Wednesday September 3, 2025
Hi Folks! Yep, you guessed it. We woke up in another country! Today we are in Bruges in Belgium. Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobble stoned streets and medieval buildings. It is really a beautiful place and you feel like you’ve literally stepped back in time when you’re there. It has an almost fairytale atmosphere.
Its port, Zeebrugge, where we are docked today, is an important center for fishing and European trade. While we’ve both been to Bruges before, it’s been awhile since we’ve been here, and we love it so much we decided to do a day trip exploring the city.
Our excursion started with a bus to the city center, the whole of which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We walked with our tour guide thru the various narrow, winding streets. We saw the Grote Markt Square, the 13th century Belfry Tower, the Chapel of the Holy Blood, and the spectacular 14th century Stadhuis (City Hall).
After that we had a 30 minute small boat cruise along the canals of Bruges. It was so peaceful to traverse the quaint and quiet waterways. Now I know why they call it the Venice of Belgium. So beautiful! It also reminded us of a small Amsterdam.
Afterwards we had free time to roam the city center, shop and people watch. Afterwards we took the bus back to the pier.
Once back on the ship we got a quick bite to eat, relaxed for the afternoon and then got ready for dinner. I’ll do another update later. Happy Hump Day to all!
The Wandering Italian 