Germany, Belgium, and France are peppered with small Medieval towns that somehow survived the bombings of World War II. They have since turned into hidden gems and easy day trips to escape city life.
 |
| Gate to Lubeck |
I only had the chance to visit two of these towns, Lubeck in Germany and Bruges in Belgium, but for both I said the words, “I want to live here,” about every ten minutes.
 |
Streets in Bruges
Part of the charm of these two towns is that it feels like you have traveled back in time to somewhere
between 1200-1400. Forget Renn. Fest, this is the real deal! All that was missing was period garb, turkey legs, and cheesecake on a stick.
|
 |
| Sailor's Pub in Lubeck |
 |
| Town square in Lubeck |
 |
Merchant's house in Lubeck
The other reason to love both Lubeck and Bruges is that they seem to honor the role of cafes and 4 o’clock snack time. Lubeck is filled with coffee shops where you can have an afternoon piece of cake and a cup for coffee. They also specialize in marzipan, and shape it into all kinds of imaginative items—for example, marzipan pigs feet or a marzipan strawberry. |
 |
Marzipan desserts at Nideregger's in Lubeck
For Bruges, it is all about the chocolate. Every store sold hot chocolate and about 80% of the shops were chocolate shops. The air even smelt like chocolate! |
 |
| Chocolate Rhino in Bruges |
Aside from the constant references to the movie “In Bruges,” that kept running through my head (this movie showed for 4 days straight on our cabin tvs before we arrived in Belgium), I could easily have believed I ended up in a new section of Disney World when I got off the train. It just felt too magical to be true.
 |
| Walking through Bruges in the rain |
 |
| Sitting in the tower where Ralph Fiennes meets his end in In Bruges |
 |
| An interesting gate in a park in Bruges |
One of best parts of these day trips is that it provides a nice opportunity to explore and have fun with friends from the ship outside of our usual ship-life routine.
 |
| The Lubeck crew: Kathy, Ralph, Me, Mary, Susan, Steve, and Kelly |
No comments:
Post a Comment