Bruges

We boarded the buses to head to Bruges, our last stop in Belgium. While we toured, our ship sailed on to the Netherlands, where we rejoined it that evening.

When our tour reached the market square, we were given time to eat, shop, and explore. When asked about the best place to get chocolate there, the guide pointed to an alleyway and said to follow it to Dumon. My agenda included Belgian fries with mayonnaise, Belgian chocolate, and a Belgian ale (see below). After the big breakfast on the ship, I wasn't really interested in mussels, and I wound up not being hungry enough to have a Belgian waffle before we left. I saw a friterie on the market square, so I headed there first. The fries are cooked twice at two different temperatures. The mayonnaise was really great, too, but I don't know if they have a special recipe, or that it was freshly made, and I'm used to what comes from a jar. Then I headed around to Dumon. I ate one of the characteristic ganache concoctions and also bought a fair-sized block to eat from along the rest of the trip. I went ahead and ate one of the squares after I left the store.

Before the trip I inquired on davidsoncats.com, as to what Belgian ale I should seek out, figuring that the guys there were experts in such matters. I was sent a link to a list of seven Trappist ales, and was told that the second on the list is "the holy grail of beers." I found it at an outdoor café near the chocolate shop. It was three or four times as expensive as the next cheapest one on the menu. I chose the 8% variety, but the bottle cap said it was the 10.2%. Diet Coke with lime is usually the strongest drink I have. It did taste remarkably good.