European Adventure Day 15–In Brugge (and on to Amsterdam)

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.

European Adventure Day 14–North to Flanders with a stop for Le Tour

After a much needed recharging of the batteries in Dinant, Susan and I departed mid-morning on a local train headed north.  Our train ride was only about 30 minutes to another small (albeit much larger than Dinant) town called Namur.  The area of Wallonia we had been in the past couple of days was actually considered part of Namur province, so we were entering the “capital” city and one of the northernmost in the French-Belgian Wallonia region.  As we continue north, Dutch influence takes over in Flanders where most of the population and notable Belgian cities are (i.e. Antwerp and Brussels).

The reason for stopping in Namur was the Tour de France.  The first couple days of the 2012 tour have been in Belgium and today’s stage (stage 2) ends basically right at the France/Belgium border before the remainder of the race takes place in France.  Today’s stage is a long, flat stage covering about 140 miles east to west across Belgium.  Susan and I noticed the route went through Namur which was right on our return train route to Brussels station, so a good place to catch the race in passing (about 50 miles into the stage).  What we didn’t realize until today though, was that the only categorized climb (a small Cat 4) of the day was also in Namur when the riders ascended the cobbled streets up the Namur Citadel.  This provided an opportunity to slow the race down for us to get more viewing opportunities…perfect!

Such a fitting street name

Off the train in Namur we made our way to the river and the Citadel, stopping at a grocery to grab food for a picnic lunch at the top.  We arrived almost 2 hours before the race to scope out good spots and to witness the caravan which comes through before.  The caravan is essentially a huge parade of sponsor vehicles, team cars, press vehicles, and police that precede the race.  Many of these vehicles have young volunteers strapped to harnesses hanging out the back or side of the vehicle throwing out free goods.  Some of the swag we collected includes 2 Vittel pocketless bike jerseys (which were clutch in the hot sunny weather), Haribo jelly beans, a large waving hand, a collapsible fan, a French Disney Tour comic book, 2 key chains, and a reusable grocery bag.  Susan intercepted a water bottle (filled) intended for a security guard before her conscious got the best of her.

The caravan, both on the bridge (upper left) and the winding road (lower right)

Some of the many vehicles in the caravan

Jeff, the superfan & Susan grabbing shade under the Vittel jersey

About an hour after the caravan, the racers followed.  At the time there was a 3 man break, but I couldn’t identify any of the aggressors.  About 6 minutes later, the peleton (main pack) came up the snaking climb.  With us being on a Citadel overlook we were able to catch the race switching back the lower slopes, then again crossing a bridge just above us.  Still they had come and gone in an instant, but the anticipation and excitement of the race passing was awesome to witness.  Since my favorite rider (Fabian Cancellara) also happened to be the current race leader, his yellow jersey (maillot jaune) stood out and made him easy to spot among the 110 or so others in the main pack.

After the race we were worn out from the heat and the excitement, so we walked back to the train station to finish the days’ travel.  We continued north through Brussels to the smaller medieval town of Bruges (or Brugge, pronounced Broo-gah, more correctly in Dutch).

The Vittel shirts were more suitable for this hot, sunny stake-out

The trip north to Brussels was smooth, but the train from Brussels to Brugge was packed with commuters and arrived late.  Still, the hassle was nothing compared to the turmoil we dealt with in Paris.  Off the train we walked to our B&B (Het Witte Bittje…awesome name I know).  It sits on a dead end street outside the canal loop and old city gates that separate “cute old Brugge” from “normal residential Brugge”.  In terms of its exterior charm and architecture, it’s nothing to write home about.  However the host is very friendly and speaks English with a fun Dutch accent (adding V’s and Z’s everywhere).  The rooms are private and include a clean modern bath, a TV, plenty of space, and even a painting of a leopard at the foot of the bed…who could ask for more.  Also, being a B&B breakfast is included.

After a short pit stop to wash up and watch the finish of the Tour stage we witnessed earlier, Susan and I wandered into town to find dinner.  At the suggestion of the B&B host (and the use of common sense we have developed along the trip), we tried to avoid eating in the city center and instead explored back streets after making our way to the famous Markt square.  Unfortunately we had no luck finding a small local restaurant in our wanderings so settled for a slightly less expensive place on one of the outer squares for dinner since it was getting late.  The food was only so-so, but I guess I at least got some mussels while in Belgium…they are just coming into season now for July and August so I figured I needed to take advantage.

Markt Square

Belgium Mussels

With dinner completed we were beat…so returned to the B&B fairly early.  Tomorrow we will take in as much of Brugge as we can in a half day before moving to our final destination on the mainland portion of our journey.

European Adventure Day 13–Citadel, Cycling, and a Cave in Dinant

The sun rose early (as it does all over Europe in the summer) and woke us up around 7:30 am.  With an open schedule for the day and no required logistics to deal with, we resisted the urge to get moving and lazed around until 9 before heading down to breakfast.  A leisurely breakfast in the B&B of mostly “breads and spreads” had us ready to explore for the day late in the morning. 

Along the way to the bridge, we passed by a group of cyclists.

Once across the bridge into the main section of Dinant we bought tickets for the cable car to the Citadel at the top of the cliff.  There also happened to be a Disneyland sand exhibit so we splurged and got tickets for that as well.  Once in the Citadel we looked around some, but most of the areas were chained off.  Soon we realized we needed to go on the guided tour to get full access, which included the overlook.  After waiting around for the bottom of the hour we joined a tour entirely in French.  Luckily there were some signs along the way with little tidbits in English so we were able to pick up on some of what we were seeing.  Once the tour passed the overlook section of the Citadel though, Susan and I escaped having gotten what we came for…the views. 

Odd cartoon-y set up in the Citadel & Our François tour group

The view from the top!

Us at the top

The next order of business was the Disney sand exhibit.  It was in the lower levels of the citadel and was basically 4 chambers with about 10 sand sculptures each representing different Disney characters and places.  All the while, Disney music was being piped in the whole area.  It was splendid, and the sand sculptures were very impressive.  Leaving this exhibit we decided to walk the 400+ steep stairs back to town.  They were formidable so we were glad we chose the cable car up.

Susan with Walt and Mickey   &   Jeff with King Louie

408 steps??

Our more efficient ride up

Back in town our stomachs were growling so it was time for lunch.  We stopped at a small kebab takeaway and grabbed a wrap and pita and wandered to the river to eat alongside the Meuse.  Lunch completed, our next destination was the town bike shop to rent some bikes for a couple hours.  We tooled around along the riverside north and south of town before some clouds rolled in and it began to rain a bit.  That seemed like as good a time as any to return the bikes.  The remainder of the time waiting for the rain to pass was spent ducking in a couple shops around town.

Jeff riding along the river

View from the bike
Susan at the bike shop

Once the sun came out again, Susan and I re-crossed the river and climbed the opposite hillside to the Grottos de Marveleuse (a small cave).  The cave tour was about an hour long and the guide gave it in three languages…it was an impressive display.  The caves were also nice, but kind of chilly at around 50 degrees. 

Checking out the caves

Back above the earth’s surface we returned to the hostel for some relaxation and planning of the next few days before dinner.  Then we went back into town for dinner at Café Leffe.  It’s named for the Leffe abbey (of beer brewing fame) which is actually located in the city limits of Dinant.  Unfortunately they are undergoing renovations so are not having daily tours right now.  While at dinner we caught the first half of the Euro Cup final, but it didn’t appear to be much of a game so we decided to forego staying for the second half.

Having some Leffes at Café Leffe

Tomorrow we will have another leisurely morning before moving on from Dinant.  Our experience here, although brief, was very nice and a good break from all the big cities.

European Adventure Day 12–Escaping France to Wallonia

Saturday morning arrived and we were ready to leave Paris.  Sure it’s a great city, but not so much for backpackers, particularly in the midst of tourist season.  Susan and I had hopes of a metro ride across to the Gare du Nord (main train station) and a late morning train to Belgium.  Instead we were met with the slowest line EVER to get reservations on the speed trains for Eurail Pass holders.  It was like Paris was trying to trap us.  The amazing thing was the line wasn’t terribly long, only about 10-15 groups ahead of Susan and me, but each person seemed to spend 10-30 minutes at the window and the staff only operated between 1 and 2 windows at a time.  Finally, after 2 hours of waiting, we got our ticket for the 12:55 train to Brussels.  Already being 12:15 by that point we just grabbed lunch at a station deli and hopped on our train.

Our view all morning

The speed train had us zipping through the countryside very quickly and we covered the distance from Paris to Brussels in just under an hour and a half.  We weren’t done travelling yet though since the goal for the next couple days is to get away from the urban areas.  After waiting another half hour in the much calmer Brussels station, we boarded a regional (another with no reservation fees) and were on our way south. 

Getting out of France (left) and getting into Belgium (right)

About an hour and a half train ride south of Brussels, just past the city of Namur, is a small town called Dinant.  After doing some research in Paris we decided this is where we’d spend our next couple days.  It’s in the heart of Wallonia (the French influenced portion of Belgium) and sits in a valley carved out by the Meuse river.  The town is large enough to have a train station, but small enough to be entirely walkable.  What makes this town unique from some others in the region is the old Citadel that sits on the cliff top above the main streets of town. 

Off the train, we checked into our Hostel (actually a Bed & Breakfast) at around 5pm.  The hostel is in a large old building, maybe either an old school or dormitory of some sort that sits on the hillside above the train station.  It is almost directly across the river from the Citadel and Collegiate Church.  Our hosts upgraded our room to a private since they had rooms free and gave us tips on dinner and a scenic walk to take to get familiar with the area.  The female host(ess) has been living in Belgium for 15 years but is originally from Michigan and her best friend works at the Yoga Bar in Cincinnati…small world.

The view from our room

After settling in we took the host’s advice and took a walk…it’s what we do best.  The walk took us on a nature path through the hills south of the hostel and past some residential areas before leading us to the river where we continued around a bend in Meuse and were met with some locks.  Here we were able to cross the river via an island (Ile L’Amour or Island of Love according to our hostess) and make our way back to the town on the riverside path along the opposite bank.  Back in town we dined outside near the water as the sun went down.  I enjoyed a regional Belgian beer and the food was good.  This made for a nice relaxing evening. 

Jeff with the Citadel

Views on our walk
 
Finding our way through narrow paths and spikey plants

On the Island of love.. aww..

Lots of geese and ducks arounds

Susan with the cliff

Us by the river

Once dinner was done we wandered back across the bridge and to our hostel again to call it a day.  There are a variety of sights to see in the area along with outdoor activities so we should have a packed day tomorrow. 

Views of our side of the river (the hostel on the hillside in the background, middle/right of the right picture)

Jeff and the shamrock saxophone – Dinant is the home of Adolphe Sax