In Bruges...

Glad I didn't see the movie "In Bruges" before I got here :)

It's been a couple days since I've had internet access but I finally found a place not too far from my hostel so I can check e-mail and write here. Got into Bruges on Friday after only 2 days in Amsterdam. I had a good time there but was ready to step down a bit from another big city...the guidebooks were right, city's start looking the same after awhile. Amsterdam was a blast though...went to a small Dutch town on Friday morning with Kate and Steven (from Alabama...also doing 2 months around Europe) and even though it was freezing, it turned out to be a lot of fun. We got a bit lost on the trains and I'm pretty sure I overpaid for my ticket...thinking we were going farther than we actually did....but finally got to the town. There were supposed to be people with authentic Dutch clothing walking around but we didn't see any of them (maybe too cold). There were little shops and museums scattered around and also windmills on one side of the town. My camera battery was dead so Kate said she'd e-mail me her pictures. We also went to a cheese shop where (after tasting many) we bought some smoked herb goat cheese which I'm still eating today! The whole town smelled like chocolate too...we couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. Ahhh it was driving us insane. We did find a small chocolate shop on the walk back to train however, and had to buy something just to satisfy the craving! So anyways we got back into Amsterdam and Kate and Steven were heading for Bruges. I headed back into Amsterdam and walked around for awhile....got a bit lost heading back to the hostel but it wasn't bad...I got to see more of the city that way. Stopped for groceries and ate at the hostel. Met a guy named Mike in the common area and he offered to walk around with me at night so I wasn't all alone walking through the crazy streets! We walked through the Red Light District which was hilarious...shouldn't have been but it was such a twisted sight, I found it funny. The women varied in age, size, and beauty but all in all, I couldn't help but wonder if these women had any self-respect! They make really good money though so I guess that's the attraction. But seriously, there were girls that didn't look over 15....crazy crazy. Anyways, it wasn't as big as I thought it was (I had visions that it took over half the city) but you found them there during the day too....it was funny sightseeing the Old Church and then walking up on a row of brothels right around the corner! The church is proud to be the only church in the world that is bound by prostitutes on all four sides....haha. Mike and I went into a couple "coffeeshops" just to see what they were like and that experience was a funny one as well. There were a lot of spring breakers around the city and most of them packed into every coffeeshop and smart shop, haha. Anyways, Amsterdam itself is a beautiful city despite the drugs and sex. Went sightseeing on Friday afternoon as well before I took a later train to Brussels and Bruges. Just wanted a little change of pace after Amsterdam :)

Got into Bruges really late and turns out my hostel has a bar on the bottom floor. They were hosting a concert though and I've never had such a hard time checking into a place! The place was called Charlie Rockets and the bar was also the hostel check-in point....made for a loud explanation of where our room was and whatnot. But I got there at the same time Claudio (Italy) and Craig (England) did so they put us all in the same room together. Our room was crazy hard to find...a maze of staircases and doors but it was in such a great location (and HUGE!). We all went out for a beer and walked around Bruges for a bit....it's so pretty at night and completely safe. Craig was actually there surprising his mom for her 50th birthday...his parents were staying at a posh hotel on the other side of town. So Claudio and I went sightseeing all day yesterday....we rented bikes to get around the city and it was SO much fun!! You get around so much faster that way (obviously) and we saw everything by 3. Plus, you can ring the little bell on the bike and people just move out of the way, scared and all :) We found Belgian chocolates for only 3 euros so we split them and had chocolates for lunch (hehe). Then found a Belgian beer shop right next door and both got a beer we'd never heard of (which was most of them for me!). After more touring we went to the De Halve Maan brewery which is the only brewery left in Bruges. It was a great tour, the guide was hilarious, then they give you a free beer at the end...Brugas Zot Blonde. Delicious :) We were going to bike to the North Sea after that but Claudio had only 1 day to see everything so to save time, we drove there in his car. Thanks to his GPS system we made it there in no time and took a picture in the water....haha just our feet though. It was nice to say we touched the North Sea...and almost froze our toes off, hehe. I might bike there tomorrow since I'm here until Tuesday but it depends on the weather. We came back to Bruges and went out for a cheap Italian meal (only 3 euros for a HUGE bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce).

Of course it is rainy and cold again today! Today is a day to do laundry and move into another hostel (couldn't find 4 days straight in one) so it's okay that the weather isn't the best. I'm headed for Paris on Wednesday and staying with Andrew for bit while I'm there. He's so nice to offer his place to me and it's been forever since I've seen him! He should be a good tour guide too :) Anyways, I'll write sooner than later...and as I write this, I'm uploading ALL my pictures so I won't be behind anymore!