We traveled to Brussels, Bruges and Amsterdam back in June and I’m jumping back into my trip recaps today with a Saturday spent checking out the Place Flagey Market in Brussels and a day trip to Bruges. (Here is a recap of our first day in Brussels and our second.)
Lina and Armando’s place is just a couple of blocks away from Place Flagey. It’s a square located in the Elsene/Ixelles municipality of Brussels. FYI, Brussels is divided into 19 different municipalities. They are political subdivisions and each has its own government that is responsible for law enforcement, schools, roads, parks, public spaces, taxes, etc. Lina lives in Ixelles and has to register as a resident of it.
Okay, back to Place Flagey. Every Saturday there is a big market in the square and vendors fill it up selling everything from cheese to produce to meats to clothing to flea market type things and more.
Look at this Paella! I was sad we couldn’t do any shopping because we were getting ready to depart for Bruges and were off to Amsterdam the next day.
I had to snap a photo of this shirt for you guys! 🙂
After wandering around the market for a bit, we hopped in Lina and Armando’s car and made the 90 minute drive to Bruges. It’s an extremely charming city located in Northwest Belgium. It’s known for its canals and fairytale-esque vibe. I was so excited to see it!
Our first order of business was lunch. We got a table at an outdoor cafe in The Markt, Bruges’ central square.
I decided it was a good time for my first Belgian beer of the trip! It was a gorgeous day.
I had a tuna nicoise salad for lunch. I definitely wasn’t expecting canned tuna but oh well.
We walked around a bit after lunch and of course we had to sample a Belgian waffle. I have to say the Bruges Belgian waffle was even better than the one we had in Brussels. It made up for the salad. 😉
The canals in Bruges are absolutely gorgeous. Bruges is seriously like stepping into a story book. It’s unbelievably charming with its medieval architecture, cobblestone streets and canals.
Our gracious hosts.
Our wandering led us to 2be Beer Wall.
A beer tasting seemed like a good idea.
The guys picked out eight different beers and we had fun tasting them and comparing notes, likes and dislikes. We definitely all had differing opinions on the beers!
More walking and sightseeing.
I so wish we had more time to spend in Bruges.
We ended the day sitting on the steps outside of Sint-Salvator Cathedral while Lina and Armando’s son ran around and played and we soaked up the beautiful weather.
While we were sitting there, this woman came and sat on a bucket and started drumming on it. The next thing we knew, people started lining up and joining in one-by-one and started singing. It was a flash mob! They were all in total harmony and it was clear that it was a rehearsed and planned thing. It was really cool!
We ended the day back in Brussels where Lina and I took a long evening walk and grabbed a late dinner (like 10 p.m. late!) at a little cafe near her house. I had a truffle omelet with a little salad and bread and butter.
Stay tuned for my final trip recap, which will be our overnight in Amsterdam. I’m not sure if it will be one post or end up needing two but I’m SO excited to share it with you.
What’s the most charming/picturesque place you’ve ever visited?
Have you ever experienced a flash mob?
