We’re still alive!

This whole blogging thing has taken a bit of a back seat in recent months, so time for a brief update on what we’ve been up to…

Belgium – waffles, beer and chocolate

In the middle of February, Rebecca and I decided to escape the country for our first international trip of the year to Belgium. I say international, but really it all feels like an extended domestic flight when you’re in Europe.

Our extra-long weekend started in Brussels on Saturday afternoon with some local food and beer, before taking a wander around the city that night (despite the average weather). The next day we did a free and very entertaining walking tour of the city the next day, learning about the history of the city, the guildhalls, getting some tip of the best places for things like waffles (the street vans are the best), and delving into a bit of politics as well which got a bit awkward. We also went to the beer museum in the centre of town. To be honest it's not the greatest museum - just a room with a film and some beer making equipment to show the process - but when you're done you do get a "free" beer to enjoy at the end which makes up for the admission fee.

That night we followed a recommendation of a friend and got out of the tourist part of town to go to Les Brassins, a little restaurant 20 minutes’ walk from the Grand Place before trekking back to town to visit Delirium Café – a bar that had over 3,000 beers available.

Before we left the city on Monday, we had a bit of time to fit a few more things in. Our morning started with a visit to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula a quick walk from the centre of town, a stunning gothic Roman Catholic cathedral. Afterwards we took a short walk to the Belgian Comic Strip Center to check it out, before heading back to the train station to get to our next stunning destination – Bruges.

Bruges was a very chilled out few days with nights out at some local bars, again with thousands of local beers on offer (highly recommend going to Brugs Beertje), as well a few free walking tours to explore the city. Again, the free walking tours were highly entertaining and with a night tour on offer we got to hear some ghost stories of the city, followed up by the tour guide explaining how it might not be true because of this or that reason.

The canal boat tour was also a fantastic way to see the city, and if you find one where there isn’t a queue of people you may even get a bit of room on your boat. And before you ask, yes we did see the hotel which Colin Farrell jumped out the window of in In Bruges – according to one tour guide it’s the most photographed building in Bruges, so we were encouraged to take a photo to keep it in the number one spot!

Oh, and how could I forget the chocolate museum in Bruges - Choco-story, a four-storey museum about the history of chocolate, and a live demonstration about how a praline is made. Of course, this wouldn't be complete without getting to sample some, which was a nice way to end our trip.

After four and a half days away from London, sadly it was time to head back so we could make it to Exeter for a little weekend away with friends. More on that and the rest of what we've been up to for another day…

#Belgium #Brussels #Bruges #Travel #Rebecca