Brugge

From Paris you can catch a three hour train that will take you to Brussels, Belgium. From here you can transfer to a one hour train ride that will drop you off in a quaint town known as Brugge. When exiting the metro you are initially greeted with thousands of bikes lined up and stored awaiting to be taken away on a days adventure.

If you continue to walk forward and cross the street you will meet a dirt path that follows a beautiful running stream. On this path there are two lanes. It is not for coming and going pedestrian traffic, but rather pedestrian versus bicycling traffic.

Continue to follow this peaceful path for ten minutes and you will come upon a cobblestone street where the main form of transportation is horse and carriage or bicycle. The stores that line the side walks vary from chocolate stores that you can smell before you even approach the actual store to many lace and tapestry shops. Many people are coming and going moving around in this picturesque town.

In one corner you will find an old nuns commune that in the spring turns into a fresh garden. There is a lot of open space and benches to sit and watch the swans as they linger throughout the day.

It is in this small corner of town where you can also catch a horse and carriage ride if you would like. And one of the shops here rents out bikes. If you grab a bike and ride for an hour you can reach the beaches of Belgium.

In the afternoon, if you are no longer able to resist the sweet smell of chocolates, I recommend heading over to Bar Choc.

This Divine find, is a bit hidden but well worth digging up. It is a Chocolate Bar. Enough said. They serve a variety of 5o different types of hot chocolate. The only thing more difficult than finding the place to indulge, is the task of deciding which one you will try. Will you have the White chocolate, the Hazelnut, or the PauPaua (the three pictured below)? I went with the PauPaua which was described in the menu as- the hot chocolate for those who really know how to enjoy life. This chocolate was very rich and 60% cocoa. But it was delicious and the whip cream was indescribable.

Inside the setting is modern and fun. There are large pictures of chocolate which then in several languages give a Mythbusters version of chocolate myths. To Bar Choc, chocolate can do no wrong. It does not give you cavities, it does not make you fat, and it doesn't make you break out. But, it is an aphrodisiac.

After consuming something quite so delicious you may feel the need to repent. Walk down the street and you will come to a catholic cathedral where you will be able to find the Madonna and child. This is Michael Angelo's one statue that is not in Italy.


All throughout the town after walking down tiny streets you will stumble upon a large open square with buildings detailed beyond exquisite belief. In these squares you will find tourists snapping pictures, children playing games, people playing music, and vendors selling their products.


At the end of the day you will walk back to the path you first entered and take an hour train ride back to Brussels, but as you leave you will remember all the beauty you had seen while visiting this cute and quite town called Brugge.