Travelogue

Before the long and already booked trip to Southeast Asia, we decided to escape from everyday life for a few days. What could be more obvious than a city trip - our choice fell on Bruges in Belgium, also known as the "Venice of the North". Not so far away and easily accessible with our VW Beetle Cabrio.

As accommodation and starting point for our excursions, we have chosen the Crown Plaza Hotel(4*) in the old town of Bruges, which is well and centrally located.

The outward journey went without any problems, apart from the fact that I forgot my wallet and ID-card at home and we therefore had to turn back.

Every visitor should know that Bruges and its beautiful old town can only be enjoyed in the early morning or in the evening. During the day, the many passengers on the cruise ships that dock in Zeebrugge near the city flood the old town with its small streets.

We also didn't want to miss the extraordinary flair of the old town with its sights. This includes a boat trip on the canals, the Grote Markt with its many restaurants and the Belfry (this is a medieval bell tower), the Church of Our Lady and last but not least the Rozenhoedkaai (considered to be the most photographed place in Bruges). What many don't know either - Bruges is the capital of Belgian chocolate and is known for an unspeakable number of beers! We counted over 50 types of beer on a menu and of course tried one of them.

We also made trips to the surrounding area. A nice trip from Zeebrugge along the North Sea coast to Ostend with its large promenade and then on to Dunkirk to the "Operation Dynamo" museum, an exhibition about a evacuation campaign by a total of almost 240,000 Allied soldiers who were surrounded at this location by the German Wehrmacht in 1940. Very impressive and clearly presented.

Then we visited the German military cemetery in Hooglede. Jutta's great-grandfather, who fell in World War One in 1917, is buried there.

On the way back to our hotel, we saw a classic car meeting at an event location and took some photos there.

The trip home went smoothly. In retrospect, once again a trip that we will look back on fondly.

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