Good Bye Amsterdam Hello Bruges

This was the last look from my window in Amsterdam.  I had no trouble taking the train to Bruges.  I did have a situation with the ticket checker/conductor.  A page came with my ticket where you could fill in your dates and destinations.  I hadn’t filled in “Amsterdam to Bruges”  because I have 2 months unlimited travel so I didn’t think it mattered—well it does—the conductor told me he could charge me for that trip but he would let me go.  When I began explaining that it made no sense to me I realized I should “shut up” and say thank you.

I had to change trains in Antwerp.  Now there is a “train station” — beautiful.  I had a picnic lunch on the train.

The country side is very flat with farms and cows along the way and a graffiti train:

In Bruges, I figured out how to buy bus tickets and take the bus to my designated stop.  When I got off the bus I turned the wrong way and because Bruges is desolate compared to Amsterdam, I probably walked 1/2mile until I saw a lady.  After about 5 minutes of her speaking Flemish to me, I figured out my mistake.  This whole place is cobblestones and with my suitcase in tow,  I turned around and went “clackity clack” down the street to the correct house.  The one beside the motorcycle.  Those are my windows up on the second floor.

A nice young man is my host and he showed me my room–which is the nicest room I’ve stayed in so far.  He told me he was working on his masters in urban planning and his total income was from Airbnb.

I took a walk to the center and found a nice cafe for a beer and French fries.  In the square, a concert by an orchestra was going on for about 1 1/4 hours and it was just delightful.  I have to learn ml’s vs ounces…I thought I order a pint.  Bruges is a fairy tale place.

The two main museums in Bruges are closed on Monday so I took the train to Ghent to walk about and have lunch.  Ghent is another lovely medieval city and small enough to cover in an afternoon.