Tuesday morning I awoke early to take some notes on our Brugge city map of locations that we were more likely to be interested in visiting. Since we only had little over a half day before moving on and didn’t get a chance to take in much of the city last night, the goal was to be efficient. Once Susan was roused we did take it easy with a leisurely (and large) breakfast in the B&B out on the glassed in patio. The breakfast included breads, jam, butter, pastries, cheeses, ham, orange juice, cherries, and coffee and tea. We were also offered cereal, fruit and yogurt but had more than enough on our table already. This was definitely one of the nicer stays we’ve had backpacking. Plus it had an ensuite bathroom... in the closet:
Stuffed with breakfast, Susan and I made our way into the city through the nearest gate. There was some construction going on (where in Europe isn’t there?) and it appears they are building some pedestrian bridges bypassing the gate. In the old town of the city, inside the main canal loop, we went straight to the Markt. This is the most famous square since it is surrounded with cafes and has the famous Belfry (bell tower)….the most famous in Belgium. Since we knew it drew a crowd, the Belfry was the first stop. We climbed the 366 steps to the top, stopping at the few landings en route to see how the tower was constructed and how the music is played from the 47 bells in the top. Finally, we were rewarded for our effort with a 360 degree view of the town. You can see everything in the surrounding area since Brugge is pancake flat.
If you look close, you’ll see Jeff with his arms up near the bottom 
The music box at work 
A view from the top of the belfry
Down from the tower we moved over to the next most famous square, the Burg. This is where the small church containing drops of Jesus’ blood is located. Visiting the church we noticed that a veneration of the blood would be in a little under an hour. Normally the relic is not on public display. We decided to return for the veneration so instead left the Burg and hopped a boat at the nearby canal for a 30 minute cruise. The guide pointed out many of the famous buildings we floated past and we were able to take in large portions of the city from a different perspective.
We had prime seating right up front 
Cruising along the canal 
Us along the cruise 
That pup has a pretty good resting place 
The turn around point
The cruise returned us to shore just in time to return for the veneration. After a quick opening prayer and some instructions from the priest, we were told to line up and would each get a chance to stand before the relic (under a glass case) and say a prayer. Susan and I both took advantage of this rare opportunity before leaving the church.
The church, inside and out (no photos allowed of the blood itself)
Feeling much holier, we returned to the street and worked north from the Burg to Choco-Story…and Belgian chocolate museum. I wasn’t expecting much but it was actually a very interesting consisting of 4 floors of exhibits covering the history of chocolate (originally a drink important to South American Mayan and Aztec cultures), how it became en vogue in Europe, how the preparation of it evolved and eventually turned into an industry, and finally how the different types of chocolate are made. The tour stared with a tasting of chocolate and ended with rooms filled with chocolate statues and a demonstration by a chocolatier of how to make filled chocolates (called pralines)…and included more tastings. It also had a computerized questionnaire to determine which type of chocolate is ideal for you…I was not surprisingly the 64% Peruvian dark chocolate, and Susan was white chocolate (though she claims they attributed the wrong type to her and instead wanted to be associated with caramel milk chocolate).
To cater to the kids (in all of us), they had toy representations of various events. Here, is clearly Aztec market people trading with chocolate (can’t you tell by the Aztec temple in the background?) 
The make-up of various chocolate types 
I have to agree with Napoleon III on this one
See?? Chocolate is good for your health! 
…but only eat it if you are “slim”… 
Susan with a chocolate egg & Chocolate people 
Chocolatier demonstration 
Our praline reward for making it through the tour
Inspired by our visit we found a nearby chocolate shop and bought truffles and pralines. Then we moved onto the only brewery in town (Halve Maan (sp?)), where we did some more shopping but no longer had time for their tour. After this stop, the clouds were building and it was occasionally sprinkling, which was fine since it was near time to leave town. Taking a circuitous “scenic” route back to the B&B gave us just enough time to gather our bags and get to the train station for a mid-afternoon train to Antwerp. From there, we transferred to the next direct train to Amsterdam, our final destination before returning to England. It was a busy train packed with backpackers. Luckily being too old to get 2nd class Eurail passes, we were able to move to the much more spacious 1st class seating.
And that’s what the Brugge ducks have to say to the tourists 
A view along our walk 
Quick photo op on the streets of Brugge 
With each destination, our bags get a littttle bigger
To alleviate future headaches we spent a bulk of the evening after arriving in Amsterdam booking our tickets for Thursday’s return to London. Then we traversed the city to our hostel. It is a huge hostel in an old school with a restaurant, bar, etc… and people everywhere. Certainly a change of pace from last night.
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