Bruges, Belgium

The last weekend of January, we took a little trip to Bruges, Belgium.  We rented a car and drove three and a half hours southwest to escape into a precious little preserved medieval town.  Time did not touch this place very much in the last couple hundred years.  There were original cobblestone streets and bridges.  There were churches that were started in the late 800s.  I'm not missing a "1" in front.  800s!  It was a bit magical.  We stayed in a vacation rental that was originally built in the 1700s.  It was cute, and the owners were so hospitable.  They had belgium beer and chocolates waiting for us and they put Disney's Cars sheets on the boys' beds!  Bateman couldn't wait to go to bed on his Cars sheets!

The boys in our courtyard.

Leaving for our first morning of adventure.

Belgian waffles at a cute patisserie.

Once our bellies were fuller than full, we were ready for a horse and buggy tour of the city!  Our horse's name was Felix and he trotted along the stones showing us all the history of the city.  One of my favorite sites was called a Godhuis (meaning God House).  These were built around the 1700s by the rich people for the poor people to have a place to live.  Here's the catch:  since the rich people were so busy (being rich?) and didn't have time to pray, the poor people had to pray for them.  Hilarious.  Now these godhuisen have been turned into retirement homes.  It's neat that they have been repurposed, and they still say Godhuis on them.  The carriage ride was a perfect way to get acquainted with the city.

Here are the boys in front of the Belfry that boasts 366 steps to the top.

Here's Felix bobbing and weaving through all the streets.

Can you believe the boys fell asleep on the ride?  Me neither.  :)

After the carriage ride, we did a little walking around.  We went inside of the 1200 year old Onze Lieve Vrowekerk (Our Lady Church),  where we saw Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.  Just amazingly beautiful!

The boys were getting ready to really fall asleep, so we walked back to our place for a nap.  Richard Carey decided to go back out and explore while we were resting.  He was hoping to climb the Belfry, but the wait was incredibly long.  So he opted for a snack instead.

We were rained out Saturday evening so we just played in our little place.

The boys and their Sunday morning tradition: Coffee.

After we found a beautiful Mass (in Dutch), we drove to the English Channel.  It was our first trip to the sea since our arrival.  It was cold and windy and overcast, but still amazing.

Seafood by the sea.  Bateman snapping photos.  :)

Love love loved Bruges!  Would certainly go back.  Alrighty, tot ziens!