It's February in Europe, so I didn't have high expectations for the weather here. I bought gloves, a beanie, umbrella, waterproof jacket and waterproof shoes. But I've been very lucky so far - despite some poor forecasts for earlier in the week.
Today when I woke up the skies were blue.
I didn't waste much time.
I ran over to the supermarket to get some fresh bread for breakfast. It's something I love doing in Europe. It's not quite the same anywhere else.
I left a note for Marcel (who'd warned me he was likely to sleep into the afternoon as he was two night shifts coming up). Today I was going to be a tourist. Sometimes it's just got to be done. So I started with a walk up the Belfry (yep the one in In Bruges).
The view was awesome. Although just beyond the city there's a lot of industry, which looks strange but I guess it's got to be somewhere. It's 366 steps to the top. Some creative license was taken in the movie because there is wire across the balcony, which you'd expect at this height. So no gangster could throw himself off it.
I resumed my walking in the sun, stopping on a bench to eat my chocolates form Dumon (yesterday's - I didn't buy more!!). More walking. Around some street somewhere (I was just walking with no map, no idea) I saw a cafe called Books and Brunch. Two of my favourite things. I took it as a sign as went in for lunch. The care is lined with books (new and secondhand) which you can buy. A note in the menu said customers are free to read them in the store and don't even have to buy anything...just sit in one of the seating areas and read away. I had some broccoli soup (something to wash the sugar down) and a cup of tea.
I decided to do a cruise on the canal. It's only 8 euro here compared to 70 euro in Venice. The boat trip took 30 minutes and it was good fun. It's nice to look up at the buildings a bit. When walking I tend to keep my eyes at shop level.
I bought my tea cup on this trip (It didn't go to Berlin or London - my two most recent trips) so a Teacup Tale was overdue. I took some photos and walking around a bit more. Belgium is famous for its fries - apparently they were named French Fries because American soldiers mistook Belgium Army staff for French. So it seemed fitting to visit the fries museum here. The museum went through the history of potatoes and their introduction in Europe and Belgium, and then the development of fries. There was a lot of conflicting theories, but Belgium is happy to claim they originated here. They have a fry shop in the basement so I tried fries for the first time. Good, but not sure they are worth all the fuss. How good can fries really be?
In need of a cup of tea I found a tea shop and read my book for a while. When I ordered a scone I was told there would be a 15-20 minute wait because they bake them fresh. Totally OK with me!
Then, more walking and tea cup shops before walking back to Marcel's. He cooked dinner (meat balls in a celery sauce and mashed potato...I'm getting very spoilt by my hosts on this trip) and we spent the evening listening to music. He's a fan of some Australian artists so it was nice to listen to some songs I haven't heard for ages. I also watched the Belgium version of The Voice. Some poor decisions were made. What were the judges thinking???
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