Bruges, March 2017

Our time in Bruges was short as we booked a 2 for 1 mini cruise deal with P&O cruises that departs from Hull. It includes a two nights stay on the cruise ship and coach travel to and from the port to Bruges itself for the day. For £80 for the two of us (although it's extra if you want to pay for your breakfasts and dinner onboard) it's an absolute bargain and a cool way to see a country. It was my first time on a cruise ship and I was really excited although slightly worried about the prospect of seasickness – I did get travel sickness tablets in case but once I realised I couldn't drink alcohol with them, I didn't bother to take them and survived absolutely fine with a few ciders! Our preparation for our trip to Bruges, of course, meant we had to re-watch 'In Bruges' so of course we were reliving plenty of quotes whilst walking around. Unfortunately, however, we didn't see any of the famous swans!

The weather in Bruges was windy and pretty cloudy when we went and I got the impression that it's often like that, but hey, what can you expect in March time. The first thing we did was the Canal boat tour which is a great way to set the scene of the area and learn a few facts from the guide. There are plenty of places to buy your tickets from and I would recommend doing it as it doesn't take up too much of your time but you'll see a lot in a small time frame.

Bruges is filled with lots of amazing churches and places of worship and the highlight for me was the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The stained glass windows are beautiful and as it is such a small place it feels very warm and different from a lot of other religious places I have visited. Another important place to visit if you get a chance is the Church of our lady where inside is actually Michelangelo's Madonna and Child sculpture, a great site to see.

Climbing up to some sort of viewpoint is a must in my opinion when you're on a time limit so of course, climbing the Belfy was a must. This is definitely one to avoid if you're not keen on heights though, as the very top of the tower is steep and the stairs get very narrow. As it was so windy while we were there I don't think that helped as it did feel very unstable but despite my slightly jelly feeling legs I made it to the top (very briefly for some quick pics) and back down again in one piece.

Food, and in particular chocolate, is one of the well-known aspects of Bruges and Belgium. As a chocolate and dessert lover, I definitely wasn't disappointed and indulged in an amazing waffle after being there for less than an hour... The number of chocolate shops is a little overwhelming as it's hard to tell if one is better than the other, but we picked up a few different types of chocolates from a few different shops and they were all as good as each other. Arron tried the muscles and chips which is a local delicacy of Bruges although I don't think he was too taken by the combination, although I think we possibly picked a dud restaurant in the very center. We tried to avoid restaurants that seemed overly expensive but it might be worth splashing out to try this dish to get the very best!

Bruges really does have that fairytale feel to it with the architecture and canals. There are loads of different museums which I could happily make my way around if I had been there for a few nights, although I do think a day visit is enough to get a great feel of the place.