Gent to Brugge – May 30/13 – 50 km

Some stayed on board today as the weather was cool and rainy at the start and so we only had 18 riders leave the boat. With 18 riders it was a nicer size group for cycling and we kept a good pace and good spacing from front to back.

The Captain was going to drop those that stayed onboard a little closer to Brugge and from there they will find their own way to the city centre and meet up with us later today; however traffic was slow for the barge and they did not arrive into Brugge until about 4 p.m.

Our ride today for the most part was all along the canal that goes from Gent all the way to Brugge, so it was different than following the river and going through all the small towns.

For lunch we stopped at a small cafe/pub and the locals made us feel welcome.

Along the canal were a number of bunkers built by the Germans during WWII. It was part of a master plan to load up barge from these bunkers and then sail them across the North Sea to England. However the problem was that the Barges that could traverse the canals could not handle the winds and seas of the North Sea.

It was a great ride today.

We arrived in Brugge early and had about 3 hrs to explore, shop anad enjoy the beautiful city of Brugge. It is unbelievable the number of tourists in the city and most arrive via tour buses, so there are buses of every shape, size and configuration. Once you cross the canal and go into the old town centre of Brugge the streets get very narrow, it’s hard to tell which are one-way and so you have to have your head on a swivel. There are horse drawn carts carrying tourists and they travel the same roads as the people and then the cars are trying to get around as well, its very busy. Brugge is also very famous for Belgian Chocolate. So there are chocolate shops on every corner, down every street and the displays, designs, shapes and colours are as much as the mind can imagine.

Tonight after dinner we went on a city walk and explored the old town centre of Brugge. It’s very beautiful and very historic; it is referred to as “The Venice of the North”.