Euro Trip Part 4 of Many

Day Trips Part 2
Once our stay in London ended, we took a train over to mainland Europe.

Brugge (Belgium)
Brugge is so pretty! It was so nice to be in a quaint little town after the hustle and bustle (and pollution) of London. 

Our hotel room in Brugge, twice the size and half the price of our London hotel.

Part of Minnewater (Lake of Love) near our hotel.

More water scenes. It's so pretty!

Part of our walk around Brugge.

The water didn't look like it moved all that much, so everything just... stays, I guess.

Troy might be in the wrong profession - be a photographer, Troy!

Lotsa water.

What else is the gate good for?

People used to be shorter, I suppose.

Weird to think this building is a museum (the chocolate museum). It looks like a library, or a church, or something.

Where are they getting their data?

Good news for chocolate lovers.

This whole thing is made out of chocolate.

This is all chocolate too - the kind of chocolate that made Laura sick after she ate 1.5 boxes of it one fateful Christmas. And put her off chocolate for the rest of her life. Especially white chocolate.

The Chocolate Fairy!

Also, all chocolate.

This chocolate egg greets you as you enter the museum.

Maybe the egg was laid by these chocolate chickens...

While English is not an official language of Belgium, all their signs have English translations around town. And the museum had everything written in French, Dutch, and English. Occasionally there "wwas" a typo.

Also another dignified building used as a museum - for frites! (fries) The next 8 pictures are from the Frites Museum. So much to learn about potatoes and fries!

Very tiny potatoes.

I love potatoes even more now.

The museum couldn't seem to make up its mind. First they claim fries originated in Belgium. Then they say, "Well, maybe in Spain, but really they're Belgian."

'Merica.

Fries with meatballs?

There was also a diamond museum. This isn't it, it's just a diamond store, I think, but the diamond museum didn't have a cool sign like this store did.

There were signs around town showing who was in the Olympics from Brugge. Such a supportive town!

That's exactly how I feel, too, ladybugs: Pim Pam Poen.

Troy has connections in Brugge.

Not quite sure why this statue is wearing a bird.

Check out who's playing on 9.10.2012.

Once upon a time this used to give water. As a very thirsty Laura discovered: No more, no more...

Why do people still travel this way?

In the middle of Markt Square, looking very majestic.

Laura, looking for funny people to take pictures of.

Success! Behold, the dread mullet!

Just about everything is made out of brick. Streets included. Which makes it very noisy if you are in a car or are pulling/pushing something with wheels. Or rollerblading, probably. We didn't see any rollerbladers, though.

Why are Americans so dumb when it comes to language? Every sign in Brugge was in at least 3 languages (as mentioned before: Dutch, French, English) and a good number also had German thrown in.

Peek-a-boo!

A Viking boat being pulled by a John Deere?

When no one else was around, it felt like we had gone back in time.

Sitting in a church courtyard.

Looked like they should have been in a museum, rather than sitting outside, just barely protected from the rain.

This is the courtyard the slabs were sitting in.

Don't look away. Don't even blink.

Creepy baby statue.

Some statues that probably would be creepy if it weren't for the festive decorations. Some store decorated them as a marketing tactic.

Standing here in this courtyard, with everything so quiet, no one else around, it really did feel like we were back in medieval times.

Brugge at night.

The next day we went back in town for a little bit, before catching our train to our next destination. This sign was on our walk into town, reminding us not to use pesticides.

And, randomly, a Native American shop. In Belgium.

They like to open their doors from the middle.

People name their shops funny things.

Brugge was Laura's favorite on this trip, just because it was so laid back and refreshing in the middle of a non-stop-go-go-go kind of vacation. Troy was a little disappointed with Brugge for the lack of street passes. No one else had a 3DS? Come on, Brugge...