I started the day in Brussels, where I visited the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. It was different because the center of the church wasn't as grandiose as most cathedrals, but the walls and decorations were some of the nicest I've seen anywhere. There's a beautiful organ hoisted on a side wall high above the audience. There's a "treasure" area where you pay €1 to look at nice gifts that have been donated to the church.
I had plenty of time before the ferry left, so I drove up to a town called Brugge (or Bruges). Many people recommended it and now I understand why. It's known as the "Venice of the north" due to it's stunning waterways and bridges.
I drove around the cobblestone streets downtown looking for a parking spot and enjoying the view. I found a spot in the center of town and I jumped straight onto a boat tour. The captain was very funny and told his jokes/stories in 3 languages. I think he knew even more languages, but he stuck with 3 because he asked every person which language they'd prefer.
After the boat ride, and almost 1000 pictures, I walked to the central market, known as Grote Markt. It's a large European center area surrounded by colorful houses and a huge bell tower. The center has outdoor cafés all the way around the inside circle. I read the menu of every place and chose one that specialized in Flemish beef stew. It was good.
I stared at the bell tower while I ate, so when I finished, I felt compelled to go up the tower. 366 stairs later, I was at the top. The view was amazing of course. It's a working bell tower, so sure enough, I enjoyed the serenade at 4 pm. It was loud, but maybe not as loud as you might imagine. (Have you seen the episode of Dirty Jobs where Mike Rowe cleans a bell, it's hilarious, you should search YouTube for it)
It's a circular staircase to get to the top. The stairs are very narrow. "Traffic jams" of people form every few steps. It's easy to meet the people in front of you and behind you because you're all giggling at how crazy it is to climb these steps. There are 3 platforms along the way where you can stop and catch your breath, but of course thats where you find the biggest traffic jams. At one point, we heard a little girl ahead of us yell "go go go", which we all thought was very funny. I guess she saw an opening and was tired of waiting.
I jumped in the car and drove back to the dock in Calais, France. I felt quite relaxed after enjoying a great weekend in Belgium.
Oh, I bought gas in France. It's a little tricky because you pre-pay at a machine off to the side, then pump your gas. I hope I did it correctly.
I've started a list of personal and professional things that I've learned on this trip so far. Let me know if you might be interested in hearing that list someday.
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