Today we took off Sunday from Dulles on a KLM flight as cramped and crowded as usual these days. Flew through the night with Orion on our right shoulder most of the way, and arrived at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam in the pre-dawn hours Monday. Schiphol must have the longest terminal, and of course we had to make our way across its length to wait for our connection. Watched the sun rise in the terminal, then caught a City Hopper flight to Brussels. Had to pass through TSA security twice on this trip, and lost my toothpaste in the process - too large of a tube. And the packing & repacking our backpacks…urgh.

A half-hour flight to Brussels, also cramped and crowded, and once again, the longest terminal to walk through to get our bags! There we were met and escorted to a van for a cramped and crowded 1 ½ hr drive to Bruges.

But oh! It was worth every moment to get here. Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Completely enclosed by a city wall, the streets and sidewalks are all cobblestone. We checked into the Hotel Casselburgh (on the canal by the tree in the photo), so lovely and sumptuous. After figuring out how to turn on the lights in the room (card key in the wall) we went down to meet our guide, Steven Martinot, joining him for a walking tour of the town center. Horse drawn carriages. Chocolate wafting on the breeze. Beautiful, gothic architecture, and spiral stone church steeples. Buildings abut buildings, so there is no grass, no parks - just one continuous town. It feels like you have been transported to the 1600s. A few trees line the canals which run through the town, so it is called the Venice of Northern Europe. It is so picturesque!

We sampled our first Belgian food: frites (excuse me, not french fries, but BELGIAN fries - the only difference is the sauce it is served with: flavored mayo). The Belgians find ketchup repulsive, and believe it or not, tartar sauce is excellent with fries! Or try it with mayo-curry, or mixed with other spices. Then Darrel & I walked to a corner grocery to buy the chocolates every Belgian loves - Cote d'Or. Walked past little shops with lovely tatting & lace work. It started to sprinkle, a light cold rain, so we hurried back to the hotel for a short nap before our 6 p.m. meeting with Steven. Then out to dinner with our friends, Mary Sue and d*** from Bay View. I had a rabbit leg with kreik (cherries - also gotta try the kreik beer!), MarySue had moules in wine (mussels), the men both had the carbonnades flamanades (beef stew braised in beer), and with some flourish, the waiter surprised us by presenting three Belgian chocolate mouses! He was so funny and kind. To top all this, since we wanted to try waffles tonight and Belgians don't have waffles for breakfast, we ordered one strawberry waffle to share - YUM! Nothing like iHOP. Did anyone say anything about a diet??? You gotta be kidding.

Back to the hotel, a warm bath and bed!!

TOMORROW: a boat tour of Bruges on the canals and a trip to Flanders Field.