Sometimes you need moments in your life where you say ‘Fuck it’ and you head off course.
It was one of those weeks where I needed something extra. You know the ones. Everything is fine in life but you suddenly feel the pull of wanderlust and you just need to be anywhere.
Anywhere came in the form of a last minute (seriously, the Eurostar was leaving at 7:30pm and we clicked through and booked at 5pm) trip to Europe. We were going to Bruges.
It was back in mid March (I know, this is so long overdue I can barely handle it). I rushed home from work at 6pm, threw caution to the wind and bunch of random clothes in a bag and headed for King’s Cross.
Not even a cramped tube full of commuters during rush hour could stop us now. We were on the verge of a last minute London and escape, and despite my hair in a bun on the top of my head pineapple style, I felt exhilarated.
We quickly rushed into Mark’s and Spencers for a wine run (I mean, who takes the train without a bottle of vino?) and then we were off. In our seats, on our way to Bruges.
It was only when we were on the train that we really started to process our moves that day and focus on the weekend ahead. I was ready for cool climates and a Belgian beer in my hand at all times.We’ve been to Bruges before. We stayed in Brussels for a couple of days, and did a day trip to Bruges, but this would be our first time staying overnight there. The last time we were in Bruges, I fell in love and didn’t want to leave. We did make one total rookie mistake on the train. We didn’t get food.
Our train arrived into Brussels at 11pm, and then we had to switch the the local trains to get to Bruges. We were hungry. Ravenous even. But we had to make it to the hotel before we could investigate the city late at night.
First things first. Bruges after 12am is eerie. It’s a mixture of dead quiet and then around corners and pockets in the architecture, bursts of raucous drunken laughter. It’s a funny little place.
We beelined to a bar we’d been before, the Bar Des Amis. I remembered good pints and some spicy crisps. Well, the crisps were no where to be found, so we ordered a cheese and sausage plate because that’s how we roll at 1am.
We gobbled it down and drank our pints before the bar was closing.
Naturally, we then hit up the chip stand.
LOOK AT THESE BEAUTIES. ALL THE WARM HAPPY GOODNESS.
I could have eaten two portions of these easily. But we foolishly shared them.
Again, rookie mistake.
We went to bed with our heads spinning slightly and bellies full of random cuisine. Hooray to day one!
The next morning, we woke up to absolute sunshine. Blue skies. And a wind chill in the negatives. We totally didn’t prepare for that. With a black tee, and skinny black jeans and a wrap scarf… thank god I had my coat.
We started the day with hot (SERIOUSLY IT WAS FREEZING OUTSIDE) coffees to warm us up before we went on a boat ride along the canal.
If you ever find yourself in Bruges, I seriously recommend the boat rides along the canal (even if it is freezing outside). I sat next to the driver, basically I was the co-captain you guys. Ahoy matey! For €8 per ticket, we figured it was worth it. We weren’t going to any museums or doing tours. We were there for the weekend for much needed R&R.
And after all the hard work that is boating, we needed to get some brunch.
I found one of the highly recommended spots in Bruges. They were prepared for our English speaking ways and immediately handed us the English menus. Is it me? Do I give off a vibe? It’s not done in an unfriendly manner though, so don’t let it put you off. The service is actually very good.
Speaking of… it was all SO GOOD. We went to the Café Au Lait Tea-Room.
We started with teas and coffees and then we ordered all the foods. I went for the mushroom omelette because “health” and Joe went all out with the waffles.
A photo posted by Kelly // Kelly Prince Writes (@kellyprincewright) on
After breakfast, we kind of definitely needed to walk it off so we went for a stroll about the city.
The day really couldn’t have been any better. Sunny skies. Freezing crisp weather. After our adventures exploring the city we settled into the middle of the square for a couple of drinks.
With a pair of Ray Bans on and a Bruges Zot in hand, life really couldn’t get better
Stay tuned for more on our trip to come… better late than never!
Kelly xoxo
Ah we went to that tearoom when we were in Bruges last Christmas. Good choice Kelly!
Sophie
x
A Story of a Girl
It was great! Bruges at Christmas would be so incredible as well! xx