In any case, I capped off my European travels with one last trip north... to the Belgium city of Bruges. Here's a handy map to see its location in comparison to Paris:
Once again, I joined a tour bus for this journey which was about 4 1/2 hours away. I kind of wish I splurged on a train for this one, because it would have only taken about 2 1/2 hours that way (with one connection in Brussels). I am really going to miss these high speed trains when I leave Europe. They are so fast and so convenient!
Bruges is known as an idyllic, picturesque city and it certainly did not disappoint in that regard. The combination of blue skies, red brick, and gentle canals was wonderful to see in person. It's also fun when the scenery makes it easy to take really impressive pictures. :)
One of the included amenities on this tour was a 30 minute boat ride through the canals. Seeing everything at water-level was, if possible, even prettier!
We caught a glimpse of a dog sleeping the morning away by the window. Isn't he lucky?
In respect to food, there were dozens and dozens of chocolate shops, and restaurants serving moules frites (mussels and fries). I briefly contemplated getting mussels for lunch, but ultimately my cheapskate tendencies won out. Instead, I visited a cute fast-food style place and got some grilled shrimp with fries for less than half the price of mussels. It was fresh and delicious; I picked a curry ketchup to have with the fries, which was interesting and tasty too.
I definitely enjoyed myself in this quaint little town. However, I do wonder if I'm getting jaded. So much of the small city catered to the tourists, and everything once again had a slight 'Disney' feel to it. I really couldn't get a local vibe at all. Even most signs were written in three languages to facilitate business (Dutch/French/English?).
I feel like I'm being nitpicky though; Bruges was definitely a very pretty city, and I'm glad I got the chance to visit!
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