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A 6 am start, after spending the night in a London Hostel close to our pick up point, was a tough start to a weekend in Belguim. Especially as the warmish spring weather we had been experiencing for the previous week had deserted us just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend (Of course!).
We made our way, by coach to Dover, where we were able to see the famous white cliffs, and boarded a ferry to Calais in France. Thankfully to crossing was fairly smooth.
Upon arrival in France we headed straight for Belgium. First stop the Medieval city of Bruges. Belguim is divided into 2 distinct regions, Dutch and Flemish speaking Flanders in the north and French speaking Wallonia in the south. Our visit was limited to Flanders. Belgium is a small country and has been the site of some of the most famous events in history...including Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and many battles of both World Wars.
Rain greeted our arrival in Bruges and a soggy walk into the city and arrival at one of the 2 main market squares. As a world heritage site, Bruges is well preserved and features many buildings dating back as far as the 13th Century, however much of the city was rebuilt during the 19th and 20th centuries as most of it was damaged or detroyed during the many wars that have affected the country.
Bruges is especially famous for it's lace and chocolate and along the main streets there is no shortage of shops selling either one or both. By now it had stopped raining and we happily trawled along the main tourist strip looking for reasonably proced examples of both to take home. We also stopped to sample some of the local beer. I, for one, could have happily stayed put for the remainder of the afternoon but as the sun was now shining we headed back into the centre of town to explore the main squares. We sampled some 'pomme frites' (hot chips) as Belgium claims to be the true inventors of French fries.
Whilst being very pretty, I found Bruges a little fake and lacking authenticity...unfortunately the whole city is geared towards keeping the tourists happy. It was much more genuine away from the main tourist strips.
Our accomodation was in the 'seaside' resort town of Oostend, an ugly modern town featuring restaurants, bars and a casino. We checked into our hotel and then headed out for a few drinks and dinner with some of the other members of our tour group. A few beers and a pizza later we headed for bed to prepare for the next day in Brussels.
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