My Most Excellent European Adventure, Part 3. Day 11. Frites!!

Today is our last day :( I can't believe it, it's gone by so fast and has been so amazing. To start off our final day, we left at about 10:30 after a breakfast of pain au chocolat at the house. We had about an hour and a half drive to a beautiful old town called Brugges. Lots of shopping and eating! Not to mention beautiful buildings.

 After parking a ways out of town - it was crowded- we walked around a bit and had lunch at of the many open air restaurants.

Our waiter was a slightly better waiter than a photographer... I AM in the picture, I promise...

The food was ok- I think I had the best luck of all of us. A delicious cheese croquette and a croque monsieur. After lunch, we split up for a while. Betsy found another flea market- she has a special radar!

Meanwhile, Angela went shopping for some clothes, and Heidi and I went wandering around. We struck gold at this shop. 

 This place had the BEST chocolates possibly I have ever had. Beautiful and relatively inexpensive, it was so pure heaven!!

We all met up again to take another canal tour of the city. While we waited, we got another picture of the whole crew...

Aren't we cute??

 It was such a beautiful and charming tour for many reasons...

beautiful buildings...

beautiful weather...

towering steeples..

very attractive, and ridiculously charming, Flemish tour guide...

Our tour guide was so funny! When we got off the boat, I thanked him in French and he told me not to start speaking French- to be smart and speak English. Then as he was helping me out of the boat, in my true to self-clumsy fashion, I lost my balance a bit as the boat rocked. We did a little dance together right on the dock.. Oh swoon... Loved him! 

We tore ourselves away from the beautiful canal, and our tour guide... and headed to a church called the Holy Blood. Supposedly, they have some of the blood of Christ in a vial and you can pay a donation to touch it. Very interesting and beautiful church.

More colorful than the stone and stained glass churches we have seen elsewhere. We wanted to go to another church where they have a statue by Michelangelo, but it had already closed. We got some famous Brugge frites- or fries. If you are ever in Brugge, don't forget this local delicacy!!

Andalouse sauce is the way to go!!

Don't eat with your hands!!


 After the frites, I drove us back to Brussels for the last time and we began the sad task getting ready to go home. Laundry, packing, charging up electronic devices... So sad, but I think we are ready to be home, but not back to real life. It's going to be a rough transition I'm afraid. But I am so excited to see everyone and tell them about this wonderful, amazing adventure. I have been really lucky to have the opportunities I have had to come here several times and hope it's not the last!! Until then, au revior and auf wiedersein! 

*another delicious food day- here's what was on the menu:
pain au chocolat
cheese croquettes
croque monsieur
waffle
chocolate
frites


Do I really have to go back to American food???