Bruges, Belgium ...You Had Me at Hello

Friends have been asking me to share some of our adventures here and I wanted to assure you that I'm not just sitting here being homesick.  :)  So I'm back today to share some of the fun...

The moment you step foot on the cobble stone of Bruges, Belgium, you are wooed by its charm.  It stole my heart as we wandered the streets.  It's a place I never knew I wanted to visit and quite frankly, didn't know existed.  And now, it ranks high on my list of favorite places.  I'm not sure if it's because I didn't know what I was in for and surprised and delighted at every turn in the road and winding canal.  But I can tell you, it is magical.  I almost felt as if we were walking around a movie set.  It was just one of those places you see in pictures, but doesn't seem real.

Bruges has a rich history and its city has been left untouched to take you back in time.  The streets smell of chocolate and waffles and if you're a beer drinker, you may just need to sit a spell to enjoy.

The Old Chocolate Shoppe on Maria Straat - the BEST hot chocolate I've ever had!

This place stopped my husband in his tracks.  Wish I'd written down the name of it.

I know I sound like a travel brochure, but it truly captured my heart.  There is more to learn about this wonderful place than I will go into here.  I'm just here to share that it's definitely worth a stop if you're ever in the neighborhood.  We actually only stayed for one night.  It was a last minute plan.  Our first trip after being here for just three weeks.  There's a funny sense of urgency to travel any time we get the chance so we can fit in as much as we can while we're here.  And I'm so glad that sense of urgency took us to Bruges.

From the top of the Belfry.