Dinner in Brugges

After I wrote that entry, I spent the better part of the day stumbling around in an odd stupor. What Brugges offers most is a relaxing atmospheric environment, and plenty of it. I witnessed a great many swans along the canal and unknowingly stood at the perfect spot along the Lake of Love as I was in the midst of searching for it.

Now, in the waning sun, I have decided to come back here tomorrow, rather than my planned revisiting of the Grand Palace. This day, though not filled with any particular amazing things aside from the Church of Our Lady, had been very good to my soul. And I write this while drinking a tasty brown Laffe at the canal to the sinking sun, and feeling reluctant to leave this place and head back to my hostel, though it’s getting late.

Earlier, before the Church, I lunched at a café where I paid as much as a large dinner for my meal. It was well worth the money. I ate not the best chicken curry and sampled a Trappist beer St. Bernadus. The best beer in the world is made by Trappist monks, or so I’ve been led to believe, so naturally I had to try this one. Indeed it was dark, strong, and very tasty. It was definitely the best beer I’ve had since coming here.

I finished the meal off with a waffle and a latte. The waffle was a different beast than what I ate yesterday. It was delicate, but also hard and flaky. Cutting it was like cutting a french baguette. It was not at all what I had expected, crispy and waffle-thin with no softness to it, but it was very good and left me feeling overall more content than I have felt in a long while.

Somehow, while this place is quite touristy, it still manages to maintain a tranquility to it that extends all along its many streets and parks. This is not something that I am capable of explaining, but merely basking in.