My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
December 18, 2024
I wasn’t sure how I was going to spend my day, but I definitely wanted to see some Christmas Markets before they disappeared for the season. Time was tight, though- I had to be back on the ship in time to host my party. Ron Voyage had asked me to figure out how to get to the charming town of Brugge by public transportation for an upcoming trip he was planning. It looked like there was a tram and a bus that would get you there but it looked like it would take a long time. I put the €15 ship shuttle ticket in my pocket to keep as an option and made my way down the gangway.
At the end of the ramp there were signs for shuttles and tours and then I saw a free shuttle to the terminal. I’ll take that one!
I updated my collection of downloaded podcasts with the terminal’s free wifi, and set off. I passed a shop offering a bus to Brugge for €25 per person, which was not a better deal, so I continued on my way. A sign for a chocolate factory caught my eye, so I decided to follow it. When I reached the turn for the chocolate factory, I decided to keep walking in case there was anything else I wanted to do in Zeebrugge first. I soon found a shop that I had read about online that was advertising day passes for public transportation for €7.50. I decided to head to Brugge after all.
The 20-minute tram ride took me (and several other guests from the cruise ship) to Blankenburg Station. Right there, I spotted a skating rink and what seemed like a Christmas market. But as I got closer, I realized most of the stalls were closed. I checked the bus schedule to Brugge – it was leaving in 13 minutes. I walked around for a few minutes to see if there was anything I wanted to do in Blankenburg.
There wasn’t, so I hopped on the bus for another 30-minute ride. I did the math and figured out I would still have time to explore and find something to eat before I had to head back.
The bus dropped me at a station that looked like it was right in the middle of something. According to Google Maps, I was about a 15-minute walk from the Christmas market.
As I strolled down the streets, they grew more and more Christmassy, and I felt like I was walking through a storybook.
I passed restaurants advertising food combinations of nationalities I’d never seen together before.
I reached the square, perused the stalls filled with ornaments, magnets, hats, gloves and things made of wood, all surrounded by European buildings. I was elated. I’m here! This was what I had come for. I wanted to eat everything that they were selling, but I settled for a cup of mulled wine (Gluhwein) with amaretto and a bowl of cheesy potatoes.
There were standing tables and even a gondola where people could sit and eat and drink. I found a little bench nearby. Some French teenagers sat next to me, chatting away as they ate sandwiches packed in fancy boxes that looked like they had brought from home.
On one side of the square I spotted a Dali Museum
and what I assumed, from the name, to be a Beer Museum.
I resolved to wake up earlier and come back in the future to see these things. But for now, I indulged in a hot chocolate with Amaretto and a waffle – after all, I was in Belgium!
There were a few options of waffle: just a waffle, a waffle with chocolate, a waffle with whipped cream or a Santa waffle, which was the most expensive. I ordered the regular one, and asked the guy if the Santa waffle came with everything. He said yes – but explained that the waffles are so sweet on their own that the Santa one is unnecessarily excessive. I was reassured that I’d made the right choice. He told me my waffle would be ready in about 10 seconds – he wasn’t going to give me one of the pre-made ones sitting there, but a fresh one straight from the waffle maker. Perfect!
When he handed me the waffle he explained that because it had just finished cooking, it may seem a little soggy, but if I just wait a couple of minutes, the sugar will crystalize and the texture will be perfect. I was smitten.
I couldn’t wait – I wanted to taste the difference. I took a bite of the warm, slightly soggy waffle which was as delicious as a hot, under-cooked cookie (which is my favorite kind of cookie). But then I waited. And when I took another bite, the waffle had transformed. It was now crystal-y sweet and crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. It was even better than I imagined.
Savoring my waffle, I made my way back to the bus which took me to the tram, where I walked past the chocolate factory in Zeebrugge before going back through the terminal and boarding the shuttle back to the ship – just in time to get ready for my party.
