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So, after our last post, we returned to our room and had an afternoon nap. Whilst tucking into our evening noodles, our new room-mates arrived; a fantastic couple called Alejandro and Thalia from Mexico City. Anne and I took to them both immediately as they were such genuine people. As we had scheduled a rather lazy day, there's nothing much more to report from that evening, other than I sprained my ankle attempting a rather athletic leap from the top bunk - lesson learnt!
On our last full day in Brugge, we decided to venture into the town again and hit up at least one of the tourist attractions. Our preference was to climb the Belfort Tower but due to the price and the dense layer of fog which had collected throughout the city ensuring that there were no photographic opportunities, we opted for a tour of the De Haalve Maan (The Half Moon) Brewery. It was quite educational and we actually found the people from Brugge were once called fools by an influencial Austrian chap who was imprisoned there. Our tour guide, Andre mentioned that Brugge were extremely proud to have such a nickname and that the brewery's flagship ale, Brugse Zot, was named because of this tale. I think it roughly translates to the Brugge Fools, or something along them lines.
Anyhow, after our tour and our free beer, we descended back to the hostel to freshen up and eat lunch before meeting Clive and Teresa (spelt correctly this time - I got into some trouble for adding a 'h' in Teresa's name in the last blog!). We had another hearty chat with Alejandro and Thalia before venturing out and were given authentic Mexican bracelets by the couple as a gift. To return the gesture, I gave them a miniture bottle of Tabasco sauce - We literally have nothing else to offer!!
So, upon entering 't Brugs Beertje pub, we found Clive and Teresa in the same place that we had left them 2 days before, although they assured us that they had left in between! Once again, the conversation and beer flowed well and we were also graced by the presence of another local named Johan, or Black Beasty to everyone in the bar. A quick tip for anyone thinking of visiting Brugge - take with you a copy of the Daily Telegraph, hand it to Black Beasty and you'll gain a friend for life. His regular spot on the bar is the 5th stool along - you can't miss him.
Then, we were showered with generosity from Clive and Teresa; not only did they share a bottle of Deus Brut des Flandres (Which is a Champagne-Beer and is actually brewed in Belgium then fermented in France. Needless to say, it's a beautiful little drop), but along with Black Beasty, they bought a companion for MoiMoi, a Brugs Beertje Mascot bear, which we've named B-B. After a few more beers, complements of Clive and Teresa (thanks again!), we turned in for the night way later than intended. However, before hitting the sack, we decided that with our drunken confidence, we could hold down a conversation entirely in Spanish with Alejandro and Thalia - a galliant effort if you ask me, although Anne did contribute the majority!
Needless to say, Anne was hungover the day after and didn't relish the 7am start. However, our relocation to München went ahead without any issues. Our first train at 9am took us to Brussels, then we headed to Frankfurt at 10:30. Our final train at 14:00 then brought us in München for just after 17:00. We quickly bought our train tickets to Prague for Friday then headed to the hostel, which conveniently is only a 2 minute walk from the station. After dropping off our bags in our 10-bed dorm and saying hello to a few of our room-mates (the room smelt like Peter's, my 14-yr old brother), we headed out to find food then turned in early as the days travelling had taken it's toll and so we wanted to be fresh to take in the sights the day after.
To summarise on our current experiences; Brugge is a lovely place to visit and 't Brugs Beertje should not be missed. We also met some people that we'd love to keep in touch with in Clive, Teresa & everyone else at the pub and not forgetting Alejandro & Thalia. Also, the way beer is consumed in Brugge is by far a superior method to that in England. Beer is served in smaller quantities but is of a higher percentage and is by far tastier. It is sipped and savoured as opposed to the English traditions of gulping down pint after pint of what can only be described as carbonated piss. So, we'll report in on our München experiences soon, but we definitely recommend Brugge and should you take our advice and travel there - don't forget the newspaper for Black Beasty!
- comments
Becci Rudden Awesome... I feel the need to take a trip to Brugge now to meet Black Beasty - I will ensure that I take a copy of the Daily Telegraph!! Glad you're having fun - Reading this entry has been the highlight of my day!! Love you both and Miss you both Lots!! Can't wait for the next entry..... xxxx
tony (daddy bear ) great read once again and looking forward to the next thrilling instalment x nice to hear you are both enjoying yourselves x love and miss you xx
Loz Johno Sounds like yous are already having the time of your lives. Cant wait to hear more. Love and miss you Xx
Mum Wow, you've already done loads in your week , love reading these, going to show Pete now as you know he doesn't do FB. Take care, have fun lots of love xxxxx
Dave Cadman Epic read Shaun! Are you actually an English teacher, as these are impeccably well punctuated! Sounds a pretty good trip so far mate. Look forward to reading all the others.