Bruge

"Bruge is frickin' cool." -Stephanie Fitzwater

First Evening
And it is! Kind of a medieval Mackinac. Touristy, but fun and you can find "real" stuff on the back roads. First night was a gastronomic catastrophe. First we decided to hand out in the Grote Markt and first get some fries, with mayo, of course, which is how you're supposed to eat them. Stephanie and I had the garlic mayo and Trace had some spicier stuff. Lesson learned - don't have them just pour it on the fries unless you really like mayo. Next we stopped at the Cafe Cronenburg on the square. Got a beer and Belgium waffle (when in Belgium!) and just enjoyed the view and people watching. Then as we walked along we hit a gelato place. Oh, yes, got that, too. Talked to Mr. di Vinci (Name of the shop, not sure what the owner's name was) and he led us to a little pub ('t Brugge Beertje) that has 300 different Belgium beers. Well, we had to go and try it(I had a Westmalle Trappist porter). So, fries/mayo, beer, waffle, gelato, beer. We decided that wasn't happening again!

Day Two
The next day we started with the Rick Steves walking tour (note the pattern of using Rick Steves). On our way we found a chocolate shop called "Stefs," so naturally the three of us, including Steph, had to stop. As we ate the first chocolate a girl came up to ask if the chocolate was good and where we got it. We all got to talking and found out Leslie was from Toronto and invited her along. When we got to Burg Square we noticed she had this guy with her. Apparently he asked her a question and then just started following along. He was kind of strange and I couldn't understand most of what he said. Saw the City Hall, Basilica of the Holy Blood and the ruins of one of the oldest churches below a hotel in Burg Square. Decided the weather was better and went to the top of the bell tower in the Grote Markt (366 steps apparently, but we only counted up to 364) where you could see the entire city. Planned it just right to hear the bells at 1:00. Decided to take a break and ate fries again (ugh, my stomach asks, "why?").

Continued our walk and went into a toy store. When we left we noticed the weird guy wasn't around anymore. All of us stopped and then ran to make sure he didn't catch up. He left though. Stopped at the Church of Our Lady and saw Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child (only statue of his to leave Italy during his lifetime). Then went on the Straffe Hendrik Brewery tour. Decent enough tour, drank the 4th generation "Bruge Zot" beer that seemed to be on everyone's tap! Got chocolate at Dumon's and started to look for mussels. Had to try them (although not in Brussels). We looked everywhere and finally settled on a place. I was not too sure, but split it with Stephanie. After they came I was even less sure. I ate a few, but couldn't bear it anymore. Trace, Stephanie and I left unfilled and unfulfilled. Leslie had a great meal. Leslie left and we got gelato (again)and ended up at the oldest pub in Bruge (? 1515). Had a Leffe, played games and cards and wrote postcards.

Day Three
Met Leslie to go to the open market at the T'zad, hoping to find fruit and things for lunch. Mostly clothes (some very funny) and desserts & meats. Went to the Chocolate Museum and found out how to make chocolate, how they make pralines (filled chocolates) and that chocolate is good for just about everything. Literally, they just about said everything. I'm not sure this non-chocoholic can believe that.


Trace, Stephanie and I (including Hermanio) went on a canal tour. The guy not only drove the boat, but narrated in Dutch, French and English (Se-VAN-teeeenth Cen-TUUUUR-ee!) - quite the accomplishment. Great little trip around Bruge's canals. Not much "big" stuff, but just a scenic place. Had lunch at the same Grote Markt Cafe (a load of spaghetti and tea). We tried to get proffertjes at another cafe later. Stephanie went to use the restroom and when I ordered they said they only serve those from October through March. Can you believe it was April 1st so they were done! Oh, the supreme disappoint when Stephanie came back and Trace and I had to say we couldn't get them! Spent the afternoon in the park, Minnewater, watching ducks, eating apples, sitting enjoying the scenery and sun.

That night we wanted a decent and good tasting meal so we went to our hotel/hostel, but they had a big party and couldn't seat us right away. So we went back to 't Brugge Beertje, the 300 beer place to have a drink (I got the black current beer). Then we got to the restaurant and had Waatoozi, Flemish stew with chicken, leeks, potatoes and onions. Comfort food. Got a free beer with dinner, too, since we were staying there. And then topped it off with a waffle. Then we decided since it was our last night we'd go back to 't Brugge Beertje and I got a strawberry beer.

Then next morning we packed up and headed for the train station. Apparently everyone who came in for the bike race thought so, too. It seemed we were walking with the whole town to the station. As I got my ticket, Trace and Stephanie bumped into Leslie, who was also heading to...Ghent!

Haarlam

Caught the train back to Amsterdam, got our bags and headed to Haarlam. Just a little town 25 km away. We arrived later, so the TI was closed, but found a decent room right on the Grote Markt (Market Square) - with steep curving steps, of course. Just kind of walked around and hung out with great vistas. Town squares are great! Found an Italian place for pizza (very hard to find Dutch cuisine) and had some leftover, so we took a box home. On the box was a very happy Italian guy, who we have named Hermanio. Try to find him in later pictures!

Mailed some things home (expensive, but better than carrying). Walked along the canal and by the church as we walked to the train station the next morning. A change in Antwerp and on to...Bruges!

Amsterdam - I'm here!

Stephanie and Trace by the locks for the canal. They flush them out five times a week. Had to take a picture next to a cannon!


I got to Amsterdam! After some confusion on where I needed to go (I had to find internet and look at where we had planned to meet), I walked into the hostel (with very tall and narrow steps) to find Trace and Stephanie getting settled after their Egypt excursion.

Amsterdam has architecture and canals. Walked through the back ways (on the ever-present Rick Steves tour!) and bought some good Dutch cheese from the cherry cheese lady (she really was!).



Lots of cannabis smoke in areas, but only in certain areas (and we did not go in). Amazing that they sell plants everywhere, even along with all the tulips and bulbs. Very narrow houses along all the canals, with different gables (bell, step and, yes Trace, even "Clark"!). They had to pay for canal frontage for access so narrow, but tall houses, that go back quite a bit, were built (with a VERY narrowest of them all). But then they have to then and now get things from bottom to top, so virtually every place has a piece that juts from the top of the roof with a pulley system to lift things to other stories of the building. I even saw them lifting some lumber to the top floor.


I was pretty tired, but had to get through the day so I could get used to the time zone (at this point it was 7 hours ahead of EST - they had already "sprung forward"). Toured to the Anne Frank House - phenomenal! Very simple, but powerful. You got to walk behind the bookcase to the hidden rooms and see how they would have lived. Even little things like Otto Frank's height measurements of Margot and Anne when they were in hiding.
After a short nap (I was dead on my feet), walked through the Red Light district (interesting)- we think Trace got knocked on the window for... Ate great garlic soup and goat at a Peruvian restaurant (lots of international-little local).

-View from the hostel we stayed at in the city.




DAY TWO

Rented bikes for a little bikey-bikey. Excellent city to get a bike in. They have these cool back tire locks that are amazing (Steph and I both bought one for the island) and they were just nice bikes - we know bikes! Rode through the city, crossed the Ij behind the train station (where we saw the massive public bike parking ramp).



Got lost there north of the city, but found our way along the Ijsselmer, also called the Zuiderzee. Saw the reclaimed land (polders) and upcoming projects, through Durgemdam and Uitdam. The wind was amazing and it actually pushed us along as we went north. Got really windy so ate our cheese, fruit and bread and decided to cut the trip short and headed back, right into the wind. That's when it got really, really windy. Had to walk our bikes most of the time on the way back. We were exhausted really, but it was neat to see.
Went back to rest and eat! After all this we got to the Pancake Bakery (thanks to John and Meg for suggesting this and other places!). Okay, this is where the obsession begins with Stephanie and I and the very wonderful little pancakes called proffertjes. One plate was all we got and we were sad when it was done. But then we got the pancakes (pannekoken), me the lemon, Stephanie the apple/banana and Trace the cheese/bacon. We were very satisfied with that for sure! Well, maybe not quite so sure since we ended up going to an Italian place for more food later on on the Leidsplein and hanging out at a pub.


DAY THREE

Saw the flowermarket on the canal. Unfortunately, you can only take certain bulbs to USA, but the tulips were amazing! Stephanie and I split three plates of proffertjes (our new favorite) for breakfast.


Headed to the Heinken Experience, and it was an experience. Kind of like a regular museum at first, but then they start getting interactive with video screens, stops for beer (at 11:00 a.m.!), hydraulics based "rides" where you were a bottle of the beer getting filled at the factory or on a carriage going through Amsterdam, watching commercials in a recliner and, our favorite, sending video and picture messages. Couldn't down the other two beers at the end.

Then to the Van Gogh Museum - fabulous! Probably one of the best art museums, especially since it was on one person, I've been to. I liked some of the lesser known paintings more than the known sunflowers, starry night, etc.


On to Zaans Schans - the touristy place (like Holland, MI), but loads of fun. Went into a working old-fashioned windmill which was working on peanut oil. You could stand pretty close to the "fans" of the outer windmill - felt like you could get hit by one at any moment. Bought a lot of cheese (although no cheery cheese lady)and played around with the shops (how many wooden shoes can you try on?) and giant wooden shoe.
On to Haarlam that night!

Polish Pierogi

...but first, pierogi making with mom, Beth and Grandma Mish!

Overseas

A bit of reference if you like maps or would like to see where these places are (click on the picture for a larger map)!
Coming soon, pictures from Benelux and the Mosel/Rhine Valleys in Germany. Lots of bulb flowers, dikes, bike rides, rivers and canals and beer, chocolate and lace! Traveling team of Stephanie Fitzwater, Trace Dominguez and myself.

Just a couple of pictures (courtesy Rick Steves - my favorite travel guy) of where we'll be (Amsterdam, Bruge, Mosel)

The pile ups

The other pictures of the shore ice pile ups (for you southeners).

The Iceman Retreath

Just a few pictures of the liquid lake returning (see next blog for the others)! Lots of ice pileups near the shore. Finally some blue water again. Only a month and a half until we open again!

And since I found a way (and free for a bit) to download pictures from my picture phone (wow!) here's some of those!

-Alex, Bradley and Justin


-Alex


-the fort at night (the next ones are from last summer)

-Trace and Paul posing for the picture

-an amazing moth that Stephanie and I happened upon during one of our hikey-hikeys.

-Haldimand Bay