After a very fast (and ear-popping!) Eurostar ride we arrived in Belgium, and eventually figured out how to get to Brugge. We had booked 2 nights accommodation at the Royal Stewart, a small B&B just outside the market square in town. Well, our accommodation was everything we could have dreamed and more. In fact, we loved the place so much we spent an extra night!
Royal Stewart
The proprietor is Maggie, a Scottish expat who has lived in Belgium for over 30 years and runs the B&B with her husband Gilbert. It’s a quaint 17th century building with very narrow stairs and beautiful stained glass windows. We have an enormous twin bedroom on the 3rd floor, with a near new bathroom. A full Belgian breakfast is included – this means, croissants, pastries, bread rolls, Belgian cheeses and meats, coffee and even pancakes! All for the bargain price of 62 euros/night! I cannot recommend this place highly enough – it is by far the best place we have stayed in and Maggie is absolutely lovely and so helpful.
Markt Square, Bruges
After eating a mountain of food, we set off for our first full day in the town. We visited the Groeninge Museum first, although we’re not entirely convinced we actually found the museum… We definitely saw an exhibit run by the museum, but it was nothing like the Renaissance art we were expecting…it may have been closed for renovations. We also had our first age perk since we arrived – tickets are 8 euro for adults, but only 1 euro for under-26s!
We spent the rest of the day wandering down cobbled streets and past sleepy canals. You do have to pay attention to your surroundings though – bikes have right of way in Brugge, and almost everyone it seems uses them as a form of transport. Of course, we bought some Belgian chocolate, and we did the De Halve Maan Brewery Tour, the only brewery still operating in Brugge. Even I was able to drink a glass of the Brugse Zot – their blond specialty.
We finished the day with a lovely dinner at Bistro den Wittenkop and then retired to our room to rest our weary feet!
