Beautiful Bruges

In November I will be sailing for the first time on Cunard and the Queen Elizabeth to Bruges just for a mini cruise. If you’ve never cruised before or simply want to try out a new ship they are the perfect way to experience it.

Many of the cruise lines do mini cruises and they prove extremely popular as they are excellent value for money as to include all food, accommodation and a live show each evening and with prices starting at £229 per person for a two night cruise you can see why they are so popular.  The short breaks can be to Ireland, Ijmuden for Amsterdam, Guernsey and France as well as Zeebrugge for Bruges.  Certainly these prices are comparable to staying in a hotel in the UK for a couple of nights but you get so much more for your money!

I am a member of a bookclub locally and we have a wonderfully social, eclectic mix of ladies – but another thing that we have in common other than our love of reading is our love of cruising! There are ten of us venturing aboard for two nights and we are sailing to Zeebrugge which is a stones-throw from the beautiful city of Bruges and we are all very excited about the prospect.  One of our ladies Lottie holds gin evenings to raise money for charity and we are also all a bit partial to a nice gin and tonic so we will have a meet-up in advance of our trip not just to organise what we are going to wear but also who is taking which gin on board so we can have a nice selection for our pre-dinner aperitifs.

On the Queen Elizabeth, I cannot wait to try the indulgent Traditional Afternoon Tea served by white-gloved waiters between 3.30 and 4.30pm daily in the Queens Room.  With it’s delicious finger sandwiches, scones and pastries served with the finest leaf teas and served to the melodic backdrop of the orchestra playing.  If we have time I would like to participate in their extensive selection of daily activities including dance classes (taught by Cunard’s professional dance hosts), fencing, bridge lessons, competitions, quizzes, craft classes and informative talks from the on board teams.  Or maybe a visit to the onboard spa?

I am looking forward to visiting Bruges which I have never been to before with all of it’s stunning fairytale Medieval architecture and cobbled streets together with it’s intricate canals. Not to mention the beautifully hand-made chocolates sold in the many chocolatiers in the city centre.  Word is apparently that you can get anything covered in chocolate and moulded! No doubt I will be trying the local Belgian beer and I might even surprise my husband with a beer or two for compensation for me being away on a girlie weekend and abandoning him!

Contact me for further information on 0330 0417348.