I have just had the most fantastic weekend in Bruges (belguim) - just like the line in the movie `it`s like a f*&^%ing fairy tale!`

Friday night I flew from Shannon to Charleroi airport, which is about an hour from Brussels on the bus. Because I got into Brussels late,  I spent the night there. I picked up a bargin stay at the Radisson Hotel which was lovely. The bathroom alone was almost as big as the living room in my house! Saturday morning I wandered the streets of Brussles. Unlike Ireland, the streets in Belgium are clearly marked so I was able to find my way around with ease, except for when I got stuck going around in a circle around the royal palace! It`s on this huge square with a statue in the middle of the square. There must have been at least 5 roads going off in all directions from the square. I`m following the signs to the Grand Place and then come to another sign for the Grand Place pointing back in the direction I came from. The friendly tourist information people quickly put me right though (and thankfully they had a booth in the area otherwise I think I`d still be going around in circles)

The Grand Place is the main area & attraction to see. It`s a huge square lined with the most amazing, Flemish buildings. They are so ornate, covered in gold, with statues and carvings. In the square area there was a food market with lots of stalls selling Belguim beers and foods. I bought a sugar waffle, thinking it had a dusting of sugar on the outside. Uh uh - it had lumps of sugars INSIDE the waffle! You take a bite and get a full on lump of sugar! Even for me with my sweet tooth it was a bit much and I pulled the waffle apart and ate around the sugar. I`m sure you have been able to track me through the streets of Brussels by following the dropped bits of sugar, a la, Hansel & Gretel! I really wanted to by some lace, which Belguim is famous for, however it was so expensive. I thought I might have been able to get a table cloth for around 100 euro ($160) but they were closer to 400 euros and upwards for the nice ones! A shop assistant in one of the lace shops was explaining to me how they make the lace and it`s really quite amazing. What I had always thought was single strands of cotton between the lacy bits is actually hundreds if not thousands of tiny little knots. The amount of work that goes into it is incredible and explains why it is so expensive. One thing in Belguim that wasn`t expensive though was the chocolate! In Bruges espcially, there were chocolate shops everywhere. In the end I had to keep reminding myself not to by chocolate boxes as I was buying them becuase they looked so nice. I wasn`t buying them for myself but I also really had no one to give them too!  In Brussels I also picked up a bottle of Belgium beer as a present for Dad - it`s one of only 6 types of beers made by the monks in Belgium. When I was in Bruges I actually had a bottle myself and it was quite nice (and that`s coming from someone who doesn`t drink beer).

A famous landmark in Brussels in Mannekin Pis, a little statue of a boy doing a wee. I went to see the statue and he was dressed in the national dress of an Arabic country. There was also a small parade and musicians so it must have been the national day or something for that country. From what I can gather its customary to dress Mannekin Pis up in different costumes for different occasions.

From Brussels I caught the train to Bruges which is about an hour from Brussels. The weather in both Brussels and Bruges was simply gorgeous, however it was easy to spot the person who has come from a country that hasn`t had a summer. I`d say 98% of the people wandering around were wearing jumpers and coats, while I had on a t-shirt and 3/4 length pants. I spent the first few hours in Bruges just wandering through the streets. Most of the streets in Bruges and Brussels are cobblestones - it must be hell on car tyres. Bruges has the most gorgeous shops - both with the way they look and what they sell. As mentioned I brought too many chocolates, but I also picked up some beautiful wool so I`m making myself a special scarf that will be my `Bruges` scarf (when I get it finished -that is -  I`ve already unpulled it twice and that`s not easy as it`s 10% mohair and therefore fluffy). I didn`t know before going, but Belguim is also famous for biscuits. There was this most devine biscuit shop in Bruges - I could have spent all day standing there, just smelling the shop!  While I was tempted I didn`t buy any as I`d already had to buy a bag to carry back all the chocolates I had bought! Winding my way thorugh the cobblestone streets and along the canals I made it to the `Markt` or the main public square in bruges. The Belfry tower which dominates the square was closed by the time I got there, so I just sat in the square, eating some chocolate and taking in the atmosphere. Two sides of the square are lined with cafes/resturants so I decided to get dinner there. I chose one and sat down and ordered by normal chips & garlic bread only to be told `Excuse ME, madam, this is a RESTURANT. You can`t order just chips & bread!` Needless to say I left that place quickly and found a little Italian cafe that had one of the best pizzas I`ve ever had. I also had my first Belguim beer there too - a Leffe or something like that I think. It was quite nice - a little fruity but strong! oh my god, it went straight to my head, and no wonder when a 330ml bottle has an alcohol content of 9.5%!

At night, the streets, buildings and canals of Bruges are all lit up. I took my tripod and camera out and wandered the streets for several hours doing some nighttime photography. I`m really happy with the shots I got, but honestly, Bruges is so picturesque and photogenic that anyone could get great shots. There were fireworks going off and the bells in the tower where ringing and it just seemed magical. I don`t know where the fireworks were coming from, but did manage to get a great vantage spot on a little bridge to catch the occasional glimpse of them.

Bruges is a bit like Oxford and everyone rides bikes so I thought I`d join them and hired a bike on Sunday morning.  I rode out to see the Windmills on the edge of town and then though the streets again where a flea market was being held.  Apparently Sunday was a `special day` (the hotel recepionists words) and the streets were car free and there were concerts and street performaners everywhere. I took a boat ride along the canal which was great fun.  A highlight on the canals in Bruges are the swans-  In 1488, Maximilian of Austria was imprisoned by the citizens of Bruges, and his advisor was beheaded.  When Maximilian was freed, he ordered Bruges to keep swans in its canals in perpetuity as a punishment for the crime of imprisoning him.  From there I made my way back to the Markt to climb all 366 stairs to the top of the Belfry tower. The view was amazing but unfortunately my camera batteries had gone flat so I don`t have any photos. I wanted to see the Basicalla of the Holy Blood but it was closed for a service I think. With all the chocolate shops in Bruges, it`s only natural that they also have a chocolate museum, but I was having so much fun just wandering the streets I didn`t actually have the time to check it out, but it just gives me an excuse to go back...not that I`d need one!