Bruges was actually the last place we visited on our trip around Europe before heading back to England (but it’s not our last Travels post; we’ve got quite a few more of those lined up ;-). We were only there for a few hours, but that was enough to get the general vibe of the place—a little bit sleepy, yes, compared to some of the other cities we’d visited, but a charming place nonetheless.

The main part of the town centres around a big square known as the Grote Markt, and then from there you can wander around countless little backstreets and canals (so incredibly picturesque — our sub-par photos don’t quite do it justice).

Bruges is the kind of place that would be perfect for a weekend trip — a half day there wasn’t nearly enough time, but you could see most of what needs to be seen over a leisurely few days.

SO, what did we do in Bruges? Our first stop was the Grote Markt, where we had our lunch while doing some people watching (that outdoor cafe culture is something we really miss in North America). Belgium is renowned for its chips/fries/pommes frites, so of course we had to indulge in some (dipped in mayonnaise, Belgian style!). Sooo delicious! Bruges has a few interesting museums, but as we were strapped for time, we felt it would be more interesting to just do a little wandering on our own. The back streets of Bruges are beautiful — you never know what quaint little gems you’ll stumble upon. One of our favourite moments was hearing Rihanna blasting from one of those picture-perfect little houses above (it felt like her songs were always playing in the most incongruous places during our trip). That’s the funny thing about Europe — the architecture is so old and stunning that you can sometimes forget you’re in the 21st century.

{Crappy picture, but you get the idea–those are all the toppings you can get for your chips!}

{Bye bye, Bruges!}