To the Bruges!

The Basilica of the Holy Blood By Night

Yesterday was a travel day.  We slept in and bid farewell to a Luxembourg that was finally starting to come alive after the holidays.  But first, we had to stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was breathtakingly beautiful in a very understated way.  The columns were all carved stone; the tapestreys that covered the walls looked like they dated back to the 1500s; and the stained glass windows were simply divine.

It was a four hour train ride from Luxembourg to Bruges, with a change in Brussels.  We took advantage of a short layover to grab some hot chocolate (mine was white hot chocolate and it was amazing).  We got into Bruges at 4:00 p.m. only to find that the rain had beat us here.  Luckily though, it had mostly passed by the time we arrived and we only had to deal with a slight drizzle.

Bruges is unlike any city I've ever been to.  There's this kind of dreary yet mystical air to it that's very difficult to describe to anyone that hasn't experienced it for themselves.  I like the way that Kati described it best.  She said that it "feels Gothic."  After settling into our hotel - Martins Brugge - we grabbed our first Belgian beers from the John Martin brewery.  There was a strawberry lambic, a brown, and a brown scotch ale.  The lambic was by far both of our favorites.

By the time we finished our beers, it was well into the evening and we walked around exploring a little bit.  We stopped into the Markt for some Gluhwein and to peruse the shops before taking a stroll along the canal and killing a little time before dinner.

Me at Den Dijver

Our dinner was to die for.  We ate at Den Dijver, a gastronomic beer extravaganza.  The chef is world-renowned for his cooking.  He finds inspiration in different Belgian beers and then pairs the dish with the Belgian beer that inspired it.  Before the meal, they served us an apperitiv and a really light celery soup.  My first beer was a white ale made specially for the restaurant and Kati's was a cherry lambic that was to die for.  Kati started with mussels in a beer broth (paired with a blonde) that was really good.  The highlight of her meal though, was the main course, dory with eggplant and zucchini (paired with another blonde).  She finished up with a chocolate brownie with beer ice cream and a very good stoout.  I started with an incredible plate of quail with brussels in a celery sauce (paired with the breathtaking Rodenbach Grand Cru).  My main dish was phesant with pears and chicory (paired with a smooth brown ale).  Hilariously, when I was finishing the last of my phesant I bit down on...wait for it...a lead pellet from the shotgun that killed it.  Finally, I finished up with a creme brule (paired with an amazing dark beer).  It was hands down one of the best meals that I've ever had in my life!

After a leisurely three-hour gastronomic experience, we tried to stop in for a final beer, but found that most of the bars on my list of "must hits" were already closed for the night.  We settled for going to "The Pub" simply because it had an extensive beer list.  Kati got a glass of Bush (Belgian Bush...which is much better than American Bush) and I got a glass of the dark St. Bernardus 12.  We met some two very fun English couples from Birmingham, but had to turn in after our beers so we would have enough energy for our big day and New Year's Eve celebrations.