Just a quick stop in Belgium between Paris and Amsterdam. Had to sample some Belgian beer and chocolate. Bruges has plenty of both of these, and is the most visited town in Belgium. Perfect spot to relax for a few days after the hustle and bustle of Paris.

There wasn't a heap to see or do in Bruges. It's a really beautiful little city with canals and nice old buildings. The town hall on the main square has a pretty tall belfry tower, that we couldn't be bothered climbing, and a lot of other nice looking buildings. We spent a bit of time in the square eating cheap take-away pasta and Flemish fries with various sauces. Apparently the French stole the idea for their fries from the Flemish. The best sauce was without doubt a meaty Flemish stew. Really good. Speaking of Flemish stew, we had a great meal at a little local restaurant. We'd read that Belgian food is like French food but with German sized helpings. Can't dispute that. I had Flemish stew and fries, Zilla had a whole little chicken with dragon sauce.

We didn't just sit around and eat though. We visited the only brewery left in Bruges, and did a tour of the old facility. I knew that the Belgians made a lot of different beers, but didn't realise that it was because they're the only brewers that are allowed to add flavourings to the beers. Things like herbs and spices, and fruit. One of the rooms that we went through was had a heap of different beer cans from around the world, including a Cascade Pale Ale. We searched for a Boags - no luck. Apparently they don't have such good taste after all.

There is also a chocolate museum in town that we couldn't miss. It took us through the history of how chocolate made it's way from being a drink enjoyed by the Aztecs and Mayans thousands of years ago to the tasty delights that we have today. We also found out what cocoa beans look like and how they grow in big seed pods. Belgian chocolate is supposedly the best because they grind the cocoa finer than anywhere else. It is pretty smooth.

Our hostel had a bar downstairs serving up a pretty good selection of Belgian beers. We had a pretty good go at sampling all they had on the menu on our last night. The most interesting thing about the beers here is that they are all served in a different glass. They range from pretty standard draught glasses, to small steins, stemmed glasses like a brandy balloon, and even one that is like a small yard glass that's round on the bottom and needs a wooden stand so you can put it down. We never did get around to heading out for dinner to sample the local mussels.