Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: Belgium

The Great Beer-Off of 2016: Round 1 Belgium

Somewhat unintentionally, Chris and I ended up making the bulk of our 2016 travel plans with a bit of a theme: beer. We scheduled a trip to Belgium after Chris read a magazine article about touring Belgium’s breweries and bars on a bicycle. Chris has also always wanted to go to Oktoberfest, so Germany was added to the itinerary for this year. And since Prague isn’t far at all from Munich, I tacked it onto our Oktoberfest trip, giving us a well-rounded sample of Europe’s very best beers: Belgian, German, and Czech.

And that gave me the idea of pitting the countries against each other in The Great Beer-Off of 2016: Belgium vs. Germany vs. Czech Republic. (Insert dramatic music here.) So I present to you Round 1 of the Great Beer-Off: Belgium! (More dramatic music? Or perhaps a drumroll was needed.)

Chris and I kicked off our Belgian beer experience learning about Henri Maes and the last working brewery in Bruges, De Halve Maan Brouwerij. We took the 90-minute XL tour at 2pm, where our impressive guide led us through the brewery and a private beer tasting in three languages. We tasted three different beers (four, actually, since our last taste was a choice and we each picked a different beer) during a leisurely guided tasting for 19 euros per person.

The tour was the perfect length to be informative and captivating, and our guide injected plenty of wit into the history and facts. As a bonus, the brewery has a fantastic rooftop view of Bruges. We both loved the Brugse Zot as our favorite from the tasting.

In addition to taking the brewery tour and drinking several beers at various restaurants, Chris and I also visited The Bottle Shop on Wollestraat to choose a few bottles from their incredibly extensive collection. A friendly local helped us pick out a selection of four different Belgian beers which we brought back to the hotel to sample throughout our stay. Chris especially enjoyed Delirium Tremens which thankfully we can purchase back home.

I’m just recently beginning my foray into the world of beer so I may still be developing my palate, but I found most Belgian beers a little difficult to drink other than the Brugse Zot. I think it was the combination of new and different spices that I’m not used to, but I did have fun trying them all.

Up next, Germany and a little festival called Oktoberfest (you may have heard of it?) will throw down in Round 2 of the Great Beer-Off of 2016!

September 27, 2016
Moving Pictures: Belgium & The Netherlands

I finally finished putting this video together from our trip to Belgium & The Netherlands in April! Highlights include: Chris wearing what looks like a Burger King birthday party hat, secrets of how those little wooden clogs are really made, and I make a cameo amongst a tulip garden.

September 1, 2016
Belgium Snapshot

I’m a little behind in getting it done, but it’s time for a snapshot post! So without further ado, I’ll summarize our time this past April in the land of beer and chocolate with a Belgium snapshot!

Best Moment

As cheesy as it sounds, I really enjoyed our little canal cruise around Bruges. On a day that treated us only to pockets of clear skies, we managed to hop on the boat at the perfect time for a brief pause in the rain. The skies turned momentarily blue, and it allowed us to appreciate our tour of the city’s sights via water. We also loved our tour of De Halve Maan Brouwerij, but I’ll have more on that in a separate post soon!

Worst Moment

On our third morning in Bruges, we were signed up to do a walking tour of the more hidden parts of the city and we ended up being the only two participants in the tour. The forecast predicted some sprinkles, but we encountered an absolute downpour. Our super enthusiastic guide was too willing to keep touring despite my pleas to call it a day and end our private tour, so we stayed out (getting soaked) longer than I would have liked. I can handle the cold and I can handle a bit of rain, but when they’re combined I am a big baby and I get a bit whinier than Chris would prefer.

Best Meal

We loved our dinners at Cambrinus (don’t miss out on their amazing cheese croquettes) and De Koetse where I tried (and enjoyed!) moules frites for the first time. But in the best-of category, both Chris and I couldn’t get enough of the Belgian waffles covered in real melted chocolate at Oyya. We ended up eating there twice. It wasn’t a meal, but it was definitely our favorite thing we ate in Belgium, and it was just the thing to brighten a gray, drizzly day.

Something We Learned

We learned that at any given time, Bruges is required by law to keep swans on its lakes and canals at all times. Specifically we were told that it has to be at least 100 swans, but I haven’t been able to confirm that exact number. Either way, we did see quite a few long-necked feathered residents on the water and hanging out in this area:

We’re Thankful We Packed

Umbrellas. It rained quite a bit in Bruges, and it was a cold, sometimes even icy rain so we were glad to keep dry as much as possible (aside from that walking tour). Thankfully in between the rainy moments we did have periods of beautiful blue skies and sunshine, so I’ll still remember sweet Bruges quite fondly.

We Didn’t Need To Bring

Short-sleeve tops. It was so cold for our visit in late April that we needed to wear multiple layers all day every day. Brrr!

Trip Regrets

I don’t think I actually have any regrets about our time in Belgium. I mean, I do regret that it was a little chillier than we expected and it rained about half of the time, but I’ve learned not to lament the weather during our travels too much (despite the fact that I’ve mentioned the weather at least a dozen times in this post alone).

Reasons To Go Back

While I think we covered Bruges pretty well, I think we’d enjoy seeing Ghent and Antwerp sometime!

Favorite Photos

Climbing to the top of the belfry rewarded us with some great birds-eye views and I love the results despite the wet weather.

And then there’s this photo which is quite representative of our time in Belgium: eat all the waffles!

June 16, 2016
Bruges According to the Weather

When I pictured our springtime visit to Bruges, Belgium, I imagined bright blue skies with puffy white clouds, a crisp breeze, and not a drop of rain. I know that was wishful thinking for Europe in the spring, but I was hopeful for perfect weather! I planned my entire suitcase around temperatures in the upper 50s/low 60s: long-sleeve tops with a cute mid-weight field jacket. As our late April trip drew nearer, the more accurate forecast promised very chilly days in the 40s with a considerable amount of rain. We did get my blue-skies-with-puffy-clouds weather in small doses, but mostly we needed winter weather clothes, a waterproof outer layer, and umbrellas. We are no strangers to working around the weather though. Here’s what we did with our three days in Bruges based on rain or shine.

First of all, if you have about thirty minutes of clear weather while in Bruges, I highly recommend the canal tour. Most reviews seem to agree that it’s a little on the cheesy side, but that it’s a good kind of cheese. We loved it! It was a great way for us to get to know the city and to see some areas only accessible by boat.

And of course, there’s historical Markt Square in the heart of the city where we gazed up at the Belfry tower and the Provincial Court building, a former government meeting hall now used for ceremonial activities. Horse-drawn carriages awaited passengers in the Markt for those who preferred another vantage point while touring the city. We didn’t take a carriage ride and I’m still trying to learn more about the animal ethics on that, but as a side-note, I was happy to hear from a local that the Bruges horses are treated well with mandatory breaks by law and they aren’t permitted to work multiple days in a row.

My other favorite fair weather activity in any area is to wander around with my camera and discover interesting details. I admit I’m not consistently good about toughing out the rain or cold when it comes to photography, especially if I’m not prepared outfit-wise. There were a few times in Bruges where I wished we had packed base layers and ski coats! Thankfully we had plenty of clear and warm-ish moments throughout our visit for photo ops.

But we also had several moments where the skies opened up on us. The combination of rain and blustery wind with temperatures in the 40s had us ducking into the nearest establishment offering the slightest bit of cover and warmth. And what better way to warm up than with Belgian beer?

Popping into random bars/pubs was hit-or-miss for us since several businesses were closed on Sundays and/or Mondays (do your research in advance if a particular restaurant/shop/pub is important to you), but we did score with a few places. First, we hit up The Bottle Shop where Chris purchased several local Belgian brews. If you love beer, you have to check it out – the selection is pretty fantastic. A local recommended a few bottles to us and Chris enjoyed sampling them throughout the week.

Next, we toured the Brouwerij de Halve Maan, and we recommend this tour regardless of the weather. It’s the only remaining working brewery in Bruges, and if you select the XL tour at 2pm (19 euros per person), it includes a premium private tasting with three beer selections. We especially enjoyed the Brugse Zot.

The weather happened to clear up just in time for the rooftop view portion of our tour!

Speaking of views, another rainy day activity idea is a self-guided tour of the Belfry. Chris and I spent a rainy morning climbing the 366 steps of the tower for spectacular views of the city. This is also a great way to work off those beers, chocolates, frites, and waffles. I can only recommend doing the climb before the beers though – the steps are steep and winding! You’ll want to have good footing here.

The skies even started to clear on our way back down the steps. Mother Nature simply couldn’t make up her mind, except that she wanted it to be cold in April. So very cold.

Because we spent so much time eating and drinking, we only ended up having time for one museum while in Bruges. If you find yourself in the same situation, I recommend a visit to the Kantcentrum where you can watch a live demonstration of the art of lace-making. The museum is located a little out of the way, but it’s worth the walk even in the rain. I loved watching the skilled ladies demonstrate this rich tradition with such speed and dexterity. It’s truly mesmerizing.

Lastly, there’s always chocolate, which totally counts as the perfect rainy day activity in my opinion. In addition to sampling several chocolatiers, we treated ourselves to fresh, warm waffles covered in real melted chocolate from Oyya (our favorite). After one bite we didn’t care one bit that it was cold and rainy.

May 6, 2016
A Bit of Belgium: Bruges

One afternoon sometime last year, Chris was reading a magazine article about touring Belgium’s best beers via bicycle and we got the idea to visit the country, albeit not on two wheels since we wanted to split a week between Belgium and neighboring Netherlands. And since the country is lovingly known for its chocolate in addition to beer, it sounded like the perfect playground for this chocoholic and her beer-loving husband.

Originally we planned to see Brussels, Bruges, and maybe Ghent, but eventually decided to limit our focus to a smaller scope for a few reasons. Most importantly, we opted for a relaxed pace and atmosphere since we would only be staying a couple of days. I absolutely love small cities and often prefer them to big capitals, so the prospect of spending a few nights simply in Bruges ended up appealing to me. And my research indicated that we could easily check off our Belgium bucket list items right in Bruges: waffles, chocolates, beer, and frites. This might be the first time ever that my travel to-do list was made up entirely of food and drink, and I’m totally okay with that.

We stayed in the cute Hotel Prinsenhof just steps from the main square, and while we did have quite a bit of rain and chilly temps for our three days in Bruges, we made the best of it by wandering the cobblestone streets along the quaint canals under clear skies and ducking inside during scattered showers.

Often called the “Little Venice of the North,” Bruges charms its visitors with canals that flow alongside adorable centuries-old houses and buildings. I couldn’t get enough of the architecture and European details in this city.

So you know how I mentioned that this trip was pretty much built entirely around food? Yes, we made good on that. After checking into our hotel, we made a beeline for a waffle stand to officially commence our week of unabashed eating and drinking. I read that the locals like to eat the waffles plain so I tried that first, but I admit I preferred the version covered in melted chocolate. Confession: I ate one waffle per day. Thank goodness we were only in Belgium for three days.

We made a point of trying several local Belgian brews (more on this in the next post), and I even stepped outside my comfort zone one evening by ordering moules frites, otherwise known as mussels and fries. I watched videos before we left on how to eat mussels the proper/local way, by using an empty shell as a tool to extract the meat from other shells. And guess who actually likes mussels?! I surprised myself.

And of course I was literally like a kid in a candy shop in all of the chocolatiers around Bruges. My two favorites ended up being Pralinette and Dumon. If you have the opportunity to try both shops, do yourself a favor and get the macadamia nut praline at Pralinette, and the caramel truffles at Dumon. You can thank me through a mouthful of chocolate later.

Even our hotel won me over with sweets – a real Belgian chocolate on my pillow every night.

Up next: my recommendations for wonky weather in Bruges! Rainy day activities vs. clear weather fun.

May 4, 2016