In Bruges...and Beyond!

On our full day in Bruges, we had a lot we wanted to accomplish, but there's always time for meals on vacation so we wandered the town, looking for a place to eat breakfast. Breakfast isn't the same in Belgium as it is back home, so when we sat down at Miss Ellie's tea room, and ordered omelettes, they informed us that it was normally a lunchtime menu item. Well, we were both starved (after 13 hours of much-needed sleep), and they were willing to serve it to us anyway, so we went with it! This might have been the best omelette I've ever had! Fluffy, cheesy, and seasoned perfectly, this one totally hit the spot! Our coffees even came with little Belgian chocolates! This place is a winner!!

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!

Travelling to Bruges

Well, here we are in Bruges! After a long trip involving planes, trains and automobiles, we've finally arrived in this beautiful city, full of canals and medieval architecture. It seems a lot more peaceful than the end of the movie I watched on the first leg of our journey, In Bruges! A violent, and strange, story, but the scenery in the film was beautiful... And rightly so, it's even prettier in real life!

Of course, traveling makes one hungry so we got to the airport in Boston with plenty of time for a decent meal! You can't expect to keep your energy up on airplane food! We found a cozy little place in Terminal B, called Bonfire, owned by celebrity-chef, Todd English. The menu items range wildly in price, but we both managed to find moderately priced choices so we asked for a table!

I always like to start a vacation off with a cocktail, and the Cable Car caught my eye! It seemed to represent the bartender's creative idea of a Side Car, one of my favorite drinks! Containing Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, fresh sour mix (always a plus!) and Triple Sec, this libation was served in a cinnamon-rimmed cocktail glass, with a slice of fresh orange. It did taste a bit like a Side Car, and was quite refreshing! Happy vacation to us!

We opted to share a salad before our main courses arrived, and the Bonfire Blue salad sounded pretty darn good. When the plate arrived, I was happy to see we had made a great choice for sharing. Two halves of a head of iceberg lettuce sat atop tomato slices and Spanish red onions. The lettuce was slathered with creamy dressing and large chunks of rich, blue cheese. We each dug into our wedge of lettuce and thoroughly enjoyed the start to our meal! Perfect for two!



As we finished our salad, the entrees arrived. While the menu boasted burgers, sandwiches, and even a filet mignon option, I was intrigued by another list of menu choices....the Bonfire Taqueria. There were a few different options to choose from, but I opted for the Baja Style Fish Tacos, made with fried Mahi Mahi, caper aioli, and topped with a radish and jalapeño slaw. I was pleasantly surprised when the dish came, because there was also a large dollop of guacamole! The tacos were flavorful and tasty, and the Mahi Mahi was fried nicely...not greasy or heavy, but light and fluffy, and delicious! Once we had enjoyed the heck out of our first vacation meal, we headed to our gate, eagerly awaiting our flight to London.

As predicted, the food on the plane was the opposite of appetizing, so it's a good thing we ate prior to boarding. However, by the time the first leg of our travels had come to a close, my tummy was rumbling! Once we cleared security at Heathrow, we were surprised to find that we had time for a quick "brekkie" at one of the terminal eateries, Giraffe! This place reminded me a bit of Disney World, for some reason, but they boasted smoothies and that sounded like it would hit the spot!

I am not a fan of banana, or anything banana-flavored, but every smoothie included the fruit so I was brave, and decided to order one anyway. The "Hippy Hippy Shake" was made with pineapple, passion fruit, mango, banana, passion fruit and pomegranate juice. While I could still taste the banana in the smoothie, it was a pretty tasty smoothie, and quite refreshing for a middle-of-the-night snack, if we're talking about the time zone I'm on right now!

For breakfast, I had Scrambled Eggs on Toasted Focaccia with roasted tomatoes! The focaccia was salty, with a lovely hint of rosemary in every bite. It was also toasted to perfection, and the scrambled eggs, while a tad overcooked, made the bread just soggy enough to make it worth eating with a fork, in a good way!

They gave us very quick and friendly service with a smile, and then we were off to the gate for our departing plane to Brussels. By the time we finally arrived in Brugges, I was ready for a shower so we headed to the hotel to wash up before heading out to explore.

We stopped in at a local "watering hole" called Cafe Craenenburg for a beer and a waffle...Belgian Waffle! The beer that my husband ordered for me was called Kriek and was brewed from dark cherries. It was delicious, and I'll be looking for it back in the States. Even a beer hater would love the flavors of this one!!!

As for the waffle, I ordered one with cherries on it, and boy, I sure am happy I did. They were fresh, pitted cherries, cooked down to have a soft, decadent consistency while still maintaining their original shape! They were warm and the juices seeped into the waffle, creating a natural syrup! My first real Belgian Waffle was a big hit!

After our snack, Matt wanted to visit the local brewery where they make the beer he had just enjoyed. We made the short trek, and opted to share a Quadruple Ale by Straffe Hendrik. It has a dry taste with spicy notes, but it is very, very strong! Good thing we shared one!! I do like the chocolate-y after taste I get from each sip of this one!

Now that we've successfully obtained a slight buzz for the strongest half a beer I've ever drank, it's off to find sustenance in the form of dinner!!! We wandered around the area where most of the restaurants are located, browsing menus and noticing how early we were to start looking for dinner. We were off in our times though, so we'll save local customs for tomorrow. We settled on a Flemish restaurant called 'T Huidevettershuis. We decided to both order from the three-course price fixe menu entitled Flemish Heritage.

I opted for a "bouillabaisse" as my starter, it was not what I traditionally associate with the term. Instead, I received a rather dark fish broth, with tiny shrimps, and a small fillet of fish, topped with some caviar. It was tasty, but by the time I had finished the bowl, I was getting a bit tired of the fishiness present in each bite.

For my entree, I opted for the Eel in Greenery, because the other option was venison, and I don't particularly like it. I was a bit skeptical about the dish I had ordered but it seemed to be a Flemish delicacy so I gave it a go! Oh my goodness, I am so glad I did!! The eel was buttery, flaky and full of flavor. It was so very different from the eel you find topping sushi rolls in the US! It didn't taste like chicken, like I normally compare it, at all! It was a beautifully cooked piece of seafood that just melted in my mouth!

For dessert, we had a sinful chocolate cake with a delicious scoop of ice cream. I couldn't place the flavor but it was so delicious and creamy...I will definitely be focusing on some more desserts tommorow!

That was our first day in Bruges, and at the end of it (by end, I mean 8pm) we were beat and went back to the hotel for some R & R. Tomorrow's a new day!!!

And we're off....



from Flickr - by bruxelles5

This evening, I fly across the Atlantic to London, where I will transfer planes and arrive in Brussels. We'll hop a train to Bruges, and before you know it, we'll be settling in to the beautiful city along the canals where we will spend the following two days! Once I finally obtain sustenance in this country, I will certainly write to you, my wonderful readers! Be on the lookout, and follow me as I make my way through Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic, enjoying all the fine delicacies these three cities have to offer! I can't wait!