Brugges, Belgium

Brugges, Belgium

To set the record straight, a Belgian waffle is more akin to a slightly gooey and sweet croissant consistency than a pancake batter type waffle. They’re so sweet in fact that just the thought of topping them with strawberries, whipped cream or chocolate would give you a sugar rush that could kill; but many people do so just that.

The real confection in Belgium though is the chocolate. It’s everywhere and it’s exceptionally good. We only visited a half dozen shops to sample and purchase though there were many more. There were some beautiful artistic layered and decorated visual delights and then the more pedestrian chocolate breasts and women’s shoe designs.

Brugges can only be described as storybook Europe. The streets are all cobblestone, the buildings beautifully maintained, the squares are charming and often include a lake filled with swans. Every nook and cranny is so filled with charm it’s almost too much to take in.

The central city is encircled by a canal system and locks dotted with tourist barges, houseboats and other more seaworthy craft.

Eileen and I stopped for lunch in a café next to a tourist barge dock and ordered mussels. The mussels were large, plump, sweet and seemingly infused with garlic, white wine and butter. It’s also where we discovered Chimay Bleu, a wonderful dark beer brewed by Trappist monks; bless them.

Incredibly intricate lace is a specialty of the area as well, but we weren’t particularly interested in it other than admiring the exceptional handwork from a few shop windows.