Day 2: Bruges at Night

Sunset in Belgium this time of year is similar to sunset in New Jersey, 4:30 pm. Sunrise, though, is an hour later than at home, 8:30 am. 

The nights are cozy. They are made for hot chocolate. I had read about The Old Chocolate House online. As we finished descending the belfry's 366 steps we decided to find what has been described as the best hot chocolate in a city that really knows its chocolate.

Like most places in Bruges, it was only a short walk away. There were two businesses next to each other: a tea house with a really long line, and a chocolate shop. I thought we really wanted to sit down and savor our hot chocolate, but the menu was overwhelming as it featured over 30 different types of hot chocolate. We just wanted hot chocolate, perhaps with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Then Don noticed a couple next to us sipping hot chocolate in takeaway cups. Takeaway cups are a rarity in Europe. Meals are meant to be savored, not crammed in between other activities. You want coffee? Order it at a café and enjoy it. This approach cuts down on waste. At the Christmas Market I noticed there was a 2 euro deposit when you order soup. The soup comes in a ceramic bowl. When you return the bowl, you get the deposit back. I suppose you can keep the bowl. At least that's the impression I had. We did not order any food from the Christmas Markets as we were used to dining in restaurants with heat and running water.

Another note about dining in restaurants, the price stated is the price. There is no additional tax, nor is tipping normal. You can certainly leave a euro or two, but it is not required or expected. We also noted we rarely had a server ask us if we liked our meal or offer to bring more food.

We went inside and each ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream added for an additional euro. The whipped cream really made it!

When we get ice cream, we pose for an "ice cream selfie," as hot chocolate was our sweet treat we knew we should pose for a selfie. The problem was, the ideal spot was taken by someone posing extensively for their own selfies. This was my first indication that Bruges has been taken over by the Instagrammers who want to pose for the ideal pictures. They bring people to take their pictures, and add lighting and other enhancements. On that quiet December day it was amusing. On a more crowded day it could easily be annoying.

After hot chocolate, we wandered around Bruges soaking up the sunset over the canal before walking to Brick House (think unofficial LEGO store). The models, created by people who work there, were outstanding. Each comprising of over 62,000 LEGO pieces they look 

Great name for a shop!

Over 62,000 bricks

We took a free walking tour called "The Dark Side of Bruges" by Legends Tours. I love free tours. They are low stress and give an overview of the city. I always carry a notebook, and take pictures. I aim for tours that are given by locals.

After the tour we had dinner at a Belgian restaurant that was recommended by our guide. It was okay. Not nearly as good as the Belgian restaurant we ate at the night before in Antwerp, or in the one we dined out a few days later in Liege. As we were finishing our meal, a group of American women were leaving. One, clearly drunk and way too loud, effused in a gravely smoker's vote "that was the best meal I have ever had! We will be back tomorrow!!"  The couple next to us were mimicking her voice and words as they joked to each other. The meal was good, but not the best ever.

As we walked back to the train station, we noticed the city was having a free evening winter festival called "Winter Gloed" (Winter Glow), a 3.5 kilometer trail featuring ten illumination experiences called the Light Experience Trail. My favorite was a light show called
Machina Lumina in the courtyard of Gruuthaus and on the Our Lady Cathedral as it reminded me LUMA in Binghamton, with only one instead of a collection. Some of the stops were interactive. The stag emerging from the Shimmering Forest felt magical. Thanks to the SNCB app, we knew the times of the trains. Thanks to Google Maps we knew how to get to the train station quickly. Looking at the app, we knew the final 90-minute train ride back for the night was at 10:25 pm. If we missed that one, we were homeless until after 4 am.

We thought about catching the 8:25 pm train, but paused to watch the light show. Then 9:25 came around, and we were distracted watching other parts of the train. I hoped to go back to the Christmas Market in the main square to take a picture of the lights, but we got lost and gave up the search.

More pictures from the Light Experience Trail:

Light waves that reacted to
our walking across a boardwalk