:
Today we know that in order to lose weight, you have to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Answer: If you are slim,for example, eat plain chocolate and you will not gain weight. If you are overweight, slim down first, then you can reintroduce chocolate into your diet. If you consume it with moderation, you will not get fat.
Basically, If you're skinny, don't worry about it. But if you're fat, get skinny, and then don't worry about it!...having a healthy diet is only a means for thinness and more chocolate!
Chocolate dog:
Chocolate aristocracy:
A HUGE chocolate gun.
Something went extremely wrong for Jack Sparrow:
LEAVING MY MARK!
And here’s me eating some chocolate with chocolate on my teeth:
Another fancy building:
The boat tour from another perspective:
Going to an Art Museum:
Here I am!
Three-legged cat!
Over a bridge!
A guy playing that thing that makes music. Historically, there is a real monkey that tips its hat for change. He only had a fake one that did no pandering.
Flags:
Train station:
The stop near the French border at which we transferred train both way:
A cute advertisement on the train:
Some light train reading:
And that was that!
Here is me on the train from Saint-Omer to some other place just outside of France on a lonnnnggggg days work on Friday (about 3 hours of work to be exact).
The Christines!
Arrival!
One of the first things that was noteworthy about this city: They're SO into biking here that they even have traffic lights specifically for bikes.
We weren't exactly sure where our hostel was located, so after we got off the bus from the train station, we headed over to a small pub for directions. Our hostel was located over a small bridge...
Our hostel was really cute, not going to lie. There was a bar and restaurant attached to it. We got a discount on any food/drinks we bought there and free beer samples with dinner.
I know it's kinda blurry, but I got the tortellini met aspergevulling.
The three of us:
Beer sampler:
The red one on the right was cherry flavored and tasted like candy.
WOOO! BELGIUM!
I like this picture because it makes me look like a walrus:
Here are our meals:
We got in kinda late, so most places were closed.
A creepy doll shop:
Here's this sign with these words on it:
Cute architecture:
A MORNING IN BRUGGE!
A picture above our table:
My breakfast:
Enjoying the breakfast:
Our hostel room:
(Above the sink was a light-up angel...I could NOT figure out how to turn it on. Frustrating.)
(my bed on the left!)
(Lockers to keep your jewels and other precious cargo in.)
(just in case you were wondering what that corner looked like.)
There was a woman staying there who was from Spain, had lived in France, and was currently living in Germany. She spoke English, Spanish, French, and German. She gave us some candies!
This was a bar located near our hostel. It’s called De Muppets and has Kermit on the window.
Here’s an antique shop that never opened during our time there.
The buildings here were quite fancy. Here are two older persons dressed for success:
Some Halloween decorations:
Brugge is known for its lace...It's also really into depicting dogs in uniforms.
Here's the grand place:
The Belfry Tower:
(you enter through here to a courtyard and then up a milllion stairs.)
Here’s some of the courtyard.
The day we went to the Tower, it was FREEEEEE...It remained extremely tall while being so.
Can you spot Christine?
One of the huge bells.
And another…
I like this picture, because Christine looks like a spy on a covert mission:
Checking out the view!
These were the stairs we had to travel up. It was insane.
I don't know why my hair looks so windblown.
Got some crazy eyes here!
After the tower, we went window shopping.
Chocolates of all sorts:
This FANCY tea, teapot, and tea accessories emporium had a poodle guarding the fortress.
I am immature:
Fancy teapots:
I was tempted to buy a teapot...but then I got all cheap.
This is the money holder for the canal ride.
In the boat!
A small outdoor market we later visited:
A sweet statue:
(The red paint around the windows (and on any of the other buildings in these pictures) is original paint from who knows when and is made with BULL'S BLOOD. not a joke.)
Some lady who probably drank too much Belgian beer.
THIS DOG was the best part about this boat ride. Apparently, he hangs out all day watching the boat tours. ...or maybe he just wishes he had a backyard and could be a little more free. Whatever. I miss my dogs.
Some sweet architecture:
If you look at the windows, some have been boarded up. According to the tour guide, taxation used to be based on the number of windows you had...so when taxes got to be too high, people would fill in their windows. Other buildings had the same things going on.
We passed by the dog again (there was even another dog in the window). I was too slow on the draw, however.
Here is the little flea market we passed on the boat.
Afterwards, we went to a lace shop. Here are more dogs dressed to impress.
Another random market, mainly for fish.
But this lady was there and tried convincing me that I had 300Euros to spend on a bracelet and that I should spend it on one of hers.
Here’s a random picture of us:
These were not for Halloween.
(OMG JK YES THEY WERE.)
Walking around...
(More dogs!)
Stopped at a frites and meats takeout restaurant.
(This fry guy is eating himself.)
THIS BIRD WAS THE COOLEST BIRD EVER!!!
ADMIRE HIS FEATHERS!
Here is the Belfry Tower again:
A sign with some personality.
There are creatures coming out of that green face.
Decorations at a club that apparently 14 and 15 year-olds frequent.
The weather was pretty cooperative while we were there!
This is a fountain in another place (the "a" is a soft "a")
Here we are in front of it:
(detail shot of the ground.)
They love bikes! I love them for loving bikes!
Some nakedness:
Loving life in a healthy way!
Pete Pan or someone posing as him.
Apparently dogs are fascists:
Church
BIKES!!!
(I know this is like the 30th picture of the tower.)
Beautiful weather!
A restaurant:
Next to the tower was a Salvador Dali Museum.
We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant that night recommended by the hostel. It was alright. There was an older guy I was facing towards, and I KEPT making eye contact with him solely because I had no other place to stare.
There are no pictures from the restaurant. The one picture I did try to take turned into disaster. Right before we were about to pay, I was going to take a picture of the restaurant's aesthetics (which were rather few...not trying to sound harsh, it was just kinda a plain place that seemed pretty popular). As I was about to do so, Christine (my roommie) suggested taking a picture of me. So, I handed her my camera and moved towards a window with a small display of fancy canisters (perhaps for pasta? I have no idea.) set up in a window, which was next to a bunch of bar chairs.
I foolishly believed these chairs would be a lot sturdier than they actually were, leaned on one, pushed it into the window display, the cans started tumbling, and i bumped into an OVERSIZED rolls of cellophane that was propped up on the window sill. That fell over and knocked all the other canisters down. It all was extremely loud, and it seemed like all the restaurant patrons were all silently waiting for it to end.
If I was someone other than me at that moment, I would have thought it was hilarious! But I wasn't.
After that, I was still hungry and decided to try out a cafe's waffles and garlic bread:
We then decided to go to a bar that served over 300 types of beer.
I really liked the cheery one I had tried the night before.
Here are some advertisements.
This beer turns you green:
This one turns you into a wolf:
This picture is funny.
This one is not as funny, but more representative of our state of mind (IE we were not drunk.)
After that, we ran into two Canadian brothers who we had met during breakfast. We went to an Irish Pub with them…
They were pretty funny, especially this dude:
Late night fries afterward:
The next day, we went to a Chocolate Museum.
Here are some buildings we passed by on our way:
(Here's a fancy windowed building.)
(This one tells you where every room is, which is pretty important for when you are stalking someone and keeping a journal. God FORBID you write that that person is in the living room when he or she is actually in the kitchen.)
This man made us chocolates:
This chocolate blob was the museum's mascot (???). This other blob was its friend, I suppose.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE EATING!
(From the looks of it, cocoa beans are basically a script away from being the next sci-fi thriller.)
This shows you what latitude is best for cacao cultivation!
Advertising:
This chocolate doubles as lipstick:
Something is off about these two ladies:
Does chocolate make you fat?!?!
It says:
Today we know that in order to lose weight, you have to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Answer: If you are slim,for example, eat plain chocolate and you will not gain weight. If you are overweight, slim down first, then you can reintroduce chocolate into your diet. If you consume it with moderation, you will not get fat.
Basically, If you're skinny, don't worry about it. But if you're fat, get skinny, and then don't worry about it!...having a healthy diet is only a means for thinness and more chocolate!
Chocolate dog:
Chocolate aristocracy:
A HUGE chocolate gun.
Something went extremely wrong for Jack Sparrow:
LEAVING MY MARK!
And here’s me eating some chocolate with chocolate on my teeth:
Another fancy building:
The boat tour from another perspective:
Going to an Art Museum:
Here I am!
Three-legged cat!
Over a bridge!
A guy playing that thing that makes music. Historically, there is a real monkey that tips its hat for change. He only had a fake one that did no pandering.
Flags:
Train station:
The stop near the French border at which we transferred train both way:
A cute advertisement on the train:
Some light train reading:
And that was that!