Bruges

We left Amsterdam and hopped on a train that took us to Bruges via Brussels. The two hour train ride gave me bad motion sickness and I couldn't handle much but fuzzy water on our first food outing. Our air bnb in Belgium was located right above the Torture Museum, next door to a waffle house and across the street from a chocolate shop. Terrible wifi, but a very spacious, modern setting with more room than we knew what to do with. We could have thrown a house party.

Don't mind if I don't.

The Belfry...located right outside our window clanged incessantly, playing endless chimes and told time nonstop. Felt like Quasimodo just hanging out up there, taking nonstop requests.

Beautiful view right outside my bedroom window.

Our only plan of attack for Bruges was: 1. mussels 2. chocolates 3. boots of beer 4. chillax. We went to Poules Moules and compared some mussels cooked in pernod, with mussels cooked in a broth of beer. Verdict: beer bath mussels were tastier.

Poules Moules!

Not normally a fan of beer but it felt idiotic not to try some in Belgium, so  I started with a sour cherry beer in a dank, Medieval beer cellar that made us all sweaty. Not bad. The next day I moved on to a Hogaarden Rose. Delicious!!! I might have found my gateway into the beer world.

Bruges is a tiny fairy tale of a city. It reminded me a little bit of Prague in it's charm, maybe an older more crude version without all the pastel and crispness.

Ever wonder who the masters of chocolate making is? Uhh... well... it's... hmmm...oh. It's BELGIUM.  I'd never seen so many chocolate shops in one square mile... the whole city was perfumed with the scent of chocolate. Every other store was a luxury chocolatier; Godiva, Neuhaus, Galler, Leonidas, Dumon and Bruges' own Chocolate Line to name a few. They were all pretty serious like a jewelry store. Chocolates stacked and lined up neatly underneath glass cases like gems. I liked the posh little ballotines at some of the places, where you could hand pick all the freshest pralines you wanted for the week. 

Milk chocolate horses, dark chocolate dipped orange peels, marbled sea shells, green shiso leafs...

At one point the four of us stumbled upon an awesome home + kitchen store (our collective weakness) and I walked out with a big wooden bowl because it's my m.o. to fall for annoying things like perishables, breakables, and cumbersome souvenirs when I'm traveling.

Realizing we were pretty close to France, I decided to look into the offerings inside the Belgian pharmacies and success! All the good french staples and skincare within arm's reach. I loaded up on some stellar products. Trying out a pale pink serum by Lierac that smells like roses.

Ghostly

We spent most of our evenings face swapping on Snapchat and making disgusting videos of our warped faces while dealing with the clanging Belfry.

Next stop: London

Souvenir list:
Chocolates from everywhere
Salad bowl
Old school floral shears
French beauty products
Sparkly socks
Tiny Derilium beer glasses
Delirium pink elephant pin

Wish list:
More chocolate
Pint glasses