We've been on the go since arriving in Bruges so I'm combining three days into one. Sooo...

Back in Amsterdam, we had to hustle to catch our train. Of course, it was the furthest platform in the station and the furthest car on the train but we made it. So much for the shower we'd taken an hour earlier!

Arriving in Bruges we hopped on a bus and told the driver the stop we needed but he told us the wrong one. Long story short: after a lot of walking, we found our B&B only to discover that An, our host, had to leave for an appointment and wouldn't be back till 6. After a bit of a tantrum (by me, not Rod!) and another bus mishap, we were back in the centre trying to kill time with our packs still on our backs. Did I mention it was raining and cold? A waffle, a stroll and another bus trip and we finally checked in and had a much-needed nap. Tried to go to the restaurant An recommended but it was "closed on Tuesdays in July". Ended up having a great meal down the street and chatted with a nice family from Texas. Capped the night off with a stroll through the centre, all lit up. Not the best start to our time in Bruges but things were starting to look up!

Day 2:
An lent us bikes for the day so we headed to the centre for the Wednesday morning market. Produce, meat, bread, fish, roasted chicken, candy, flowers, and more. It was quite the scene. We gathered ingredients for a picnic lunch, ditched the crowds and headed out to ride our bikes along a canal (built by Napoleon) to Damme, a cute town nearby. Our picnic along the canal was delicious...the best chicken sausage ever! Back to Bruges for a canal tour, some fries and then back home. We'd eaten so much that we decided to just pick up a salad, a can of tuna and some croissants for our dinner and watched a movie. All in all, a much better day!

Day 3:
After battling with mosquitos through the night (they really like Rod!), we were up fairly early for our tour to Ypres and Flanders Fields. Our tour guide, Nathan, had so much information about WW I although some of it was hard to understand with his accent. We visited Tyne Cot cemetery, the Passchendaele Museum (including underground bunkers and trench) and the amazing Flanders Fields Museum and the Menin Gate in Ypres. Nathan also took us to see various smaller cemeteries, monuments, hidden bunkers, huge craters and other remains of the war. It was all fascinating but sobering. Almost 1/2 a million people died in this 9 km stretch. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area.

Back to our room for a rest and then off for dinner. We tried to go to the restaurant we'd missed out on our first night but now the sign said, "closed on Thursdays in August". Of course, it was Thursday, August 1! On to our second choice, a 15-minute walk across town...closed for holidays! Plan C, a block away...closed for holidays! Finally, we found one of the recommended restaurants that was open and enjoyed a nice meal served by a very shy boy, about 16. I think he was pretty new at the job. We left him a nice tip! It was still really hot and humid after dinner at about 10:30 so we took a leisurely stroll home along the canal. At one point we climbed up the hill to one of the windmills and there was a nice breeze so we just sat for a while and enjoyed. We were a little tempted to spend the night there knowing our room would be hot when we got back! Tomorrow...Limburg.