Belgium is DELICIOUS!

It had never occurred to me to go to Belgium. I didn’t have anything against it; it just never hit my radar. After yesterday, it has officially joined Barcelona (and probably Morocco) on the “GO AGAIN!” list. Rob agrees. Last night, he was checking train schedules to see how doable it would be to add the fantastically fun city of Bruges (Brugge in Dutch) to a Bucket List river cruise. Spoiler alert: It's totally doable!!

We docked in an extremely busy and unphotogenic port called Zeebrugge (zee-BROO-guh, I think). With marine traffic scattered all over the North Sea, the port provided LOTS of exciting vessel finding if that’s your thing (check out the free app VesselFinder).

Those are windmills IN THE OCEAN. 
The ship's captain said there are about 10,000
windmills in this farm. The water depth is only a
couple hundred feet but still. IN THE OCEAN!

We took a walking tour of the city of Bruges (brooze – rhymes with “rouge” like the color or make-up) about a half-hour away. The tour was billed as strenuous. And it was for a certain population on our cruise. It was about 4.5 miles of walking on cobblestones in about 85 degree heat. Rob and I did fine, although we did take showers and send out a bag of laundry (free perk thanks to sufficient loyalty!) as soon as we got back to the ship.

Our tour guide Patrick was a fun, lively, jaunty Belgiumian (Belgiumer? Belgiumese? I know it's "Belgian" but that's far too boring for what seems like a jolly bunch.). Patrick provided tons of history, facts, figures, dates, and definitions. Sadly, I was so enthralled with the charming scenery, I didn’t hear much of what he said.

Doesn't Patrick look fun??

See?? Utterly distracting.

So quaint! At every turn.

There was something about Bruges being a fortified city with double walls and maybe a moat. Not sure, but ooh, look at that building! There was a ruler whose name meant “Long neck” so there are symbolically 100 swans in the city in his honor. He did something that annoyed people (what? No clue. But look, a canal!), so he became known as “short neck.” Nevertheless, the swans were allowed to stay.

Still fortified! Sort of. 

Even the park benches are distracting!

Most streets were more crowded than
this one. I might have wandered off
for a few minutes...

There was an area that wasn’t a convent but religious women lived there. They were not required to dedicate their lives to God, so they were allowed to leave and marry one of the few men remaining after a war (which one, I have no idea. OOOH, pretty flowers!).

Isn't that lovely?? It's just a road and a street
sign and a bridge but it's so pretty!

Just a place to rest in the shade for a bit.

I mean COME ON! How peaceful
is that?!?

And there was something about mixed public baths being quite a popular thing. This was followed by an explanation of cherries being the Belgian symbol of seduction, thereby launching the French (and Pepé Le Pew) phrase “ma chérie.” I think... (Oooh, look! Waffles!)

Soooo many waffle places. 
That is not a complaint.

And chocolate and macarons.

And adulty beverages.
We needed more time in Bruges.
So much more time.

Finally, we arrived at the chocolate museum.

I – and most of the other women and two eager grade schoolers – dutifully sat through the tutorial on Belgian chocolate. I listened carefully but still had to fill in some gaps online. I learned that Belgium got in the chocolate biz because it acquired a chunk of the Congo in Africa and didn’t know what to do with it. Realizing the Congo has lots of cocoa plants, Belgium decided to make figurative lemonade.

The chocolatier said he was going to demonstrate making a praline. I was totally confused why we were going to be learning about a fudgy, pecan-laden confection popular in Mississippi. I eventually deduced – and then Wikipedia confirmed – that a Belgian praline is something quite different. A Belgian praline is basically a firm chocolate shell in the shape of something (by using molds) that is filled with chocolate, cream, alcohol, whatever you want. So, sort of a hard-shelled truffle. And definitely not from Mississippi.

A souvenir box of Belgian pralines.
No promises how much of this makes it back
to Woodhaven.

I also learned that Belgian chocolate is distinct in a few ways. First, they do not use cocoa powder. Second, they only use cocoa butter. Third, they highly refine the chocolate nibs and added sugar (measured in micrometers). All of this results in a chocolate that is creamier, richer, and smoother than just about any other chocolate I’ve had. It wasn’t so much sweet as it was rich. And decadent. And delicious.

Photo of the taste-sample praline snagged
off the internet because I was too busy
eating to take a photo.

After the chocolate demonstration, we were given about an hour to wander on our own. Like a ball out of a cannon, Rob and I were off and running. ATM, chocolate shop, waffle snack, souvenirs, French fries. Along the way, we passed a leisurely couple with two beer samplers in front of them (maybe 8 beers each) at a sidewalk pub. That was the moment Bruges was added to my “COME BACK!” list. SO much left untasted!!

Rob ordered vanilla ice cream on his
Belgian waffle. I ordered strawberries
and Belgian dark chocolate.

Oh. My. Word.
Pretty much worth the trip right there.

The waffle was warm and chewy with
just a hint of crispness. The berries
were fresh and sweet. The chocolate
was rich and creamy. Together...
when is the next flight to Belgium?!?

FUN FACT: French fries were actually
invented in Belgium! When fish were in
short supply, a desperate villager decided
to cut up some potatoes into strips and fry
them like they had been doing with the fish.
They became super popular very quickly.
Belgian French fries are a little different
because they are fried twice. This leaves the 
outside wonderfully crispy while the inside
is warm and potatoey. We got ours with
mayonnaise to eat them as the locals do.
Not as bad as I feared! But I'd still prefer
ketchup. The fries themselves were fantastic!
Right up there with the French fries from
Prince Edward Island and the Minnesota 
State Fair!

I absolutely did not want to leave Bruges. There were more streets to wander, waffles to eat, pralines to explore, cafes to linger at. The people were friendly, English was widely spoken, and it felt incredibly safe (so many bicycles left unlocked and unattended). I have no idea what other towns in Belgium have to offer, but I am now dreaming about finding out.

Take me back to Belgium!

 

Next stop: Gdansk, Poland!