Brrrrooooggggaaaahhhhh!

(September 30th)

Sun! We were beginning to despair, but the sun has finally decided to show its face again, and as the train chugs merrily along to Ghent, Nina and I stare out the window hungrily eating up the images of corn fields bathed in golden light, spearmint green grass, and lazy cows sunbathing in rich muddy fields.

We love Belgium, most particularly Bruges, whose Gothic buildings, romantically winding canals, penchant for tea houses, and chicly dressed locals have swept us off our feet. After a somewhat elongated journey from Brussels to Bruge (catching two wrong trains will add time to your trip!), we made a mad dash through the wet streets for our hotel, Passage, in order to get there before noon, at which point we would loose our reservation. We arrived dripping with rain, but on time. Through a large, studded medieval door, up two flights of narrow, winding stairs, we found our perfect room. Humorously, it is nautical themed (in good taste), with blue and white striped walls, small pictures of lighthouses and shelves holding wooden ships and anchors. Best of all is our glorious cast iron bed, piled high with soft blankets and supported by a wonderfully unfirm mattress that sinks alarmingly when sat on. Nina practically fell on me when she climbed in for the first time.

The rest of the hotel, described as "funky", is fabulously bizarre. Today, we ate breakfast at candlelit tables in a cavernous tavern-like room replete with deer and boar heads, a candelabra, and antique photographs staring down at us from the walls.

Yesterday we treated ourselves to a day of Belgian food consisting of moules and frites with cream sauce, a delicious chocolate and toasted almond concoction, Earl Grey and espresso at a tea house, more frites for dinner, and drinks at Passage's Bar for dessert. I'm surprised we didn't drop dead while we were brushing our teeth. When we weren't eating, we were gazing with wonder at the endless store windows filled with posh clothes, and happily contemplating the Flemish masters.

The next two days were spent lazily sleeping in, drinking delicious hot chocolate, and doing some more window shopping. Bruges has regenerated us completely. Sigh.