Bruges

The last time I was in Bruges, I had just turned 20 and was traveling on a tight budget with a guy who had been my boyfriend when we left Edinburgh and London, but wasn't my boyfriend by the time we left Venice or visited Vienna and Bruges. (I don't recall his status when we were in Paris.) Bruges hadn't been part of our planned itinerary, but we went there when we got frustrated trying to figure out the bus in Frankfort. It was lovely - like a postcard - despite the circumstances, and has always been a place I wanted to visit again.

I'm happy to report that Bruges is still like a postcard (but with the Internet).

We:

• spent a fair amount of time in and around the market square, 

• did a Rick Steves self-guided walking tour of the city, saw some old buildings and canals and ruins, learned about the Begijnofs as well as the great housing services for old people, went on a cobblestone-laden bike tour, 

This was the most tasty of all the Belgian waffles I ate on the trip.
I don't think it was due to the added love from my Dad, but maybe.

• went up the famous bell tower, and 

• visited the french fry museum. Yes, the french fry (well, friet) museum. 

My Dad was always game to be in
a photo, which made me happy.

This was funny and disgusting.

We walked a ton in this beautiful little town. The highlights for me from Bruges were visiting a tiny little bar down a dark, tiny alley, going on a tour of the brewery that is sending its beer - via an underground pipeline - to its bottling plant on the outskirts of the city, and having a really fantastic mussels dinner with my husband and parents at a dark, tiny restaurant called the Habit (located across the street from the Hobbit (seriously)). I guess I'm a nooks and crannies kind of gal.