So, the obligatory holiday post. Bruges is lovely; its a really picturesque town with generally wide streets, low buildings, plenty of light and a really good vibe – even if the people look quite grumpy for the most part, most of them are really friendly. The one exception was the waiter in Haagen Dazs (an American shop we went into for the comedy of it, and the waffles…) who said without any of the soothing Kelsey Grammar tones “I’m listening” when we indicated we were interested in take away.

Some cities grow organically – like London, growing painfully to meet the ever growing needs of its inhabitants. In Tallin, on the other hand, the beautiful old town is perfectly structured – until it comes to an abrupt end against a cold-war-fashioned new town. Bruges is in a third catagory – and is completely consistent in its quaint charm, as if its run by a council of architectural fascists with a fondness for red-brick construction. That is, and as pointed out by our taxi driver on the way in, with the exception of the new concert hall, which is a red concrete slab behemoth of a building, and is truly hideous. Anyway, aside over…

We’ve been mostly eating and relaxing, and doing the obligatory visits to Church that time with family and Easter entails, which has been good. Sheila’s boyfriend Dave and I have been challenging each other to eat stupid things (or stupid amounts) and there’s been good laughs all around – parents are on good form too.

Today, we had a bit of an adventure; we rented bikes, Dave taught Sheila how to cycle, we plonked her on the back of a tandem and cycled into the nearby village of Damme (Damn-ne) — which sparked numerous puns and references to the ‘Muscles from Brussels’ himself, Jean Claude van Damme. There was a windmill, a church, and a couple of really nice restaraunts. Had the best steak ever at a place called De Spieghel, which is a recommended venue if you pass through that way. It was a 14km return journey, so needless to say, I’m knackered now…

More will come, and with photos. But so far this has seems a wonderful city and I may well come back here. I I seem to have developed a unhealthy fondness for blond beers (although my fave beer so far is still Hoegarden, albeit at a fraction of the UK prices).