We hopped out of the cab in the middle of the congested street at Gare du Nord, another classic French station. (No time to properly park or take a photo!) The cabbie sincerely said his first and last words to us, "Hope you make your train!" Mike gave him a nice tip for his efforts!
Our driver must have had good karma along with his good driving skills, as we got to the station at 18:18 (yes, I was monitoring the time that closely), scant minutes before our next departure at 18:25. Now to board the train!!
Once inside we did not see the train schedule posted on a "big board" as we had seen in all the other stations. This is where we would normally find our track number for our destination of Bruges. Stumped! Add more panic!
Looked for a wandering info person as the info desk line was seven other puzzled people long. THEN finally at the head of a track we spotted the sign for our train. We boarded with two minutes to spare before departure. Breathing heavily, but relieved.
Although high-speed, this Belgium national train car wasn't quite as plush as the French high-speed -- a little less leg room, but very nice. First off, we got a free magazine telling about coming events (kind of like on an airplane). Wi-Fi was located inside a special little compartment at one end of the car (if you did not subscribe into their system). Conductors were very polite and helpful.
Another nice thing ... the French are so French they only give announcements in French. The Belgium train announcements were in four languages, including English. Not so much guesswork or worry on the part of foreign guests like us in trying to follow directions and gather info.
After a short while the sun began to set. The silhouettes of the cypress and other trees were lovely. After dark, not much to see except lights in towns along the way. There were also a few soccer games playing under bright lights.
By this time we wanted a snack, so I headed to the club car. We found it closed. I asked the conductor if I could look at the photo menu on the wall (just out of curiosity) and he said, "No problem."
As I headed back to my seat, he whipped out a tea bag from his satchel and asked if he could make me some tea. I was very grateful that he attempted to serve me from his personal tea stash, but I declined. I did not want him to go through any trouble even though he was quite willing. Now that is service!!
As I headed back to my seat, he whipped out a tea bag from his satchel and asked if he could make me some tea. I was very grateful that he attempted to serve me from his personal tea stash, but I declined. I did not want him to go through any trouble even though he was quite willing. Now that is service!!
At 20:11 we pulled into the Brugge station. There we saw the first sign of many events paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One (11/11/1914). This date (Armistice Day / Veterans Day / Remembrance Day) marks the signing of an agreement in Compiegne, France to end the fighting between Germany and the Allies. From here on for the rest of our journey, we saw many announcements for events remembering this important date in history.
We grabbed a cab right outside the station door. I think we took a side trip en route to the hotel, but the cabbie provided good info about where to eat, shop, and avoid. We arrived at the Hotel Patritius a little before 21:00.
Our hotel was actually a mansion built in 1830. It is family-owned by a sweet young couple, their daughter, and their tiny dog (Fellini). They manage hands-on and are most helpful. We would recommend this place. Go to: www.hotelpatritius.be
Per our reservation we had a "small room," but when we arrived they had upgraded us to larger room. The layout was a bit unusual with a glass picture window between the bathroom and bed. We closed the venetian blinds.
Our bed was huge, but had the weirdest pillows--completely square. Could not get used to that. Whatever way they were placed under my head, just did not seem right.
Other than those "features," it was a bit formal for our taste, but roomy and comfortable with all the amenities needed ... even an automated shoeshine buffer in the hallway outside our door! Our outside windows had a lovely view overlooking a fairy light lit garden.
After getting settled we were hungry, so we asked the owner manning the desk where we could grab a quick bite. He said most places nearby closed around 21:00 on a Tuesday night, but we might try the hostel cafe / bar around the corner.
When we got there it looked a bit young and rowdy for our mood at the moment. But across the street was a pita place. Once inside we thought for sure that we had picked the wrong eatery. The place was empty besides us and communication was not the best between cook-waiter and patron. Our first few choices on the menu seemed to be "out of stock." Looking worse!
There were a few questionable (in regard to freshness) styles of sausage in the display fridge. Who knew how long they had been there? Mike decided to chance it because he was hungry and we did not have other nearby choices. I went with the veggie samosas. Both came with fries and a little salad.As we started to eat, the owner's son (maybe?) entered. He came to our table with much needed napkins. A few minutes later he returned to explain, in perfect English, how to eat the samosas by dipping them into the special homemade sauce.
We also got our first taste of kriek (a sour cherry, lambic style beer originating in Belgium). I am not a beer drinker by any means, but I love-love lambic, especially the raspberry version called framboise. We would find, however, most places here only served the kriek (sour cherry). Read up at: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic
As we chowed down, several students and locals filled the tables. It turned out that everything was quite delish and filled us up before we could clean our plates. Not a bad choice after all.
Back to the hotel for a refreshing shower and settling in to a great night's sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you have visited any of these places, we would love to hear your comments. Or send us recommendations of places we should not miss.