Stuck in Paris and on to Bruge

Nobody will feel sorry for you when you're "stuck" in Paris but it was an odd position I found myself in after deciding due to illness and fatigue to skip ahead by train to Belgium. I arrived in Paris in a torrential downpour, no accomadation and no desire to see the sites as I'll be back there with my parents in a month and didn't want to spoil the surprise of discovering the city with them. To make matters worse, my phone stopped working and wouldn't turn on so I had no way to book a room in a coffee shop. After a miserable hour cycling around in the rain, I dried off in an Internet cafe and booked a nearby hostel before my train to Bruge the next morning.

I know... Poor me, stuck in Paris on my way to Belgium- just an interesting situation that can really only come up in long term travel.

After a few long trains, I arrived in Bruge in yet more pouring rain, this time with a hostel already booked (I'm slowly learning).

Bruge had three of these huge towers.

And some beautiful canals...

Bruge has a lot of intricately detailed and grand buildings to go along with the canals, perhaps that's why they claim to be the most romantic city in Europe.

Or maybe it's the farmer's market and all the flower stands...

Restaurant row had no shortage of tasty food and famous Belgian waffles and fries.

But my favorite part of Belgium is the beer! I have always loved Belgian beer and Belgian style beer so finally being here was a dream come true. Bruge has one brewery in town, De Halve Maan, and I made sure to get some beer straight from the source.

Their most famous beer, Brugse Zot, is available nowhere else in the world but right in the brewery bar. Delicious!

On an unrelated note, this small church is said to house a small vial of JesusChrist's blood, taken at the last supper. Would've been cool to see but I'm guessing it's pretty well locked away...

Out of Bruge, back on the bike, and cycling into beer country!