Brugge

Partly cloudy, seventies
By Claire
We rode our bikes to the tiny town of Damme today, 7 Km. away. It was a beautiful ride and a charming place.

Biking to Damme


That tiny speck of blue is Chuck waving from his bike on the other side of the canal. Click to enlarge and you can see him.



This reminds me of "The Secret Garden"



We found a beautiful walking trail



And a farmhouse with clucking chickens


Coming back from Damme we rode back into Brugge finding it much less crowded and far more enjoyable. We decided on a canal cruise first since the weather was perfect and it would help us get our bearings.







This house won an architectural award for blending new with old



This was the only wooden house when it was built in the 16th century. Wood was outlawed for fear of fires.




Naturally, we had to try the famous Belgian frites







They were good but I wouldn’t want to make a habit of them. Chuck went with the traditional mayonnaise.

After our disappointing experience with the Dumon Chocolate shop yesterday, we were determined to give it another chance. We found the shop recommended by Rick Steves and there was Madam Dumon, all smiles. She told us the other shop just buys her candy. We told her the woman there wasn’t very nice. Madam Dumon spent quite some time with us helping us pick out a nice assortment, explaining what each candy was, just what we’d been hoping for. I'm glad to know the other woman wasn't a relative.

Madam Dumon



This is the proper location, Eiermarkt 6



Market square



We decided to head back to Homer and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Tomorrow brings another 3 hour drive, this time to Paris! On the way home we came to a draw bridge.





With a hybrid bus waiting patiently to cross.


And here's the top layer of this superb chocolate we couldn't wait to open. All of it is filled with different creamy or gooey things from mocha to praline to, well, there are so many, I've forgotten. Note the dark chocolate dog face.



Expenses:

Camping, €22.50
Internet, €2.50
Bread €2.05
Canal Cruise, €11.20
Chocolate, 500 gr., (3 layers!) €11
Groceries, €18.19

Total: €67.94

Running Total: €26,463.17