On Dry Land – Part 2: Beer & Chocolate 2 of my favourite things….

Continuing on from my last blog… On Day 2, Monday 26th September 2016, Britannia docked at the port of Zeebrugge and it was from here that we had chosen to do an organised Shore Excursion to Bruges..

There are many options for passengers from this mini-cruise, P&O themselves offer a free shuttle service to the Belgium coastal town of Blankenberge – from here it is also possible to get the train to Bruges or to Brussels.  There is also a coastal tram service from Zeebrugge, or further excursions offered include Ypres or Ghent… But for us Bruges was our destination of choice.

Our visit being on a Monday, saw many of the Museums in Bruges were closed, so do bear that in mind if that is something you would want to do… however for us this was not a problem – the only museum we went to was open and that was the Chocolate Museum.

Many people have said that Bruges is the Venice of Northern Europe, having not yet visited Venice I can’t compare, but it was certainly a very beautiful city with lovely buildings and it was a beautiful day for wandering the cobbled streets that run along side the canals, leave your high heels on the ship.

One of the many cobbled streets by the canals

From where our tour bus dropped us it was a 10 minute walk through a lovely park to the centre where our guide then left us free to explore for around 5 hours.  From here we walked through several narrow streets to reach the main square, where by this time we were ready to sit for a while with a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere.  The square was a vast area, lined on 2 sides by bustling cafes and there were several horse & carriages coming and going taking in tours of the city… we decided that we were just doing the walk around option.  I think we walked nearly every street of this beautiful small city and also had time to stop and enjoy the local beer and share a portion of delicious chips, we also visited several chocolate shops – and had many samples, including the most divine Chocolate smothered Strawberries from the Godiva shop!!  As the time was approaching to return to the area to meet our guide, conveniently near the brewery, we made our way back there and although did not have time to do a Brewery tour did enjoy sitting in the courtyard having a few further samples…. The Cherry Beer was certainly rather tasty too.

The Market Square

The Godiva shop – amazing Chocolate Strawberries  & Leffe – my now favourite Belgium Beer…

Our guide arrived, and we walked back to the coach park and were swiftly returned back to the Britannia to get ready for our Formal night on board… Another lovely dinner in the Meridien Restaurant, followed by late drinks in the bar then to return to Southampton on the following morning.

Me and my Husband on a rare glamorous night… Our Formal night Portrait.

Overall a lovely couple of days break, Bruges is definitely a place that I would return to, and the Christmas Markets are meant to be amazing… If you are interested in a mini-cruise then please do let me know and I will be happy to help.

As I am writing this, I have recently heard my “Back on Dry Land” is not lasting quite as long as I thought.. but keep following and reading for more exciting news on where I am going next…..