Bruges, Belgium

After leaving London this past Sunday, I took the EuroStar to Brussels. I would like to recommend to anyone traveling in and out of London to consider using means other than the EuroStar. If I had been more careful I would have taken a bus, because, while the EuroStar is fast, the bus is a lot cheaper. A LOT CHEAPER. Heck it would have been cheaper to fly, and possibly just as convenient. Since you are taking the Chunnel, a perfect location for a terrorist to do a lot of terrible damage, there is a lot of security to go through when riding the EuroStar as opposed to any other train one might take. Plus there is greater attention paid to passport control. You actually have to queue into a line, which was the first time I had seen that in quite some time. I understand that this is far more efficient than parking the train for a half hour in the middle of the English Channel while passport officials make their way through the train, but I am simply pointing this out to fellow travelers who might not be aware of how the EuroStar works. It would be terrible to pay for such an expensive ticket and miss your train because you thought you could just show up 5 minutes before the train left, like any other European rail line.

I decided, while in London, not to stay in Brussels due to the fact that I could not find reservation in a hostel online. So instead, I spent two nights in Bruges, Belgium. It is a really wonderful place, that I think would be marvelous a bit closer to Christmas. Not to say that it wasn’t fantastic while I was there, but from what I could see, the Christmas festivities were going to be really nice. Bruges is a small coastal port, filled with winding cobble stone streets, placid canals, and shops of every kind. I especially recommend one of many Chocolatiers. Belgians are known for their chocolate and beer, so why not indulge yourself a bit while you are there.

I spent most of yesterday, simply walking around, getting lost, and enjoying the sights and sounds of Bruges. Workers were setting up a Christmas Carnival in the middle of the town square, women were shopping in some of the high quality clothing stores along the tight streets, and tourists hunted for their favorite place to get “the best chocolate” in Bruges. It was wonderful. Very few tourists, even fewer cars, and just a calm relaxed atmosphere.

I loved the fact that most of the restaurants in town had large fires crackling inside, perfectly visible to passers by looking for a warm, comfortable place to rest for the evening while enjoying a fine meal and even better beer. It was just lovely.

Today I checked out of Bruges, a little tired from a night spent trying not to listen to the six Spanish boys I was sharing a room with trading off snoring responsibilities. I realized quickly, that they always snored in pairs, so when one would turn over and quiet down, another would pick up right where he left off. It went on for hours, but you learn ways to tune it out, I just wasn’t doing very well at it last night.

I am sitting on the train to Brussels now, trying to decide if I will stop and stay in Brussels, or if I while continue on to Amsterdam. I am leaning more towards staying, but I am not sure for how long. I would like to stay close to London, so that when I need to head back next week , I will be near enough not to have to work too hard to make the journey back. I guess I will just have to play the next two weeks by ear. What a drastic change from everything else I have been doing on this trip so far… LOL.

I hope all is well back in the states. Only twenty more days until I head to Asia.

P.S. I decided to stay in Brussels