France and Belgium

We got up early to drive to Dover (of White Cliffs fame) and catch a ferry across the Channel to France where we would drive up to Bruges, Belgium. The boat trip was entertaining - about an hour and fifteen minutes - enough time to get an English breakfast and then get back in the car.

We docked in Calais, France and began the hour drive up to Belgium. Bruges is a World Heritage site and due to its magnificently in-tact medieval architecture and numerous canals is called the 'Venice of the North'. The small house shown in the photo here dates from 1436 and this photo was taken out of in front of our hotel.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and add a note that bicycles rule here. Everyone rides one. They'll run over you, in spite of the polite jingle of their handlebar bell. And it was fun to watch people smoke and ride bikes.










Bruges is a wonderland. It is a postcard that you step into. The local Belgian white bieres are phenomenal. And the chocolate is totally worth the lard ass. We bought some excellent chocolate at Dumon Chocolatier - a small family run business.
On the way back the next day, we stopped for a short visit to Calais, France and had a quick bite to eat and a beer.