City center of Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bruges is also known as the "Venice of the North" due to the many canals in the city. It is a medieval city with quite a handful of buildings that are centuries old (12th/13th century architecture). More information can be found in Bruges Wikipedia.
We set off on the 22nd morning at about 930am and in 3+ hours, we reached this romantic medieval city. It was a scenic drive along the highways and thanks to Daddy XM's good driving skills, it was a smooth ride. =) Trisha even had a long 1.5hrs morning nap (usually she slept for only 30-45mins at home!) Weather was good (sunny and cloudy) along the way though the forecast was rainy with occasional snow/ice showers. Phew! However, this good weather didn't last long (pls read on....).
Pretty good weather, right?
Hotel Leopold, a 2 star Bed & Breakfast was where we stayed. As it was the holiday weekend, most of the hotels (cheaper ones) were fully booked. We were very lucky to have gotten this due to a cancellation. =) It was a mere €75 per night for a double room (1 double bed)! This is considered pretty cheap during the holiday season but then as it's a 2 star B&B, you don't get much luxurious feeling. It's really yi4 fen1 qian2, yi4 fen1 huo4. Anyway, we only need a bed and bath, so no complaints whatsoever. =)
Outside Hotel Leopold.
So where did we explore in this small city? Indeed, Bruges is a pretty small city, all attractions are within walking distance. With a toddler in tow, this is a pretty good trip to make. =)
Day 1 - After lunch at a Chinese restaurant nearby to the B&B, we made our way to this place called Begijnhof, home to 13th century religious community of unmarried or widowed women known as Begijnen. Just outside this place, there's a canal and lots of swans, BIG swans and mandarin ducks! Wow! It's really a rare sight cos we don't see this in Singapore!
Pretty cheery sight to see the yellow flowers in the Begijnhof.=)
Swans and can you see the mandarin ducks too?
Next stop was the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady) which houses one remarkable art treasure - Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child (1504). On our way over from the Begijnhof, it started to rain, hence lots of tourists were squeezing into this Church to seek refuge from the rain. Thus, we decide to revisit this the next day. =) Anyway, it was way past Trisha's afternoon feed and nap, so we went back to the hotel to have a rest. It was a good rest from all the rain and cold.....Brrrr.....
The big tall Church of Our Lady in the background.
Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child
Dinnertime! It was Italian pasta in this cozy small restaurant., Food was not bad, best thing was there was no crowd and lots of space. This was a very BIG consideration as we have the stroller with us! What to do? With a toddler, she's number one priority. =)
Day 2 - A full day exploring Bruges. On our way to the city centre square, Markt, we saw another church, St Salvators Cathedral. Nothing much, just that it was huge! At the square, there was the Belfry. Another famous church in Belgium. One word to describe - TALL. Oh, and it was old too! One can climb the 366 steps to the top to see all around Bruges but not for us! Imagine climbing the stairs and carrying a 10kg Trisha, we will die! Heheheh. =p
St Salvators Cathedral
Belfry at the Markt Square
There was another smaller square nearby known as the Burg. Attractions there include the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek (Basilica of the Holy Blood) where a few coagulated drops of Christ's blood were kept and the Stadhuis (Town Hall). All these buildings were so old and it's amazing that they are still standing now with all those intricate carvings on the buildings and beautiful interiors, especially the churches. They really have very beautiful stained glass windows.
Beautiful stained glass windows in The Basilica of the Holy Blood.
We made a stop at Choco-Story, a chocolate museum before lunch. As you all know, Belgium is also famous for her chocolates, to name a few, Leonidas, Guylian, etc. It showcases the history and how chocolates are produced. Quite an interesting museum. Of course, there's chocolates to try but it's €6 (entrance fee per adult) for a small piece of chocolate! Hmm.....not really worth it though....heheheh.
Hey, Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is made of yummy chocolate!
How can we say we have been to Belgium without drinking Belgian beer!? We not only drank it, we bought some back! Local produce of Bruges! =) We wanted to visit the beer brewery, De Halve Maan for a beer production demonstration but again, it was way past Trisha's afternoon feed and nap, hence we went back to the hotel again. No regrets cos it started raining ICE and was really very cold.=)
Dinner was at a restaurant called "Hollywood" just behind the hotel. Great food! Great service! Daddy XM's Flemish Beef Stew and Mummy PP's Lasagne Bolognise was delicious! Really an enjoyable dinner despite the ice shower when coming out of the hotel. =)
Last day - End of the trip.=( On the drive home, within a span of 30 mins, we drove in the snow, in the ice, in the rain and also in the sun! The weather in this part of the world is really unpredictable!
Driving home in the snow!
We really enjoyed ourselves alot. Actually this is the first time we drove for a holiday and our first free and easy family holiday. =) There will surely be lots more to come!
Our next trip? Germany, here we come....soon.....=)
Note: We took over 130 photos and it can be viewed here if you are interested. =)
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