Today I want to share with you my newest addition to “Natalie’s favorite places on earth“…Brugge, Belgium (Or Bruges, depending on where you’re from)!
Getting off the train in Brugge feels like stepping into the pages of a fairy tale book. Cobblestone streets, canals weaving in and out from under the streets, and to-die-for chocolate makes Brugge my second favorite place on the planet.
My sister and I had been in Belgium for the wedding of a friend I had met in Rome 3 years earlier. The day after the wedding we were due to take the train back to Paris, where we had been staying the week before. But, at the wedding we met a charming brother & sister duo who convinced us to travel with them to Brugge the following morning. The wedding had lasted until 5am that evening/morning, so exhaustedly we took the first train out to Brugge on a Sunday morning.
At first, Brugge felt like any other European city we had ventured thus far in our trip. As we pulled into the train station we saw the usual slew of Americanized dining; Starbucks, McDonalds. After grabbing a map from the travel kiosk, we crossed the street and stepped into what looked like Belle’s hometown in Beauty & the Beast.
We discovered we liked Belgium beer…
We were only able to spend a couple days in Brugge, but I’m planning on going back later this summer. I need to restock my Belgium chocolate stash. :)