Chocolate, beer, and lace

Yesterday we rented a car and drove all the way to Belgium. Which is actually very close. It was the most anticlimactic border crossing I have ever experienced. We were driving, and Norma or Rick (I can't remember because I was asleep) said "hey - we're in Belgium now." Just like when you pass to another state on the highway and there's just a sign that says "Welcome to..." No passport stamp or anything. We spent the day in Bruges, which is a very cool little town. It's very medival-looking, with some of the travel guides saying the town just sort of ground to a halt in the middle ages, while the more cynical ones point out that a lot of it has been recreated, just for us tourists. Either way, it is pretty, which hopfully you can tell from the picture, which I took from the top of the bell tower in the center of town.

As you can tell from my Title line, the main three products of the area appear to be chocolate, beer, and lace. There were more chocolatiers per capita than probably necessary (I have, indeed, found what my mom would call "heaven"), and many restuarants bragging hundreds of types of beer. Lace is another product that I did not purchase, but it is a local product of which the people are very proud.

Then we went to Ghent for dinner. Norma's Belgian colleagues told her that Ghent is where the nightlife is, but we couldn't find any. We may not have been looking in the right place. But Ghent also had many interesting old buildings, including a castle in the town center.

Today (Sunday) Norma and Rick hosted a Carnival party. It started at 1pm. I was wasted by 5pm. I was sobered up by 9pm. What a party! There were only a few Dutch people there, but we all enjoyed ourselves partaking in tradition. We had a great view of a parade that took place in town, and we dutifully threw confetti everywhere and wore silly hats, which was the minimum required to participate in Carnival.

We were going to go out tonight, but considering we were all feeling a bit hung over by about 9:30, we decided that we would throw in the towel. We got to experience the drunken reverie that is Carnival on Friday night anyway, so I certainly didn't miss out on anything. It's 10:30pm, and it has been a busy few days, so I am going to call it a night and head to the warmth of my bed.