Belgium!

Belgium is far and away the best place in Europe, according to Meghan. Even their most popular tourist destination, Brugge (prounounced Brooj), where I am writing from, is the friendliest, cutest, sunniest, most delicious place on the planet. All that and we have only been here one day. Let me explain...

We left Paris by train four days ago. After a short ride, we arrived in Bologne sur Mer, where it was overcast and very windy. Fortunately the wind was at our backs, and gave us a little help as we rode along the hilliest section of the coast we had seen so far. It was very "North Sea" with the steel gray skies and little white caps out to see, and the coastline full of rocks and tall, coarse grasses. That first day we rode through three or four tiny villages- hamlets, really- each one with red tile roofs, a boulongerie (bakery), and a boucherie (butcher shop) as well as a hotel. Our evenings were spent finding a place to camp. The "Camp Sites" in Europe are actually RV parks... not exacly what we want. So, we end up camping "sauvage", or "wild", which means just hiding in the trees between towns. Possibly illegal, but no one really cares.

Navigating in France was a bit diffiult, because there are no marked bike routes as far as we could tell. We simply hugged the coast the entire time, getting lost only a couple of times in the larger towns (Curse you, Calais and Dunkerque!!!).

We met up along the boardwalk in Dunkerque with four Belgians who were in France for a weekend getaway on their bicycles. After chatting a bit, they guided us quickly into Belgium, which, compared to France, is a bicycle wonderland. All the way through Belgium there are well-labelled bike routes that are very scenic and calm. We made our way into Brugge, which is possibly the most beautiful town we have ever seen. Highly recommended. The "old town" is preseved somewhat as a Unesco World Heritage site. To give that some meanaing, other Unesco sites are usually just buildings... this is the ENTIRE TOWN! The buildings are beautiful, and the cobblestone streets are filled with people on bicycles, young and old.

When we arrived in Brugge, we immediately came across a hostel offering Internet access. As I was checking my email and couchsurfing requests, Meghan made friends with two awesome old ladies at the bar, who proceeded to chat in that adorable old lady way. When they learned that we didn't have a place to stay, they jumped on their mobile phones (and their telephone books!) and called up a friend who runs a "pensioner" or a guestroom. This woman was just as adorable and chatty, and we got a whole apartment for just 50 Euros per night! Breakfast was extra, but well worth it, because Monique was a great story teller, and knew lots about Brugge, travelling and language, three of our favorite topics.

After two days fo exploring this beautiful city by foot, bike and boat, we've packed our bags with Belgian cherries and waffles from the market, and we're headed toward Amsterdam. We've met a few more riders headed south who say the way ahead is beautiful and relaxed, so we're excited to be back on the bikes! It may be a few days before we post again, but be sure we'll have lots of stories!

And please leave us some comments- we're eager to hear from you guys too- we miss you, Mom(s) & and Dad(s)!

P.S. In no particular order, here are some photos from Belgium (and Brugge in particular... just ask if you would like to know more about them!)