Of Chocolates in Bruges

So, in order to further procrastinate on writing my essays (I'll get to them eventually, spoken like a true student), I will now take the time to not sulk about California and instead, to reminisce about the latter half of my Spring Break at Warwick. This (*cough*) productive time was spent in the German, speaking nations, namely Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

In 12 days. Which was a good idea on paper but when put into practice...

Exhausting.

Exhilarating.

Slightly frustration inducing. I do not recommend it unless you have quite a bit of energy and stamina. But, like the chocolates I consumed, this was only a sample tour. The next time I go traveling, I will definitely go to less cities and spend more time there, if only for the sake of my physical health.



The first stop was Bruges, Belgium. Time spent: 1 day.

Languages spoken by the locals: 4 (English, French, German, Dutch) and I kind of wish I was Dutch so I could hold myself above the rest of the world with my language skills.

The number of chocolate shops we passed: endless



If the only reason you will ever come to Belgium is for the chocolate, you are certainly in for satisfaction and then some. Only because there was a chocolate shop on every single block. Sometimes, there was 2 or more on one block and you wonder how all of them stay in business.

The answer: tourism.



Yet, the other reason why it was Bruges and not Brussels was just the change of scenery from the big cities to a smaller, more medieval town. It was a good choice, just because it was so serene and beautifully maintained. Almost like another Venice in terms of the canals except far less tourists and instead, filled with waffles, chocolates, and mayonnaise covered french fries.

In other words, Belgium was basically junk food heaven, if only for the sheer amount of chocolate I ended up eating and that Friday where all we ate was candy, chocolate, waffles, and french fries. Not exactly a well-balanced diet but heck, when you're on vacation...

Not to mention, the weather was lovely and I saw my very first real-life, old fashioned windmill! Now I know I'm in the low countries.



Bruges, the photo album