Belgium Travel Diary: In Bruges

Bruges was, of course, a place we had to tick off our bucket list, sooner or later - a whimsical Medieval fairytale where every single building looks like a gingerbread house. This enchanting little city is like a storybook illustration, oozing a romantic charm only overpowered by the drool-inducing smell of waffles covered in chocolate and caramel - carbs and calories, come to me!

First things first: we parked the car, I stashed a city map in my pocket and layers of knitwear and wool were added to our outfits - the cold wind was ruthlessly crippling, to say the least. We went straight to the Torture Museum, which was insanely interesting but I can't really say I've never been in one before. We crossed the prettiest bridges and I salivated at the sight of the most tempting pralines. A very picturesque Markt looked more like a History-themed outdoor museum than just a main square. The ominous Belfry overlooked the cobbled streets, the terracotta-tinged rooftops, the atmospheric maze of canals and the gothic-looking gilded towers. I reckon that I ignored several photo ops because all that beauty around me was absorbing my senses - or maybe my senses were absorbing all that beauty. Every now and then the constant presence of tourists made me feel like grabbing their repellent selfie sticks and throw them into the canal but I kept my cool.

Afternoon became dusk, leading us to quench our thirst in Charlie Rockets, where we munched and quaffed Malheur. Everything was pretty, quaint and cosy - shame it wasn't snowing, I would've love a proper Winter Wonderland. When it was time to leave beautiful Bruges, I was already missing the Stella Artois neon signs, the dramatic evening walk along the canal, the Renaissance townhouses, the teal-eyed friendly lad with those razor sharp cheekbones who we met at the Torture Museum and even the boat tour we never did.

Note to self: I still can't get over the fact that I've missed THIS DOG!