{"id":198021,"date":"2019-04-10T09:58:33","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T07:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/visiting-magical-bruges\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:01:30","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T14:01:30","slug":"visiting-magical-bruges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/en\/visiting-magical-bruges\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Magical Bruges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Magical Bruges was certainly a beautiful traveling destination. This enchanting little town brings all the heart-warming things together: Good food, coffee, chocolates and an awe-inspiring view to boot. November was a great time to visit since it was neither too cold nor too busy. Traveling with a baby certainly made things more challenging, but so worth it still. All things considered, it was very nice indeed!<\/p>\n

Bruges, Belgium. Arrival 16:30 on a Monday afternoon. Walking briskly to our Airbnb apartment, we passed chattering teenagers while catching a few words of the dialect that they spoke. This was one of the reasons why we came to Belgium. The language was a strong drawcard for my husband, because why wouldn\u2019t you want to go a place where they speak a language somewhat similar to your own? Or to experience a place close to home \u2013 and yet quite unlike it. Exited and tired, but looking forward to all that this magical town has to offer. My husband usually does the holiday planning, which means that everything is usually planned down to a T. I am somewhat less prepared, whereas he is overprepared. I don\u2019t get disappointed much, because I have accepted that some things in life just don\u2019t work out the way you expect them to. Especially with a baby!<\/p>\n

One thing that I have learned once again is that there is a never-ending road of failure and success\u00a0with\u00a0a child. One moment everything works and the next everything falls apart. I choose to celebrate the small victories, even though you only appreciate these a couple of months later. Travelling emphasises all the nitty gritty parts of being a parent and surely challenges your endurance to stick it out when the tough gets going. Our little munchkin was teething pretty badly just before the holiday, but luckily it cleared up a day or two before we departed. I guess every parent says this, but he is such a bad teether. Sleeping arrangements are always a hassle, so best pack those camper cots, my dears! Our Airbnb apartment was wonderful; however, and I would suggest spending more on sleeping arrangements when travelling because, obviously, a good night\u2019s rest is key to a good vacation!<\/p>\n

The first day was pretty much a travel day. Our flight to the airport in Belgium took an hour, followed by another hour and a half by train to Bruges. This felt like an eternity since our son was crawling all over and making small talk with random strangers. He is on the fast track and growing up so fast that I can\u2019t even keep up. Oh yes \u2013 and he is not at all socially awkward like his mother, so that forces me to get out of my bubble and talk to random people. He does not recognise stranger danger at all, whereas I get a creepy feeling about every loner that I see. Is that a mom thing, or am I just weird?<\/p>\n

Our second day went great. We had breakfast at Li O Lait<\/a>, which was pretty good considering\u00a0the fact that I ordered a huge breakfast bagel and muesli\u00a0yogurt parfait by mistake. My baby brain is still getting the better of me nine months down the line. I had a few cups of coffee, which helped with the numbing mommy brain for the rest of the day. I loved this place with its open windows and jazzy music, but unfortunately\u00a0for my husband our son woke up halfway through breakfast after only half an hour\u2019s nap. Breakfast time was over, and he was ready to play, so off we went!<\/p>\n

Bruges was quite chilly at night. Everyone was either eating dinner somewhere or tucked up cosily in their beds. We went for dinner and then decided to take an evening stroll. Not a good idea since it was freezing, but our son was fast asleep in his pram and we took the opportunity \u2013 cobbled streets and all. I was not going to pass up this chance to enjoy a cappuccino and mochi caramel ice cream with my hubby in the freezing cold. I mean: What is mochi caramel anyway? (It tasted great, by the way.) I have been out of the food loop for sure. The only \u201cnew\u201d superfood I have lined up in my pantry is activated charcoal and it does not taste anything like caramel, I tell you.<\/p>\n

Lunches where pretty low key since we opted for a big breakfast and afternoon nap \u2013 or let me rather admit: Shopping time for Mom! I loved the fact that Bruges had so much to offer: Places to eat, sights to see and many good shopping spots. The fact that it is a small,\u00a0quiet little town made it even better. This is what every girl or mother asks for. I just needed an hour or two to relax, hubby looked after the baby and I could just be \u2013 even if it was just for window shopping (who am I kidding here?). There were too many shops to see in so little time before I had to head home, but\u00a0Dille et Kamille<\/a> really surprised\u00a0me (they also have an online store), as well as\u00a0Sissy boy Home<\/a>. These two home brands simply hit it out of the park for me: I was delightfully surprised by their ceramic goods. My bag was somewhat heavier when we returned. There were a number of coffee shops that we tried after the little man\u2019s nap in the afternoons:\u00a0Espresso bar<\/a>,\u00a0Le Pain Quotidien<\/a>\u00a0(my favorite with its healthy and vegan options) and\u00a0Tonka.<\/a>\u00a0And then a must do: Buy chocolate at The Chocolate Line<\/a>\u00a0if you like something different. We bought a box of bacon-, wasabi-, apple tarte Tatin-, saki\u2011, chilli-, rum- and ganache-flavoured chocolate. There are so many flavours to choose from and they are all delicious!<\/p>\n

Bruges offers so many options to choose from when it comes to coffee shops, chocolates and Belgian waffles that you get kind of side-tracked. We tried a different coffee shop every day and simply opted for the closest restaurant every night. For some odd reason, many places where closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Supposedly there is an\u00a0that we did not know about, so this is for sure a go to when you have kids.<\/p>\n

My tips for and notes of Bruges:<\/p>\n