In Brugge

Our trip to Brugge, which was a few hours away from the Netherlands, was a magical experience...perhaps on par with Disneyland, but minus the rides. Mike had already visited during college, and was raving about how much he loved this place. In the evening, when all the lights were lit, it felt like a walk down main street. I know they do a lot of renovations (I hear the swans were added too) to this town in order to make it tourist-worthy, but we soaked it all up!

For our stay, we found a little B+B which was a self-sustained farm located just outside the city. The place had great reviews, and pricing was very modest. What made their breakfast so impressive was the fact that our hostess prepared mostly everything from scratch-- from the cheeses to the yogurt, jams, milk from their own cow, fresh eggs, quiches, sweet breads and she even took her apples to have them juiced  fresh at a local juicery! The room was what you would imagine a farmhouse loft to look like, but minus the filth and smell. It was incredibly spacious for our family, and it gave us a small taste of what life would be like, living on a little farm. Our oldest son loved seeing all the animals (even though the pigs sort of frightened him) and chasing the chickens. In the morning, they allowed us to watch the cow being milked using an electric pump (I had much empathy for the cow!), and then our hostess took the milk to be low-pasteurized. If anyone is ever thinking of visiting this beautiful, quaint town, I highly recommend Le Plat Pays!

Breakfast spread each morning at our B+B farmhouse

This building facade was several hundred years old, and currently houses a candy shop

Visiting the heart of Ghent, an old Medieval town next door to Brugge

A tiny soup n' sandwich shop bustling with locals- this was perhaps the most challenging dining location, as there was no space to put our stroller, and we even had a few nasty glares from customers who were unhappy about where we initially placed our folded-up stroller! Thankfully, we encountered some kind folks who gave us their space...-__-

First Liege waffle

A mix of old and new

Our favorite French girl drove all the way from Bretagne to meet up with us ^^

Brugge in all its picturesque glory- can you spot the swans?

Our hostess pasteurizing milk from their cows

The view from Belfry Tower 

The Chocolate Line -- Had the most interesting flavors, such as Cuban cigar! :O

Art during tea time with Morgane : )

JJ was entertained while we sampled beers ^^

The route to our farmhouse never got old

Our host, showing JJ Mama cow and Bebe calf

All smiles after breakfast

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