Firstly I just want to say that we had a marvellous day yesterday at the art gallery. Thank you ladies for organising such a great venue. The space is lovely with an interesting history and the art is fabulous. If you missed out on yesterday’s GM, I have to say that the gallery is well worth a visit.
Last week I posted about my recent visit to Ireland. After Ireland we flew to Belgium. In this week’s post I thought I’d write a little about our time in Brussels and Brugge.

Brussels is a lovely city with loads of interesting history, unfortunately I can’t say that we ended up seeing a great deal as a stomach bug or a bout of food poisoning (not sure which), laid us flat for two days! We did however manage to do the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, which is always a fabulous way to see the city with the added benefit of commentary. Brussels is the international headquarters of the European Union and NATO, which the bus takes you past. We did also walk around the beautiful Grand Place which is the main square completely encircled by historic buildings — a must see in Brussels.
From the capital city we caught a train to Brugge. We’d heard only good things about this city and it didn’t disappoint. One can just walk along the picturesque streets and that would be enough to make a visit worthwhile! There are many ways to see the city. We took a horse and carriage ride, which was lovely as well as informative. Bikes are also available for hire, there is a small city tour mini bus and canal boat trips are very popular. We visited the Torture Museum (these things appeal to my morbid curiosity) and this museum was excellent! Well appointed with a suitable array of torture devices and very clearly labelled so the imagination doesn’t have to stretch for to picture the horrors!

Of course, beer is the most popular beverage here and there are many to choose from, as well as numerous breweries to experience. Waffles are freshly cooked, straight out of the waffle iron and loaded with your choice of chocolate, fruit or sugar. Frites are a favourite snack food, served in cute paper cones and drizzled with mayonnaise. Chocolate is also a famous Belgian delicacy (and mouth wateringly tasty!) and you must check out the Brugge lace and tapestries.
Another fabulous place to visit!!
