Dateline: Bruges Monday 11th April 2011

Fine and warm.
Th nexr morning seated at the table beside us in the breakfast room are some fellow Australians taking advantage of the travel allowance given to Qantas employees.  


Bruges old city centre is very small and and easy to find your way around so we head off towards the main square.  Not far from the centre is the Chocolate Factory (Museum).

Here we learn how the ancient Mayan tribes discovered cocoa beans and ground them down to a powder to make a chocolate drink.   They even had tools to to make it frothy.  Just like a chocolate milkshake :)  Chocolate became extremely popular but only available to the well off at that time.  We watch a demonstration on making praline filled chocolates and get to taste one on the way out.  Delicious!

Belgium is famous for its chocolate due to the unique quality of ingredients and an almost fanatical adherence to Old World manufacturing techniques. Even today most Belgian chocolate is still made by hand in small shops using original equipment.  They are everywhere. 

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Naturally we couldn't resist buying a box of chocolates.  I managed to get this shot just in time.  Shortly after this picture was taken these little chaps met a sticky end.   Very tasty!

Next stop is the Belfort Tower, Bruges' most famous landmark, a 13th-century belfry, housing a carillion of 48 bells.  Sharon and James climb to the top via the 365 narrow, steep steps for a view across the city.  We then wander on through the streets of Bruges.  The architecture is amazing.

Carriage rides in the main square of Bruges

If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?