Brugge & Damme

I had an extraordinary birthday this year. We made the celebration extra special by spending a weekend with family in Zeeland. G and I drove down to Zeeland later on a Friday afternoon. The ride is always lovely, since it goes through rural areas of the Netherlands. We took a few stops along the way to shoot photos too. A few of the spots included a lighthouse and  part of the national water management system, Neeltje Jans. The next two days were spent in Zeeland with my in-laws, including my mother-in-law, stepfather-in-law, and sister-in-law. They gave me a surprise trip to Belgium with them. I had no idea where we were going, I assumed we were going to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, the south side of Zeeland that is connected with Belgium.

I fell asleep in the van, and awake to clear blue canals passing by the windows. Our first stop was to Damme, Belgium. It was a quaint (and very pretty) village, but most of the town was closed down. It wasn’t clear why 95% of the town was shut down for the day. We did manage to get some hot chocolate and coffee at a nearby shop before deciding to visit elsewhere. Despite the village being closed, it was worth driving through. Our next stop was Brugge, a small city fifteen minutes away. Brugge reminded me a lot of Mechelen, but it had much unique character of its own. Many of the buildings had traditional architecture, and the historical nature of the city was etched in every building within Brugge.

My visit became even more epic when my mother-in-law Nel and sister-in-law Andrea hired a carriage for a tour. Only the four of us could fit in the carriage. It lasted about a half hour, but we managed to see a lot. After seeing so many interesting places, we decided to continue exploring. The city was fairly busy, especially since the weather was extra warm for a Friday. We ate Flemish fries, took photos, and strolled roads full of old architecture. The experience was quite vivid, and I’ll never forget!

Link: More information on Brugge from Rick Steve on Youtube