A Bit of Belgian Waffle …

We weren’t sure what to expect, but unsurprisingly the shuttle terminal is like motorway services, an airport and ferry terminal all in one!

We arrived in plenty of time and were offered the earlier train so by 7.30 we were aboard munching breakfast sandwiches in the car as the train set off.

In less than half an hour we were in France, and then on to Bruges. We stayed at Hotel Maraboe, just a few minutes walk from the centre and after taking a turn round the square …

… complete with impressive belfry …

… Joanna and I tucked into our first bowl of mussels!

The weather was certainly mixed as we walked round the medieval streets and parks …

… and along the way, we ducked into museums to dodge the showers!

The Frietmuseum and ChocoStory were very welcome stops, interesting and with tasting samples, although Chris was disappointed to learn that Belgian frites are traditionally cooked in beef fat so he’ll have to take care! The similarity between a waving potato and a waving cocoa bean was also noted!

We even took a turn round the Groeninge Museum where Hieronymus Bosch made the biggest impact on Joanna, with his quirky vision of the Last Judgement.

With picked a dry spell to take a boat trip round the canals, interested to see the city from another perspective was lovely.

Late one afternoon, we made our way to one of the town gates, where a couple of windmills looked quite atmospheric against a moody sky.

… and we saw the city skyline against the setting sun.

Expecting New Year’s Eve to be busy, I had booked a table for dinner but on arrival found I’d booked at the Brussels branch by mistake! Luckily there was a cancellation and they fitted us in later.

After huge plates of sticky ribs and a lovely homemade veggie tart for Chris, we walked back to the hotel, put on an extra layer and went to ‘t Zand square across from the hotel which was filling up with people. The rain stopped as they played popular singalong tunes and there was a countdown at midnight.

Fireworks and a laser show followed and we reckoned most of Bruges had turned out to join in and celebrate.

On New Years Day, we knew most places would be closed, at least until lunchtime and had prepared by buying a lovely chocolate brioche loaf from the baker the day before which was a perfect start to our day. We were taking the chance to explore further afield and decided to nip to the Netherlands for lunch! We enjoyed driving through the landscape of polders and canals …

…stopping first in Damme and saw quite a few people out cycling and walking along the canal.

On another day we could have taken a trip on the paddle steamer or visited the windmill and city hall … next time!

We drove on and could have missed the small blue sign marking the border between Belgium and the Netherlands if we hadn’t been looking out for it …

… and continued to Sluis. All shops were closed …

… but there was a windmill …

… and we found a cafe for fish soup and and a veggie burger before returning along the quay to the car.

That evening was dry, and we walked round a few of the Winterglow Illuminations, set on a trail round the city.

We tried lots of local treats during our stay, including waffles with international savoury toppings for brunch (Norwegian, Mexican, Italian!) and again with fruit and cream in the afternoon.

Dinners have been a little more tricky to find as traditional Belgian fare is not vegetarian, but we had our very own pick and mix dinner at Monsieur Casserole …

… pizza night and a final evening in the main square surrounded by twinkly lights where Chris had veggie lasagne while Joanna and I tried the local Flemish beef stew. Hot chocolate, gluwein and cake have also featured!

Having stocked up with plenty of Belgian chocolate to take home, we checked out on our last morning in pouring rain and headed back to Calais.

The weather has been changeable throughout our stay, so it was no surprise that the rain stopped as we reached Bray Dunes, just along the coast from Dunkirk and site of the WWII troop evacuation.

The sun came out and we all walked and took photos.

Joanna took the chance to experiment a bit with her new camera and took these …

… and Chris took this lovely pic.

Now with an appetite, Joanna and I ended as we began, with a bowl of moules frites while Chris bravely chose a plate of cheese with his fries. The rain was back as we left, so we headed straight for le Shuttle and home.

Despite the rain, the trip has been a huge success and we’ve all had a great time with memories as well chocolate to bring home!

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