Day 5 ~ Bruges is Brougie

Our first full day in Bruges started with breakfast at the hotel. That doesn’t sound special, but we were stoked:

1. Breakfast was included, and is nearly always a cost in our other hotels, or we’re at an AirBNB and on our own.
2. Breakfast was A+. This was not Lil Debbie honey buns and a coffee dispenser. They made us eggs to order, the spread was varied, and the food was overall excellent.
3. The setting options (a cozy basement room, a cheery streetside window, or a nice courtyard) were very appealing.

Over breakfast, we idly chatted about what to do. Stef had fully planned on exploring Bruges; we had just gotten here, and there was already so much to see. To her surprise, Daniel came in with a, “How about we take the train to the beach?” The Atlantic coast town of Oostende was a 15-minute ride away. Stef wasn’t sure, but reluctantly said yes. And we were off to the beach.

We took a little free shuttle that looped from near our hotel, around the town, and to the train station. MAN, do we wish we’d known about that shuttle walking with our luggage the mile+ from the train station the evening before. Overall, a success from the day was that we found the trains much easier to navigate, and were more confident in our transit. I think we also maybe had a little bad luck on the train from Brussels in having an older train without electronic readerboards. Hopefully the trains get easier and easier. Besides, look how happy Stef is:

More Belgian countryside – lots of corn! And a fair amount of cows.

When we arrived in Oostende, we paused to appreciate a cathedral, Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and town square:

What struck us immediately is that Oostende is a big city – we were expecting maybe a sleepy Seaside-style town, but this was full of shiny new residential towers, and seemed to have a bustling port with lots of industry. It looks like Oostende is a shipping industry hotspot.

We wandered by several fish market stalls, pretty much all selling the same fish. We saw some things you’d expect, like carousels and people on big party bikes. Turns out they’d had recent a music festival – OMD was on the playbill from just a couple of days before, and we thought of Annaliese.

We made our way to the beach, which was one of the nicest beaches either of us had ever seen. We walked along a very long jetty and saw the lighthouse, a simple structure. There was a protected area for seals, and a seal was very accommodating in enjoying that particular area and even putting on a bit of a show. This was one big seal! He yawned his big pink mouth open a couple of times, and you’d really hate to be a fish in those jaws.

Then it was time to get our toes in the silky sand. The day was sunny and blue but not overly warm. The water was tolerably cool for dipping our feet in, but only warm enough for swimming if you were a kid, and there were plenty of intrepid littles splashing around out there. Like a couple of rookies, we’d failed to bring sunscreen, so we left the beach pretty quick, but the sand was incredibly fine, clean, and soft, and the beach stretched on for mile after beautiful mile. Everything was immaculate, and it was quiet all around by American standards.

We meandered our way back through town, stopped for coffee, and hopped back on the train. Minutes later, we were back in Bruges. Hopping off the train, we were at the farthest point across town from the hotel, so we took the opportunity to explore the west end of town. We walked along the park and canal, and really enjoyed this little bridge:

We went through the serene and beautiful Begijnhof, a working nunnery that’s been turning out holy sisters since 1245. It had beautiful grounds and dignified buildings, but no photos allowed, so you’ll have to take our word for it.

We found ourselves on Katelijnestraat, which is where all things tourism love to play.

We picked up some tchotchkes for Stef’s nieces, and had a talk with a friendly shopkeeper who encouraged us to explore the north of the city. We went through St. John’s Hospital, which had impressive grounds, contemplative little nooks, and am 18th century apothecary.

We were blown away by Church of Our Lady, with its magnificent spire.

Then we took a boatride through the canals! We both just loved this – who doesn’t love a boat? It went all over parts of the town we hadn’t been to yet, and it was amazing seeing the gabled buildings perched over the water. We’d have loved to visit one of the little cafes overhanging the canals – we have a little time left, so maybe we will!

We thoroughly enjoyed our half hour canal tour, and it’s got us excited for another one in Amsterdam.

Stef had heard a lot about the Old Chocolate House and its special hot chocolate, so in we went. A part of Stef that will always be a 9-year-old girl was completely ecstatic about the Victorian decor and tea party vibe of this very cozy institution. The presentation was unreal, with a bomb of chocolate and flavors you drop in your cup of hot milk and whip up with a tiny whisk. Stef had chile and ginger, Daniel had a special milk chocolate.

We were long overdue for some food that wasn’t chocolate, so we had a big dinner of pasta at Bavet, which had outdoor seating on one of these squares that we’ve come to love in Bruges – a ring of tiny restaurants with a massive complex of outdoor tables under umbrellas in the center of the square.

If we had our way, we’d finish every day with a walk in a park. Today, this was our good fortune. We strolled through Koningen Astridpark with its fountain, which was full of people having a drink and enjoying the park.

And that was our day! Our first day in Bruges, and we spent half of it…not in Bruges. More Bruges awaits!