Headache this morning! Must have a touch of flu!!
A free day from driving ahead of me and after a decent
breakfast I settle down in my room to do some work. After initially struggling
to connect to the internet I am now online and in a position to do some banking
and read my e-mails. I have also brought along other work to keep me busy.
After a couple of hours I decide to go for a stroll as it
is a lovely day again and I enjoy walking around Bruges.
I found out this morning that a very dear friend is very
poorly so could do with the walk as not concentrating on my work.
I love exploring the side streets of Bruges and am always
delighted to come across new discoveries. I must have walked for a couple of
hours before sitting down to a bowl of lasagne and a beer in a cafe I know near
the market square.
I sat here for a while chatting via facebook to my mate
Alex in Melbourne. We haven’t seen each other since I took him to Heathrow to
emigrate 22 years ago and didn’t speak for 18 of those years! There wasn’t any
problems just a drifting apart but it is great to be back in touch.
By the time I return to the hotel it is Siesta time.
At 18:00 I meet Barry and Jayne outside of the hotel and
we visit the pub that is two doors away. Opened recently this is pub number one
if you take part in the beer tour of Bruges!
It is only small inside and everything is wood with a
very low bar and all a bit spit and sawdust, but we love it! There are 12
different draught beers (they change every so many weeks) and all are strong.
We were told that some of the locals have tried to drink all twelve in one
sitting but the furthest anyone has reached is number seven!
Sitting at the bar is a man who in his day job is a
waiter at one of the Market Square restaurants, the Belle Vue. His English is
perfect as he regales us with tales of Belgian brewing, Bruges football club
and how they sometimes (!?) rip the tourists off! All very entertaining and he
was great company. he also speaks fluent Flemish, French, Spanish, Italian and
can hold a conversation in Russian and Japanese!!
Barry and I are in our element once again but poor Jayne
is on water as they only serve beer!
Before we leave we are joined by another Belgian speaking
perfect English as does the young barmaid! Our new friend used to work on the
horse and carriages and bears an uncanny resemblance to a young Fabio Capello.
Or is it just me!
We then move next door to a small restaurant, De
Wijngaert, for dinner. Barry and I have a mixed grill and the grill is behind
our table in the restaurant. Your meat is brought out of the kitchen to be
cooked in the restaurant and is all rather tasty. Jayne has a fish dish that is
equally good and we all enjoy another meal out in Bruges.
Not far to go back to tonight as Jayne goes to her room
while Barry and I have a nightcap in our new local!
No comments:
Post a Comment