Will Sing for Travel: Not in the Sunny Warmth of the Caribbean Anymore! Cherbourg, France

Brugge, Belgium

First of all, life is good. I often have this feeling like I am in exactly the place where I need to be and that feeling right now is really comforting. I’m not going to lie…being on a ship out in some distant ocean, while constantly surrounded by people, can be a lonely existence. However, the outlet of this blog makes me feel like I have all my loved ones with me sharing the experiences as I do. That is a very good thing.

On a completely different note, I am getting ready to look forward to some MEGA waves in the next week. Supposedly the Bay of Biscay (before we get to Lisbon, Portugal) is one of the rockiest places on the high seas and it just so happens there’s a storm there right now. There have been measured 30 ft swells and all this boat has dealt with since I have been on is 3 ft. I can’t even begin to imagine what this would be like. I posted that video of the ship going crazy with 3 ft swells and it already looked like Armageddon was happening. Because of this, we are now staying in port in Dover, England for an extra night to try to avoid this storm but I am told that we are still expecting to feel 8-10 ft swells putting us “on notice” meaning we are supposed to take anything off of the walls and shelves that might fall. I might actually get sea sick, really sea sick, on this one.

Cherbourg, France-

Tito in Cherbourg, France

It wasn't the cleanliest of place (Cherbourg, France)

Cherbourg, France

An outdoor cheese stand!! Yes.

Seriously fishing for money (Cherbourg, France)

Justin enjoying his first crepe and a muffin in France

Cherbourg, France

We got off this ship in the morning and it was sunny but very cold. Ok, maybe it was moderately cold but coming from the Caribbean it felt like it was the North Pole at a frosty and windy 45° F. This port, to put it in short, was slightly disappointing. The bar was so high from Mt. St. Michelle the day before and this city, while still very charmingly French, was dirty and very routine in a way. All I really did was order a couple crepes with Nutella in French and window shop at a couple places before retreating to the ship to slip into a well needed sugar coma.

Brugge, Belgium-

My breakfast in Blankenburge, Belgium

You can see me taking a pic in the mirror!

Yummmmmm

One of the coolest candy stores we found

candy fried eggs!!! HA!

Yep...those are chocolate boobies....

Brugge, Belgium

hair barrettes made of different and interesting things...pills, mentos, dried fruit, etc.

I got off this ship in Blankenburge at around 11am with a large group of crew and had just missed the necessary train to go get to the beautiful city of Brugge. Like a very smart traveler, I didn’t get a chance to eat anything. Being a very hungry woman (which is never a good thing) I looked for anything with protein to eat for breakfast but it seems that the Belgium people live solely off of fries and mayo, pastries, waffles, chocolate, and beer. I thought that at 11 in the morning a pastry would be probably the best choice, stopped in one of the many bakeries in between all the chocolate and candy shops, and found a roll like pastry in the shape of a person and instantly my search for sustenance was over. I just had too. We got on the train directly after that and the day really began.

Brugge, Belgium was like walking into a dream where I should be milking a cow in lederhosen while eating waffles, fantastically Wonka-esk like candy, and rich creamy chocolate. Tidy little chocolate shops seemed to compose 75% of this very clean, historic, and yet modern city and I couldn’t keep my eyes off the old and colorful charm of the buildings surrounding the cobblestone streets. My second item on the list of the day was to find the hidden Chapel of the Precious Blood. It took me almost two hours and many inquiries to track this place down but I finally found this place. I heard that there was a glass with the supposed blood of Jesus Christ on it. I had to see what ever this was! After finally finding the oldest chapel in Brugge, I walk into the ornately decorated jewel toned chapel and sure enough there is a priest just sitting above and intently guarding this glass case. We were able to walk up to it (no pics allowed) and enclosed inside the guarded case was a glass vial that contained what looked like to resemble separated and crystallized blood. Who knows what there is to believe about it but one couldn’t help but feel like I was gazing onto history or something out of the Divinci Code. After that, I needed a beer and we found the perfect place to do it…..the Beer Wall. This was a place that encompassed hundreds of local beers brewed in Belgium. I first had the Belgse Zot beer and it was fantastic and the second beer, Borgogne des Hondres, was mind blowing its almost cider finish to a caramel colored amber brew. Not only were the beers perfect but the bathroom sink in the place was an AQUARIUM!! WHAT?! I’m not used to this.

What a wonderful way to warm up after a day walking around the beautiful yet cold and rainy town of Brugge.