After lunch and doing a bit of chocolate shopping, the Missus decided that we needed to "stretch our legs a bit". So we headed in the direct opposite direction of the dwindling tourist crowd and followed the canals.
It seems that folks were heading for warmer and drier locales….even the horses!
Away from the crowds we could really enjoy the beauty of Bruges. Full of little quaint little streets, stately structures, canals, and wonderful churches, I could see why folks are charmed by the city.
We did find a spot we really enjoyed in Bruges, Burg Square. We'd have a seat on one of the benches in the park opposite the square and watch folks come and go. The buildings here are quite striking from the City Hall to the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
You almost get transported in time when a house drawn buggy passes in front of the gold gilded Old Recorders House.
Only to be jolted out of your day dreaming by the honking horn of a tour bus…….
Yet we really enjoyed just sitting here admiring the structures…like the City Hall Building.
The canal shots are wonderful. Like this one with the Church of Our Lady in the background.
We returned to out room, took a nice warm shower and had our ritual nap for the day.
After waking, we decided to head out to a Beer Bar that was recommended to us; t'Brugs Beertje. Unfortunately, they had just changed their hours and would be closed during our stay in Bruges.
We also found out first hand how difficult it was finding a dinner spot without reservations. Luckily we had one for the next night….but on this evening we were on our own and every spot on my list was booked solid. So, I decided on a place I'd read about serving good, unpretentious (although you could use that term for all of Belgium), hearty meals, named Bistro den Huzaar.
The place was rather cozy, perhaps the tables were a bit close together, but the folks here were quite friendly.
We ordered and some bread, herb butter, and a jar of pate was placed on the table.
The pate tasted a bit different; not overly livery, but it had a definite gamey flavor to it. I asked and was told this was Rabbit Pate….which made sense. A friend of mine told me that rabbit pate tasted faintly like urine….having never chugged "Cowboy Beer" I'll have to take is word on it.
Speaking of beer, well, this was Belgium so it made sense to have some with dinner.
The Missus ordered the Duck Confit which came with some bacon, salad, and potatoes.
It was rather non-descript. Not bad mind you, but roasted instead of seared off with crisp skin. Decent flavor and all that. What really surprised us was when a second bowl was delivered to the table…with another whole duck leg in it! So I guess you get two duck legs when you order the confit here.
I got the Lamb Stew, which was nicely flavored, good tomato, though not as rich as I would have enjoyed.
The flavor of the lamb was quite strong, which I enjoyed, though it was also on the tough side. Like the Missus, I was brought a bowl with more lamb stew in it…..
Bruges as a whole was more expensive than any other city we visited in Belgium…probably due to the amount of tourists. But at Bistro den Huzaar; you really couldn't complain about not getting enough to eat.
Bistro Den Huzaar
Vlamingstraat 36
Bruges, Belgium
We basically rolled out of the restaurant and headed back to our room to recover……