Bruge

A 20 minute train ride through the countryside and we arrived in Bruge. The taxi ride to our hotel took us through an enchanting place of crocus just about to bloom in the parks, green spaces, wide squares with huge bronze sculptures, and through narrow streets until we arrived at our hotel. How beautiful it is, Hotel de Orangerie is in the heart of the historic district, right on a canal. We dropped our bags and set off to explore.

A little drizzle gave way to sunshine and we enjoyed Belgian Waffles and coffee before climbing aboard a carriage, tucking under a blanket and heading out for a 30 minute horse-drawn ride around town. Once again the medieval charm of stone buildings and cobblestone streets, no traffic lights, steep pitched roofs on houses, buildings only 2 stories high and a skyline punctuated by huge spires from churches and public buildings and old trees yet to bloom greeted us. 

The boys found, of all things, a beer museum, and we wandered through a beautiful Christmas shop and the oldest square in Bruge dating back to 900AD. Ornate facades decorated with Golden statues and colourful coats of arms surround the square, and after joining the boys for a short while we returned to check into our hotel,

Our room overlooks the clock tower and ancient rooftops, the canal on the other side.
Genuine antique furnishings mixed its very modern comfort and attention to detail, and even our initials on the bed linen on the pillows and lamps in our room. Check out their website to see how beautiful this place is.

Our dinner at a small local cafe turned out to be one full of flavour and local produce, and a walk to the town square revealed a little patisserie where we indulged in local delicacies for dessert.  We have discovered that waiters and staff in shops etc can seem standoffish at times, but we smile, and offer our usual gregarious Aussie friendliness and everyone then has been so charming, friendly, even funny and joking with us.

We wandered home in the cold air under a clear moon, enjoyed time in the sumptuous lounge filled with antiques and a huge open fire, before climbing into bed to the sound of the town bells chiming 9.00pm.