After our initial issues with the plane, our new one seemed to be fine and we landed around 945am to 39 degrees and overcast skies. Schiphol Airport is one of my favorites, as it has lots of shops, cafes and a very open feeling. Plus, the arrival process is quite painless as passport control takes very little time and customs is non-existent.  

Once in the arrivals hall we purchased our tickets and grabbed a coffee before our 3.5 hour train to Bruges. We had three changes of trains, Rotterdam, Roosendal, Antwerp and finally Bruges. The first two connections were 5 minutes while we had a lengthy 7 minutes in Antwerp. We are always amazed at how the trains in Europe are on-time to the minute. We have yet to miss a train, even with the tight connections. 

 It would have been nicer to have a bit longer in Antwerp as it is quite an impressive station. I have included a couple of images, but have to admit I got these off of Google, as we were busy navigating the escalators to our track. There are 5 levels and each level has trains, we arrived on level 1 and had to get up to level 5 where the Bruges train was departing.  

Arriving in Bruges, we grabbed a cab to our B&B operated by the Dieltens. It is a very elegant older building with very comfortable rooms in a quiet neighborhood close to Market Square. We got our logistics from Annemie, the owner who was fretting as the electricity had gone out.. Luckily by the time we were done filling out paperwork, the lights were back. Koen, Annemie's husband helped us up the steep winding steps to our 3rd floor room.  

Once we got settled, we set off to find a quick snack. Annemie had recommended l'Estaminet, a small bistro, a few blocks down on a park, which we found quite easily. We enjoyed some soup and split a sandwich, and then headed back to the room for a rest.  

After forcing ourselves to wake up, we headed out to explore the town. Most of the shops were closed, but Christmas decorations are up which caused it to look quite magical. As in most of Europe, there is a Christmas Market, but this one is smaller with an ice rink set up in the middle.

We decided to take the "path less traveled" and explore the areas off of Market Square (the main tourist area). We found Groot Vlaenderen a bar, with a beautiful chandelier. Arne, the owner/bartender made a great martini and gave us some advice about navigating the town. He also recommended Tom's Diner, just around the corner for dinner.

We followed Arne's directions and sure enough, Tom's Diner was in the middle of a residential street, and one we would have never found without his guidance. It was quite a scene, and there was room only at the bar, which ended up being the best seat in the house! We had a great dinner of baked sole (me) and mussels (ken) before wandering back to our cozy hotel.