With Stomachs rumbling it was up for the buffet breakfast at our hotel. Packed with so many people enjoying the weekend already. Finding the first spare seats we ate our toast and jam and cereal. Missing the croissants already.
Today we explore Brugges, the little Venice of Belgium. This is a fairly accurate statement, cute little streets and narrow alleyways, some waterways and small boats.
Map in hand with all our tourist locations marked, we walked firstly along the banks of the Lake of Love then onto the Diamond Museum. Sounds like a good line up for a wedding proposal, if we weren't married already.
The Diamond Museum was very interesting. There was the history of how diamond were discovered, initially mined and sold. There were even small small diamonds with the faces of a royal family carved into them. Very clever.
From there walking along the streets and peering into all the little stores and of course beer and chocolate shops. there were horse and cart tours for the city that kept passing us. They go so quick! Don't get in front of the horse because it doesn't stop. Not even for cars as we found they have right of way.
Listening to the bell tower in the Market Square playing all manner of songs we had a small lunch and from there on to the Choco Story. Along the way we came across a wedding with hundreds of white balloons. We got to see the bride pull up in a horse and cart.
At the Choco Story Museum we learnt about the history of the cocoa bean and how the ancient Mayans used it as currency and medicine. Learning about the untimely demise of the Mayans by the Spanish we went on to find out how it developed into a drink (hot chocolate) and then onto how we know it today. Aparently Colombus drank hot chocolate but didn't think anything of it so it remained as drinking chocolate for a few more years. Trust a man not to understand the importance of chocolate!
After watching a demonstration of how to make chocolate shapes with filling and taste testing some of the chocolatiers hard work we left to buy an assortment of our own belgian chocolate.
Last stop, De Halve Maan. A brewery in the heart of town. A boiling hot tour through their brewery that spans 4 floors and some 220 almost vertical in parts and narrow stairs. We got to taste some beer at the end. In my opinion worse than Munich (but don't tell the Belgians that!) but Chris enjoyed my glass too.
Stopping in at the supermarket on the way home we bought some beer and peach vodka. Mmmm
Dinner at a local cafe, 4 types of meat for Chris and half a dead chook for me. A lovely meal, watching the horse and carts run past and people enjoying their weekends.
At the hotel, Indiana Jones and the crystal skull was on tv so we laid back and had a drink and relaxed.
Tomorrow onto London and a language we understand :)