Spring Break: City 2 of 6
A Day in Belgium
The second stop on our Spring break trip was in Bruges, a city that I have also been to before (which is why I knew we only needed a day here).
We stayed at Hostel Lybeer, which was a nice hostel close to the town center. It had a small bar and a couch area. There was no elevator and the winding staircase was narrow and steep but we managed to haul our bags up to the top floor without falling all the way back down. The staff that worked there were also very nice and helpful. Allison and I were the only two of our group who stayed here because we were the only two staying one night. The rest of the group were at a different hostel across town that also looked nice but the wifi didn’t work that well (important factor).
Picture I borrowed from the internet of our hostel
First, Allison and I walked around a little bit. We saw Belfry Tower and got lunch near that plaza. Huge mistake. Bruges was probably the most expensive city I visited. It is small and touristy and the restaurants will charge you 4 euros for bread. The woman who worked at our hostel warned us that fast food is the only affordable meal you can get. This is very accurate.
Belfry Tower
After lunch, we met up with the rest of our Paris friends and took a boat tour through the canals. I had done this the first time I was in Bruges but this time was a worse experience. The driver didn’t seem that into the tour and Allison and I were both splashed while we were passing another boat on the canal. It was also a pretty cold day. The driver didn’t seem to notice that we were soaked but other sympathetic tourists kindly handed us some tissues to try and dry off.
The only picture that wasn't completely blurry from the speeding boat
Later, we got Belgium waffles, which were amazing from a place called Oyya. The man who was working there (he might have been the owner) was super friendly and funny. He convinced me to not get my waffle with Nutella ("this isn’t Italy") and instead try real chocolate. It was amazing. We went twice. I will recommend this place to anyone who is in Bruges. They also have ice cream and hot chocolate.
The waffle was cooked with some amazing sugary coating (magic)
The next morning, we had some time before our bus left so we decided to take a tour of De Halve Maan brewery. It means half moon, not man. We were joined by a few other USAC friends who were staying longer than us. At the brewery, we got to taste the blonde Brugse Zot. After that, we grabbed one more waffle and were on our way.
Henry (nicknamed Hendrik after this trip) and Allison
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