Bruges, Belgium has the distinction of being one of those rare places I’ve visited more than once while living in Europe. I’ve been there in summer and over Christmas and it is such a delightful little town. I love it so much I’m hoping to experience it, someday, in the autumn and the spring!

Try the waffles

Let’s be real: one of the main reasons you are probably going to Belgium is the famous Belgian waffles, and you must try them immediately! Try the Liege waffle, named after a city/region, and take it for a stroll while you get oriented to the adorable Bruges. You can get it loaded with ice cream, whipped cream, the works–like I did below–but I think they’re just as delicious plain and warm from the waffle-maker.

Climb the Belfry of Bruges

You won’t miss the Belfry, smack dab in the middle of the main square, or Markt. There’s been a belfry on this spot since around 1240, when Bruges was in its heyday. The climb isn’t bad and the views are gorgeous! Go on a clear morning to beat the crowds, and ideally your first day, to help you get oriented to the little city.

Take a canal tour–from a boat!

This is quite a touristy pastime in Bruges (it’s not an undiscovered city by far!) but it’s so wonderful to see the beautiful city from the water. The tours last about thirty minutes and give you a good, quick overview of the city’s history. I loved learning the specific history of more of the distinctive buildings we passed.

Choose the best fries in the Markt.

Apparently there is a debate over which fries are better–the ones from the cart on the left-side of the Belfry or the ones on the right-side. Really, you’ll just have to try both to decide for yourself! It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it.

Visit the Groeninge Museum

If you are an art lover, this is a must-see! It’s a fairly compact museum with quite a few painting by important Flemish artists. Most of the paintings in this museum are from before the Renaissance, to give you an idea of how long Bruges history is.

View Madonna and Child

That’s right, there’s a Michelangelo…in Bruges! This tells you what a powerhouse Bruges was in the thirteenth century. This was actually the only piece of his to leave Italy during his lifetime. The Church of Our Lady, where you can find the statue, is also a beautiful cathedral to visit.

Visit the Chocolate Line

I know you’ve heard of Belgian chocolate–and it most definitely lives up to the hype. You can pop into almost any chocolate shop and be happy, I think, but you must visit the Chocolate Line–reputed as some of the best in the world. My now-husband tried the Cuban cigar flavor, mostly to say that he had, and I tried the lavender. This is a pricey spot that probably won’t be where you buy your souvenir chocolates, but it’s worth a visit just to try the most interesting flavors around.

Bicycle to the nearby town of Damme

Damme is a mini-Bruges a leisurely bike ride away from the actual Bruges. This was one of my favorite activities we did while in Bruges because you bike along a canal and past windmills. It is incredibly picturesque! It’s also nice to get away from the city and into the countryside of Belgium. The town itself is cute and has its own little church and is known for its bookstores and book fairs.

Find your favorite Belgian beer

Yet another gastronomic delight Belgian is famous for? The beer, of course! I quickly found my favorite (Kasteel Donker, if you’re wondering) but doing a tasting at a place like Cambrinus is another way to go. It’s not a hardship to taste a few before choosing the best, after all. Just remember, Belgian beer tends to be strong compared to most beer, so take your time unless you really want to party!

Get lost in the streets

Bruges is a magical little city that often does feel lost in time. However, there are a lot of tourists. Luckily, just a few blocks away from the main tourist center and the Markt, you’ll be able to find quieter, small streets to explore. Follow your feet and see where the charming little streets take you!

BONUS: Visit the Christmas festive-ness around town–from various Christmas trees, to a market, and more!

This one obviously depends on when you go, but I can attest that Bruges at Christmas is just as magical as you might suppose. There’s even a holiday-themed version of my favorite beer!

Have you been to Bruges? What would you recommend for a first-time visitor?

Originally published for Big World, Small Me. If you’re not already following Sara, you should! 

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I had always dreamed of spending a Christmas in Europe–the markets! the mulled wine! the quaint villages covered in snow!–but when our Christmas in Europe rolled around, I felt quite homesick. So, like many an expat, to combat these feelings, I planned a trip!

We traveled to new places before and after Christmas, but for actual Christmas we decided to go somewhere we’d been before. We thought this would take the pressure off. I, particularly, suffer from the “I-must-see-every-new-thing” mindset and I didn’t want that to happen on Christmas, especially as most new places to see would be closed, anyway.

It ended up being a really lovely Christmas in Bruges. We managed to keep some of our usual traditions–Christmas movies, Christmas Eve service, Christmas pajamas–but enjoyed our days in Bruges. On Christmas Eve, we explored the little Christmas market, listened to music, and did all of our favorite Bruges things: walked by the canals, ate French fries, visited our favorite pubs and had our favorite beers. We also had a lot of cheese…because Christmas?

On Christmas Day, we talked with our families, opened a few presents, had breakfast at our inn, watched a few movies, and ate at one of the only establishments open: an Indian restaurant. It was a little lonely to be away from everyone, but loneliness doesn’t last long in the adorable Bruges.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

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Merry merry Christmas from Belgium!

I had some trepidation about Christmas abroad, away from my family and everything familiar.

While it was a strange Christmas, and certainly different, it ended up being a wonderful day.

We ate a delicious breakfast at our little hotel, wandered around the always charming Bruges (which was definitely not deserted on Christmas!), ate Belgium fries, had Belgium beer, exchanged a few small gifts, talked to our families, had Indian food that we’ve been craving for awhile, and watched a few of our favorite Christmas movies–namely Christmas Vacation, Love Actually and Die Hard (obviously). While I’m far away from almost everyone I love, Christmas was still full of what it should be full of–joy, laughter, family, love, gratitude, expressions of love from those near and far, Christmas lights, a festive atmosphere, a few little gifts, great food and fun.  What more could a girl ask for?

I’m grateful we decided to take a trip and try to make the most of Christmas in Europe. I’m especially grateful today, now that Christmas is over (tear) that we still have over a week of traveling, and week to look forward to in PARIS!

Wherever you are, whatever you do, I hope Christmas was wonderful for you and yours. As always, thanks for reading and sharing in my experience.

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I spoke of their amazing, fresh breakfast once before, but as our first time staying at a true bed and breakfast, this breakfast will be hard to beat. Fresh bread, fresh eggs, an assortment of real butter and jam, accompanied by delicious coffee and more.

I was immediately charmed by Calis (way before we had the breakfast!). It’s in a skinny building with winding stairs and friendly proprietors. The views from our room gave us a nice glimpse of the alley around Calis, and our white, fluffy bed was so tempting after the jet lag!

We stayed in the African Room, obviously themed, with an en suite bathroom (including a bathtub! one of my very favorite things!) and plenty of space. We chose this larger room for three of our four nights because we were belatedly celebrating E’s birthday. We stayed in a smaller room for the last night, although it felt just as luxurious (but alas, had no bathtub…a cool shower though).

I loved the little details of Calis and the fact that it is a small business. Everything felt thoughtful and I almost felt like we were family while we stayed. Calis solidified my love of these smaller, boutique hotels…when I can afford them! The personal details make such a difference.

Bruges and Calis were a fantastic introduction to Europe for us, although they completely spoiled us, especially since, at our next stop in Lille, France, we had a disgusting room–so disgusting we stayed for one night instead of the originally planned two! But that’s another story.

I’m so glad I did extensive research and ended up choosing Calis. Not only was it a great introduction to Europe, it was also essential to our recovery of jet lag. Comfort is important for jet lag, when you can get it!

To learn more about Calis and to make reservations, be sure to visit their website.

^^E in front of Calis. He doesn’t look it but we were both totally charmed.

^^the view from the African Room.

^^sunset!

^^our amazing breakfast! E is obviously thrilled.

I’m not sure if this is necessary but I received no compensation for this review!

Linking up with Nicole!

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During our short visit to the country of Belgium, we spent most of our time in the completely adorable, preserved medieval town of Bruges. We entertained ourselves there well, but on our last day, we decided to get away from the more touristy part of the city. We rented bikes right off the Markt Square and followed local directions to the nearby town of Damme, said to be a smaller, less crowded Bruges.

While we didn’t find Damme to be that much quieter, as there was some sort of festival the day we visited, the bike ride in the countryside was gorgeous and idyllic. Our favorite part, of course, was the working windmill we stumbled across, right across the canal (built by Napoleon!) from Damme. We wandered in to explore and watch the flour-making process ourselves, which E was especially excited about. I was amused that the miller lazily waved us up the tiny, crickety, slippery stairs, obviously used to tourists coming in and out. Be careful–everything is covered in flour and there is very little traction! We didn’t go up all the steps as the floors got smaller and closer to the machinery, but we went up three floors to explore as much as we could.

We biked through town and the countryside to get to the town and the windmill, but I loved the ride back, along an easy forested path and close to the canal. It’s a perfect piece of nature and farmland in the middle of Europe.

It took us about half a day to bike out to Damme, and went spent the rest of the day biking around the cobblestone streets of town. Biking is a great way to get around Bruges, and to explore further out, as well.

Rick Steves has the best directions to Damme, outside of locals! We used both his book and the directions of our innkeeper. 

{the little town of Damme / proudly flying the flags / the adorable, red-tipped windmill / the canal near Damme / down the canal / this boat looked really fun–you can take tours from Bruges to Damme!–but we were much faster on our bikes / the working windmill / romantic / E is a natural on a bike (unlike someone else I know…cough) / biking away from the windmill / a cute country house on our way back to Bruges / biking along the streets of Bruges…I was biking too, which made a clear image a little more difficult!}

This post is Letter B from April’s A to Z Blogging Challenge. Click the link below to check out the other bloggers taking part, and to find out more!

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Belgium is a little, often forgotten country in Europe, lost in the sea of people focusing on nearby giants, such as Germany, France and the Netherlands.

(I even read that people call Belgium BORING. Shut the front door!)

I don’t really want to spoil Belgium even more (trust me, the rest of the world knows it as a solid destination) but I have to tell you that Belgium is officially one of my favorite countries in the world.

And, part of the reason, is the food (and beer!).

From the well-known, like waffles, fries, beer and chocolate, to the unexpected, such as cheese, bread, sausages and sandwiches, Belgium has it all.

The fries are double-fried, crispy yet filling, usually with a side of mayonnaise. Trust me on the mayonnaise!! As you can see in the image below, the first thing I did after my long plane ride from China was to get myself some fries. Best jet lag food, ever!

Of the food in Belgium, likely some of the most famous are the waffles. The standard Belgium waffle is not the kind you get at a breakfast place in the United States, which I was expecting. But don’t worry: they’re so much better! The best way I can describe the Belgium waffles is that they are more cake-like and less fluffy. We pretty much had waffles six times for the four days we were in Belgium (trust me, you would too), and the plain may have been my favorite, although I loved the one topped with ice cream. And the one topped with whipped cream…What!

(I know E loved his topped with Nutella the most).

Belgium is also known for its amazing chocolate. There are many, adorable, local chocolate shops everywhere, as well as bigger, well-known chains. Our favorite was probably The Chocolate Line in Bruges (and there’s one in Antwerp!), due to their strange, but delicious, flavor combinations. I loved my lavender one, and E loved his Cuban-cigar flavored chocolate (which isn’t actually legal here in the United States). They also make chocolate into anything: including pairs of breasts (which I couldn’t resist taking a picture of, because hello, I’m twelve) and we saw a replica of the Grand-Place in Brussels made entirely of chocolate. (Not pictured…my photo was really, really blurry after too many samples of chocolate!).

Another food you must try should you visit Belgium? The beer. While I am no beer aficionado–generally I avoid it if I can–but in Belgium, I could not stop. They have so many different varieties of beer, and I especially loved their dark, flavorful brews. Coors Light will never taste the same again! My absolute favorite was Kasteel Donker. I have yet to find it outside of Belgium/northern France (although we had amazing friends who were able to find it for their wedding!!) so I plan to head back to Belgium as soon as possible for a sip of the good stuff. Be warned, though, Belgium beer is strong: I wanted to try as many as possible, and ended up barely being able to make it back to our room! Also, just so you know, we loved so many different ones, hence the plethora of images of me and E drinking beer.

Although I planned to only eat fries, chocolate, waffles and beer in Belgium, it turns out there is plenty more food to satisfy any craving, especially in the touristy areas of Brussels and Bruges. Our incredible bed and breakfast, Calis, had amazing breakfasts, with fresh bread and fruit and cheese and more. I can’t think of one meal in Belgium we didn’t love: from classic Croque-Madames/Monsieurs, lasagna, casseroles and to bread. Part of the reason I was in love may have been because, coming from China, I hadn’t really had bread or cheese in several months. Really though, I think Belgium is just that delicious.

AND…I need to go back this instant.

*Welcome to another rendition of Travel Tuesday, hosted by Bonnie, Tina and Melanie! This week, Tina‘s prompt is to talk about our experiences with food and travel. Great idea, no? Check out the other posts below, and join in!*

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