We got up, left our bags at the hotel, and headed into town. We walked for a stretch, then stopped for breakfast at a cafe where the girls enjoyed crepes. Phyllis kept a blue bottle for a souvenir. We then walked through the older part of town, into the old town square surrounded by huge, old buildings from the 1600s. Our first look at the old continental style buildings. Amber and I took pictures. From there we passed through an old building converted to a shopping mall, then to an old cathedral. Unfortunately we could not go inside because there was a funeral there, but we were able to catch a peek. We then walked to the palace gardens and down to the old palace, passing some espaliered trees (trees trimmed so their branches grow in straight lines) along the way. Kaitlin had to pee, which led us into the palace which had a museum inside. When we left, it was raining, and we carried the girls to the train station. Phyllis and I ran back to the hotel with Amber to fetch our bags, and then we caught the train to Bruges.

It was late afternoon but sunny again when we arrived at Bruges, and we walked from the station to our rooms at the Cavalier Hotel. The hotel was great and the city was amazing, though we had a bad moment when the proprietor at first refused to let us stay because we had five and the room took only four. Luckily, she relented. What’s more, we then managed to convince her to let us stay another day at a guesthouse that she also rented.

We walked to the square and had dinner at an italien restaurant. It was absurdly overpriced, and Amber refused to eat her food, but the view was fantastic. Then back to the room, dropped the girls with Judy, and Phyllis and I walked a bit more before sleep.