The day after Christmas with the family, we took off for Brugge for chocolate and waffles! Why Brugge? I love Christmas Towns and I may have watched the Hallmark movie Love, Romance and Chocolate that introduced me to this fairy tale place. This isn’t the first time Hallmark has lead me to a place! The Hallmark inspo is real! I of course watched the movie In Bruges beforehand, but Love, Romance and Chocolate is more my style.
It was like having a longer Christmas! We arrived at night went straight to the Christmas Market. The buildings, lights, shops was just how I imagined. It was lively! The music, the smell of waffles! My one regret is not having marzipan at the market! We did have a waffle before and after dinner.
We stopped in at one of the restaurants surrounding the market. Great view and great drinks. When asked for water, the waiter told us water is for the plants, so we opted for Belgian Beer instead. The food was meh. I had higher expectations for the mussels and frites, so was a bit disappointed, but the mussels at the end of our trip in Paris more than made up for it! Maybe we just didn’t go to the right place, but no biggie I was too excited for Christmas in Brugge!
The Old Chocolate House for their famous hot chocolate which was rich and tasty and nice to have by the fireplace. You add the chocolate to your tasting, I added the whole thing! The waffle also delicious with butterscotch and whipped cream! Brugge is literally a place you just walk around and eat and drink chocolate! There are so many chocolate shops! I don’t know if it gets any better than walking cobblestone streets and chocolate tasting!
We did have other things besides chocolate. We didn’t walk the 366 steps up to the Belfry Tower, but went to the museum balcony for a beer tasting that of course came with chocolate! Had more of that cherry beer we liked at De Passage, restaurant recommended by our B&B.
On the hunt for canals and swans with a stop at the beer wall! More walking and more chocolate just taking in the beauty of this town.
Loved our Bed & Breakfast! Walking distance to the main square. We stayed at Speelmansrei B&B. It was comfy, clean, included a yummy breakfast. Kees the owner was great. He gave us a map, recommendations, was quick to respond to my emails and just overall helpful and pleasant to chat with. I would definitely recommend and stay here again. https://bb-speelmansrei-brugge.be/
Brugge, the gem of our trip just how Cinque Terre was on our first trip to Europe. I love cute small towns, especially Christmas Towns! 2 days was just enough time to be enchanted with this place! Great way to start our trip and extend those Christmas feels. It was off to Paris for the next 6 days to ring in the New Year!
Travel Sister Rowena de Guzman 