Dear Family & Friends,
Our adventure is almost complete but still lots of fun and surprises…..
After saying good bye to our gracious hosts Merielle and Rudy and I gave my lovely wife a big hub and kiss we took off.
The morning was cool but no rain and it looked much clearer than yesterday. We could actually see blue sky.
We rode about 5 minutes and immediately ran into a THICK blanket of fog.. I slowed way down, turned on the four way flashers and cautiously continued on. After about 30 minutes of fog the sky slowly started to clear and in two hours we arrived in Bruges, Belgium to beautiful clear blue sky! What a delight. I think we going to finish our trip with no more rain!
When we arrived in bruges we checked into our hotel in a small out cover along a canal. The young man at the desk was so impressed to see old men on motorcycles he invited us to park our bikes on the patio right in front of the hotel! :)
So many people kept telling me we must see Bruges.. First thing we did was indulge in a quick lunch of Belgium waffles.. I am sure they are not on my diet but they sure where good!
After lunch we took a tour boat ride through the cities canals.. Bruges did not disappoint! I think after seeing the city it is one of my favorite cities of Europe. Lots of history and beautiful buildings and parks. After our boat ride Duane decided it was time for a beer and cigar so I took off and walked around the city exploring different areas. We are only here for one afternoon so all I saw was a taste of Bruges but I am sure I will come back here again with Bonnie…
I did enjoy taking lots of photos of the city so go to my blog to see a taste of Bruges.
Tomorrow we get up early and ride about an hour to Dunkirk where we catch a ferry back to Dover, England and from there we ride another hour and a half to my good friend Aubrey’s house in north London. We empty out the bikes and then Friday they go to the shippers for the trip back to California. Duane will be flying home in a few days but Sunday Bonnie comes to London where we will spend a week wandering, shopping, and site seeing in my favorite city. Also the following weekend we will get to see the famous London to Brighton car race for pre-1905 cars. (Not so much a race and a test of durability just to make the 60 mile trip.) I am sure I can squeeze out one or two more reports.
Jason
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| Our warm and gracious hosts in Ulbeek, Merielle and Rudy. Look forward to seeing them again soon. |
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| Arriving in Bruges with VIP parking right in front of our hotel on the patio.. |
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| The restaurant in front of our hotel... |
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| This "Accessory" shop was right in front of our hotel.. I will have to see if there is something there I can get Bonnie that she has always wanted.. Something SHE really wants.. ;) |
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| Our guide was telling us you can buy one of these homes right on the canal for less than $300K. Sounds like a great summer home idea.. |
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| The first major hospital in Bruges in use up to the 1970s.. |
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| Did I mention this is an OLD city.. |
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| I am not sure what goes on in this building but it looks fun... |
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| White buildings are relatively new,,, 1800s |
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| This is a reproduction building but original red and white buildings where painted with a formula using blood and milk,, Delightful |
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| See the date set into the brick? 1673 is the year of the building and this is certainly not the oldest building, many are over 1000 years old. |
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| The hotel we are staying at.. |
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| Authentic Belgium waffles... Not like what you get at the Waffle House.. ;) |
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| Bonnie, what should I get you??? |
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| I had heard Belgium was famous for its chocolate. Now I see why... |
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| This square was completely lined with restaurants with any kind of food you could imagine.. |
