Pieter and Sofie picked us up from our cute little Bed and Breakfast, bright and early, say around 10:00. We all caught the train to Brugge. Only about a 25 minute ride from where we were staying, Brugge is the lace capital of the world. They have some of the most amazing handmade lace you will ever see! Some lucky people have been chosen to receive some as souvenirs. Mom, if you're reading this, don't get your hopes up, sorry! A large part of Brugge is actually built on water and has many canals. It has been called the Venice of the North or as the Belgians say Venice is the Brugge of the South. This city was once a thriving town, specializing in lace and tapestries, but some of the canals were sanded over with sediment and so the large boats could not get in. All the rich people left the town when the industry died, leaving only the poor people. They couldn't afford to rebuild newer and more modern buildings so most of the original architecture was left as is.
So after seeing a lot of architecture, Amanda needed a bathroom immediately. So we went to a little cafe since it was pretty close to lunchtime. Although with us it doesn't have to be anywhere near a mealtime to eat. Amanda had an upset stomach and we were trying to heal her with large does of Pepto Bismal but apparently this wasn't the brightest idea since she puked it all up. The rest of us enjoyed our first Belgian waffles and some delicious soup. After lunch it was time to hit the shops! Pieter and Sofie couldn't handle our love of shopping and split off from us. We managed to score some pretty sweet boots as well as some of that previously mentioned lace and other souvenirs. LeAnne would like to take this opportunity to mention that anyone connected to her should not be expecting anything. Her backpack is full and postcards are the only thing that will be purchased from here on out. After shopping, we took Pieter and Sofie out to Pizza Hut and caught the train back.
One thing we really love about being here is that we are not in charge of anything! The Debus ahve everything figured out for us and we haven't had to pore over any metro maps or guidebooks in the last 24 hours! Can't beat that!
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2 comments:
Fortunately, Leanne already emailed me the sad news so that didn't come as any surprise. ;)
excuses, excuses, the solution is simple girls... take out everything that doesn't fit you anymore (probably half your backpack by now) and fill with gifts for all us folks back home.
Aunt Debbie
btw this is probably the 4th time I've tried to comment... for some reason my comments don't show up!!!
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