mmmmmm..... The Land of Chocolate...

Bruges, as we English and French speakers say, or Brugge (pronounced BREW-GGGAUH with extra phlegm preferred on the gggauh) as the local Flemish population calls it, is truly Homer Simpson's imagined "land of chocolate".  Nathalie Dumon, one of the excellent local chocolatiers, told me today that it is indeed unheard of in any Belgium town (Belgium being exceedingly famous for and Belgians being exceedingly fond of high quality artisan chocolate) for there to be such a high concentration of chocolate shops.  There are actually more chocolate shops here than grocery markets, leading the first-time visitor to conclude that the Belgian diet consists mainly of chocolate, with a few mussels and a cone of frites (fries - best in the world) thrown in for variety.  Not the case, I was assured.  But the tourists who visit have an unending variety of chocolatiers to choose from, some enticing the customers with various naughty shapes, some with bizarre and random flavours, and some, like Dumons, simply striving for the highest quality ingredients and friendly, welcoming customer service.

Moms and dads - expect some Dumons when your kids get home!  Unless they eat them all on the bus...

Bruges is a medieval city like no other, and as such the entire old town centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  We had a wonderful day climbing bell towers, visiting a vial of Jesus' blood, admiring windmills, and taking in the beauty of Michelangelo's Madonna, housed in the Church of Our Lady, and recently featured in the movie The Monuments Men.   Some of us rented bikes and rode around town like the locals, some took a boat ride through the canals, some traveled in style in a romantic horse and carriage through the cobblestone streets - but all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their first full day in Europe!

Welcome to the Baron's favourite medieval city.

As the sun rose, we took to the streets of Bruges.

We made it to the top of the Bell tower.

Their future's so bright...

Top of the tower to you!

His blood is in a vial upstairs.  This is the bottom level of the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Windmill no longer grinding the locals grain into flour.  Impressive nonetheless.

Andrew tries to make a work of art out of Michelangelo's work of art.

On to the next piece of history!

Bruges is a beauty any time of day.  My daughter Kasmira and I.  Photo expertise provided by LJ Johnson.

goofballs.

I don't really get the ducklip selfie.  And apparently Chase, while demanding that I do it, refused to do it himself.  Jerk.

Not actually Bruges!  This was a group shot in Amsterdam behind the Rijksmuseum that I didn't post yesterday.

Beaming in the morning sun.  Is this the new poster?

Kasmira emerges from a beautifully lit tunnel of trees just outside of Bruges near the village of Damme.

Good place for photos.  Not for smells.

Just one of the many chocolatiers in Bruges.  Even the lamp posts are made of chocolate.

Rens outside his new favourite Belgian restaurant - the name of the restaurant is the same as the name of his town just across the border in the Netherlands.