After picking up John (Scott's Dad) and a car in Paris, we hit the freeway at top speed bound for Amsterdam with a detour through Belgium.
Brugge is a small city in Belgium, and some would say there is not much more to do than drink a pint of beer, but this quaint little town had much to offer. We were only in Brugge for one night, but we managed to eat 163 mussels, an overly indulgent serving of hot waffles, a creamy hot chocolate and of course a few beers. Did we mention that we stopped in at a chocolatier and got a few snacks for the road? It wasn't all food, the four of us walked around the medieval village for a few hours soaking up the rich history and architecture. We were also lucky enough to stop in for an organic lunch (sorry we lied about it not all being about food! Is anyone noticing a theme?) with Numi, Ricardo, Frei and her lovely family (Ricardo is Scott's brother-in-laws brother). Frei's family live on a specatular farm 20 minutes from Brugge. Every part of our meal was hand picked from their own garden. At the end of the meal when Sara kindly asked for a mint tea, a huge bunch of mint was chopped from the patch behind her. It is a beautiful part of the world.
At the farm - (top from left to right) John, Frei and Sally with (bottom from left to right) Scotty, Numi, Sara and Rica
Hot chocolate doesn't get much better than this... espcially on a rainy day
Enjoying a coldie with Dad
Canals and medieval buildings of Brugge
With our bellies full to the brim, we drove across the border into The Netherlands, and stop at its heart in Amsterdam. We kept the trip G rated, although we took a sneak peak at the Red Light District, and smelt the distinct wofts walking past the infamous Coffee Shops. People in Amsterdam are crazy on their bikes (we nearly got seriously injured a few times), so we decided to join the crazy road ruling mob and hoped on a bike, which conveniently included a tour of the lovely country side. The ride took us into an artisian gouda cheese and clog farm, as well as the traditional windmill. Did you know that there are 1.5 bikes for every person who lives in Amsterdam? That's a fact for trivia next week.
We got out of the big smoke (haha), and took a day trip out to Leiden, Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam. Theses towns are within half an hour of each other, and it is incredible how unique each one is. Leiden is a university town dotted with many windmills around the outlining canal. Den Haag is the centre of poltics and has a great mixture of the old palaces and modern architecture. Delft is like a smaller version of Amsterdam, with lots of canals and sinking buildings. Rotterdam is a modern business metropolis. A great little adventure.
Scott's bike, the tour group and a windmill
A bike and a canal
The tower of the old church in Delft has a 2 meter lean!
Until more radventures,
Scotty and Sara
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