We then ventured to the bell tower in the center of Bruges for a mid-morning climb and a view of the whole city. After this excursion, as well as a few cathedrals, it was time for a late lunch. We approached one of the many bars with outdoor seating, since it was just lovely outside, and he informed us that they served three things: lasagna Bolgonese, spaghetti Bolognese, and ham and cheese. Well, okay, a spaghetti and a lasagna it is! Along with a beer, this meal hit the spot. I never order lasagna in restaurants but this one was just delicious!
We continued on, shopping and sight-seeing some more but then, I had an idea. The #2-rated restaurant in Bruges, according to TripAdvisor, is a wonderful little tearoom called Bittersweet, and I wanted to make a point of visiting it before we left. They make their hot chocolate in a very unique way, and it is just divine!! They brought us two cups of steamed milk, in Bodum thermal cups. Alongside the milk were two chocolate tulips, filled with thin pieces of more chocoloate. The woman explained what we must do: drop the tulip into the milk, and when it sinks all the way to the bottom, stir, stir, stir! I ordered dark chocolate, and my husband ordered milk chocolate, so our drinks tasted very different. The dark chocolate was richer, yet a bit less sweet with the purer of the chocolate grades. The were both, however, very rich and totally delicious! I don't think any other hot chocolate will ever compare!
My husband also ordered another waffle, with homemade chocolate sauce to pour on top! YUM!!!
A few hours later, we stumbled upon a gathering of bars that we hadn't seen before, and one of them boasted "Moules + Frites" for 10 euros (we couldn't leave Belgium without having mussels, we were told!!). Everywhere else seemed to be charging an arm and a leg for them so this seemed like a great deal! We sat ourselves, as seems to be the custom in Bruges, and ordered beers (of course) as well as two bowls of mussels, one with a garlic broth, and one with the house broth made of beer, and other seasonings. We also got some garlic bread for sopping up the broth. While the broth could have been seasoned a bit more heavily, the mussels were plumb and beautifully cooked! We got a huge bowl of them, along with a small plate of "frites." One more thing we can check off our list: "Moules + Frites."
We finished off our evening with a drink at one of the few bars we found to be "hoppin," full of young adults enjoying a few beers on a Friday night. They were playing good music, and it was fun to have found a local hang-out!
When we woke up in the morning, we headed directly to the train station with our luggage, so we could make the most of our day in Brussels, before catching our train to Cologne this evening. We stopped for coffee in the station, but waited until we arrived in Brussels to get a meal.
Once in Brussels, we were starving and made our way towards one of our destinations, the Mannequin Pis. This small statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain is really one of the must-sees of Brussels! On the way, we came across a lovely little cafe called Le Cercle de Voyageurs. I loved the creative menu, and the place looked interesting so we went in. There was an eclectic mix to choose from, with clever names for each dish as well. I opted for the salmon tartare, made with fresh ginger and green apples. It was served on three giant pieces of hearty wheat bread, and really satisfied my hunger. I found myself looking forward to each bite, especially the sweet crunch of apple which paired so nicely with the spicy ginger flavor, as well as the salmon. My husband had an Indian-inspired lamb dish that was also packed with flavor!
After some sight-seeing in Brussels for the day, it was time to hop on another train, this time heading into Germany! Our first stop in Germany is Cologne, but we'll only be there for a day, so I have a feeling it will be a busy one! We grabbed some sandwiches for the train ride with the hopes that we'd settle in to our hotel with time to get a late dinner once we arrived in Cologne.
We arrived at the hotel later than expected, and opted to stay in-house and eat dinner at the hotel restaurant. Our hotel seemed a little further out of the way than the one in Brugues, but Cologne is also a much larger city. I compare it to staying in Allston, and having to take the green line from the center of Boston to get there! I saw Spaetzle on the menu, and that's what I've been looking forward to! Spaetzle is a boiled dough, similar to pasta, but made by pressing the dough through a spaetzle-maker, or colander, to make droplets, that expand as they are boiled. It is a German delicacy, and this restaurant was no exception. They cooked their spaetzle in a cream sauce, and I chose to have it with veal, although it could have been served with fried champignons, or pork as well. The veal was cooked perfectly, and the spaetzle was delicious! I'm really looking forward to more German food!
Tomorrow, we will explore Cologne, and then hop on another train, heading to Stuttgart! The travels continue! Stay tuned for more European eats! I hope you are all enjoying the trip so far!
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