Belgium

I spent the day Saturday traveling to and from Belgium.  Yes, more time was spent traveling than actually in Belgium - but it was totally worth it!

I woke up at 4 AM and was in a hired car (car service) on my way to Waterloo Station by 4:20 AM.  I waited around at the station for about 45 minutes.  The station is open to the outside obviously and was freezing!  And I mean freezing - it was only 25 degrees F.  At least there was one coffee shop open so I had something warm to drink and an almond croissant.

While waiting for the coach to pick up outside, I met a young couple waiting for the same trip.  The bus picked us up just before 6 AM and we were on our way.  We drove down to Dover and boarded a ferry to cross the English Channel.  We drove right by the edge of the cliffs as we boarded and I saw actual doors - old wooden ones with medieval looking handles - right in the cliff face.  There were only a few and we went by them so fast I was unable to take a picture.  Cool though!  It was also very cool watching the cliffs fade into the distance as the ferry chugged away.

The ride to Calais was fairly smooth.  The water of the channel is more green than blue, but seemed pretty opaque or murky.  You cannot see much below the surface.  As we neared the French side of the channel, there was a fog over the water.  As we moved into it, it was very different than typical fog, it looked like several tiny pockets of mist rising from the water.  It was beautiful and spooky at the same time.  As we pulled into Calais, an older gentleman told me it was sea mist.  In contrast to the English coast, the French coast was all sandy beaches.

We drove another few hours through France and then into Belgium where there was snow covering the trees and ground.  The sky was a beautiful blue and everywhere you looked, it was like a Christmas postcard.  Bruges was even more beautiful.  I cannot describe it exactly, but imagine a medieval town from fairy tales and you would have a pretty accurate idea of what it is like.  The buildings are very old, all of the streets are cobbled and there are canals running through the city.  There is even a large cathedral in the center.  The people are so friendly and there were three Christmas markets with beer and Glühwein running freely.  There was even an ice skating rink in the town center with a giant Christmas tree in the center.

I really enjoyed the markets as well as the local shops.  Of course, a must-have in Bruges is a freshly made waffle.  I had one from a woman selling them out a window.  Mmmmm - it was so yummy and so warm!  Did I mention how COLD it was?

So after 4 hours in Bruges, it was time to board the bus again and we were off again on a long bus ride.  Lucky for me, my new friends had purchased a good quantity of Belgium beer and we started the trip back with a toast to Bruges.  We had excellent conversation and another beer on the ferry.  We made it back to Waterloo around 11:15 PM.  It took me another two hours on public transportation to get home - which I am still having trouble figuring out.  I only took a train to Hampton Wick and a bus to my flat.  I did wait a very long time for a bus in Hampton Wick in the freezing cold though!

Anyway, I have unloaded all of my treasures and cannot wait for Christmas to share them with my family!

(I cannot download any of my pictures until I get home - so I will share them in a later blog.)