Nona, Boppa & Bruges

 

We were so excited for Nona & Boppa to come visit us and show them all around Paris and take a weekend trip to Bruges, Belgium! Nona & Boppa made it just in time to pick the kids up from school for half-day Wednesday. We headed straight to the park to show them our after-school hangout and meet all our friends. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at home, catching up, eating an early dinner, and sharing our favorite champagne and desserts. The next day we spent the morning exploring the artistic area of Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement and the afternoon getting a glimpse of Notre-Dame and strolling through Le Marais stopping in at the Smith & Sons bookstore before picking up the kids from school. We ended the night at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Le Petit l'Or. 

We planned an overnight trip to Bruges, Belgium and LOVED the small town. Bruges is known as one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. It is the most picturesque medieval town surrounded by canals, lined with cobblestone streets, and overflowing with the best chocolates, frites and Belgium beer! We had a blast taking the train with Nona & Boppa. It is an easy 2 1/2-hour train ride with a quick switch in Brussels. We arrived mid-afternoon, wondered through Minnewater Park, a beautiful green space & lake, on our way to the hotel. We dropped our bags off and headed straight to a brewery for lunch. 

After lunch, we walked through the streets admiring the architecture of the buildings and stopping in at several different chocolate and bon bon (candy) shops. We made our way to the beautiful Rosary Quay walking along the Dijver canal and passing by the soaring Church of Our Lady and a statue of Michelangelo. Rosary Quary is an area situated on a large passageway of the canal. The small boat tours start in this area and the cafes and restaurants make it a very fun and lively area. A street over is the Vismrkt fish market area that led us over the Blinde-Ezelbrug bridge and into the De Burg Plaza where the Basilica of the Holy Blood is located. 

The Market Square plaza and Belfort bell tower was adjacent to De Burg Plaza and a 3-minute walk to our hotel. The market square is the main plaza in the city center lined with the most beautiful and colorful buildings with restaurants, the bell tower, the Provincial Court house, and the History museum. We headed back to our hotel for quiet time before ending the night with dinner in the Rosary Quary area. 

The following morning, we woke up early to take the kids on a horse and carriage tour throughout the town. We stopped near Minnewater lake to feed the horse a snack and enjoy the scenery. There were more swans than we could count on lake. Our tour ended in the Market Square where we met up with Nona & Boppa. We picked up delicious Belgium waffles with cream for breakfast and found our way to a beautifully hidden Boniface bridge with a great view of the Church of Our Lady. We took the kids to the park before heading to The Vismrkt market. The market was full of artists and we found several pieces to bring home with us. 

   

Our last stop before heading to the train station was the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The Basilica houses a relic of the holy blood on a cloth. There is a lower and upper chapel. It looks very small from the outside but upper chapel is double the size with beautifully painted high arched ceilings. It was a surreal moment to be in the presence of such rich history. It was very interesting to learn about how this relic made its way to Bruges in 1150 by Thierry of Alsace.   

Bruges is a small town where everything is within 5 to 15 mins walking distance. We were able to slowly stroll and enjoy all Bruges had to offer. It truly is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. Even on cold cloudy days the beauty shines through. Bruges quickly become one of our favorite places to visit and how lucky were we to travel there with Nona & Boppa!