Trip to Brugge

We enjoyed the last weekend of my parents visit in Brugge on Saturday and Louvain La Neuve on Sunday. LLN is where Charlie is playing baseball. I know I've blogged about LLN and Charlie playing baseball there a lot, so I won't try to tell you much of the same. But a recap on our weekend should do the trick.

We awoke Saturday morning from our hotel in Brussels, grabbed some croissants and coffee/tea for breakfast, and had few hours in the morning to shop. Ma and Kelly found some fun Belgium tapestry cushions and other trinkets. Charlie was playing a game a few hours north in Antwerp, so the four of us decided on a day trip to the lovely city of Brugge.


Brugge is one of the European cities untouched by a World War, and has retained its architectural beauty and charm. It has a small canal weaving through the city, which is now popular with tourist boats. But on a sunny day, it's a beautiful place and small enough to walk around for the afternoon. There is a large market square in the center of Brugge, with cafes dotting the sides. As most European cities, there are a number of large and impressive cathedrals to visit as well. We didn't do much more than wandering around taking in the sights of the streets, buildings and cafes.

Warning! (Another non-family friendly photo - but had to show you a European-style Belgium chocolate store!)













We left Brugge by late afternoon so we could travel to LLN and meet Charlie there after his game. We met him at one of his fave cafes, along with his friend Stan. Stan was an exchange student in Oklahoma during his junior year in high school, so he speaks English very well and I think he has fun chatting with Americans when he can. Stan was kind enough to give us all a ride to Charlie's flat, as it's a bit outside of the city center, and Charlie only can travel by bicycle. LLN is too small for public transport, so you have to rely on rides or find a bike.

We had brought some Chinese take out with us for dinner and just relaxed at Charlie's flat. Brian and I had been there just a few weeks before, but Mom and Dad had a chance to check it out. Have to admit it was a bit weird all of us cramming in there for two nights to sleep, but luckily Charlie could crash in another room, and Brian and I dragged an air mattress out on the patio. I told Brian to just think we were camping under the stars!