In Bruges

Woke up early again to head out of Brussels. I was headed to a small town to the west called, “Bruge”. I arrived and stashed my bag for the day. Oh, I did notice that the vending machines in Bruge have waffles in them. Ha! Awesome! I found the tourist office and got a map of the city.


I headed toward a monastery called, “Begijnhof”. The monastery is partly surrounded by a stream. Many streams in Bruge! When you walk inside you not allowed to talk or take pictures. Well, I was able to seek a couple. You walk into this huge grassy area surrounded by these small looking homes and a church. In the grassy area are many tress and thousands of white and yellow tulips. Very pretty! It was also very quiet so it was nice to walk around enjoy the little area.

I headed out and found a couple of churches and the Marketplatz. Also, I was able to stop and have a waffle for breakfast. Tee-Hee! I decided that there was one aspect of Belgium that I had yet to really explore. I’ve had the beer, the fries, and the waffles. Now, I needed some chocolate!

I headed to the chocolate museum. Yes I know, I know. Not another museum! “Have you learned nothing from your past experiences?” Well, I do like the interactive museums and this one had a chocolate making demonstration! So I cruised through the history of the coca bean (something about Aztecs), the process of chocolate (something about mixing), the popular culture of chocolate through the ages (something about the British), and the movies on chocolate (something not in English). I headed to the main part….the short tour….the grand finale!

I first walk into a room of various objects made of chocolate: A giant egg, cats, penguins, people, and some weird stuff. My favorite was a man made out of chocolate and he was eating himself…..he started with his arm. I wonder how down he would have gotten before he realized that this was a bad idea. If it were me, I’d get to about my waist. Anyway!

They also had another chocolate man. Can you take a guess who?

In the demonstration room a lady gave an explanation of making chocolate in three languages: French, Dutch, and English. Talented lady! She made chocolate right in front of us and it looked oh so good. My favorite part was when we actually got to eat the chocolate that was made that day. So good!

Oh, when I first arrived in the place they had a tray of chocolate on the front counter…..I took a little more than one when the lady wasn’t looking. They were delicious!

I walked out happy and full of chocolate…..into a rain storm. It wasn’t supposed to rain today. I found shelter in a nearby lunch stand called, “Lily”. I had my last fries and beer in Belgium. I also ordered a burger for good measure. Good lunch! The sauce that came with the fries tasted like the Holy Family Festival Peppersteak sauce. The Holy Family sauce is way better, but it came close. I enjoyed it!

Well, I had a full day of Bruge and decided to head out. My goal now is to get to Strasbourg (long story, I‘ll get to it later). I asked the man at the ticket counter what the fastest way for me to get back to Stasbourg. Now, I already had a back-up train schedule, but I was leaving Bruge about two hours or so earlier than I had planned. The man said, “All trains to Strasbourg are fully booked”. Turns out the schedule that I had originally planned was the only one I get on because you didn’t need a reservation for that one. Well, that’s why I picked it…..need to safe money where I can. So, my itinerary was set to transfer trains in Brussels so I thought I’d head there early and then wait there for my connecting train. I also thought I’d ask again about trains to Strasbourg and see if I got another answer.

Once in Brussels I devised a plan so my 2-hours of waiting wasn’t a waste of time. I was going to look into booking trains for the day I have been planning for since I was in Nice. Now, another reason (while I was in Nice) that I went to Stasbourg and NOT Spain is partly due to what I wanted to do on April 6th. Tomorrow would be my 29th Birthday. Yep, the last of my twenties! Another year until I’m the Big 3-0. You can get it all out now! I don’t care so much about age…..another feather in the cap for one hell of a crazy year. Anyway! I just want to spend my Birthday in Paris!! Hell yeah!

So, in Brussels I head to the ticket office and ask about trains to Strasbourg. No luck! I head to another office and try to book my TGV train for the 6th to Paris. As it turns out…..not only are all trains from Strasbourg to Paris fully book for the 6th; they are fully booked all week. On top of that! They are mostly booked for the entire month! The lady told me that most of April is holiday season and it’s a busy time for Paris. I was able to pay 6 Euros to reserve a seat to Paris from Strasbourg and back, but on April 20th. Well, I need to be at the Frankfurt Airport on April 21st. Not a whole lot of cushion. I was there with the lady trying to figure a way to get to Paris even going through another city and train line, but no such luck. I’d leave at 5am and get there by 2pm or something ridiculous. I needed a High-Speed train.

So, I walked out of the office a little bummed. I was headed toward a place where I could access the internet to kill time until my train to Strasbourg.

Okay, remember when I said, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later”. Okay, this is later. The only reason I was headed back to Strasbourg was because I couldn’t find a cheap enough hostel in Paris. They were too pricy and I thought I could home-base it in Strasbourg and save some money for other stuff. I would just have to bear the 2-hour train ride there and back for a couple of days. I even looked at smaller cities outside of Paris and I ran into the same problem. France is expensive! Plus, I could do laundry at Deb’s, reliable internet at Deb’s, and I could buy souvenirs in Paris and leave them at Deb’s and not cart them around Spain. Using Deb’s place as my home base for Paris was the most practical option for my situation.

Okay, walking to the internet point I had a “Matt Moment”. This is the moment when I have a boost of creativity and determination to make something happen. Lamb Sock the Insult Comic Puppet at DLC is a good example of this. Also, trying to make it across a giant over-flowed river in Willets using a tiny raft is also one of these moments. That one, however, was not so successful. Anyway, I think to myself, “No, there has got to be a way! I’m not going to give-up on this one. I’m going to Paris for my birthday!” I decided to look into hostels and pay for at least one night. Then I could be in Paris already and not worry about the High-Speed rail reservation. I look for hostels online and find one with availably for tonight. I head to the ticket counter and see if I can get a reservation from Brussels to Paris. Nope! All trains are booked. I ask, I’m not in a rush to get to Paris, I just need to be there by tomorrow. Can I use a non-high-speed line? The man looks for me. After a while he found a solution: I take a train from Brussels to Gent St Peter. Then I transfer to Lille Flanders and then walk to the Lille Europe station. Then I would hop on a train from Lille Europe to Paris. That last train was a High-Speed train and would cost me 3 Euros for the journey. If they had room and I could book one from Brussels it would closer to 30 Euros. Score one for the big guy!

I pay my 3 Euros, head back the wifi point, and then contemplate. Do I go to Strasbourg or do I go to Paris? I had doubts.

IF STRASBOURG: I may not be able to get back to Paris. I’d have to find something else for my birthday. I’d be able to dump my souvenirs from Belgium and the Netherlands. I’d have the comfort of knowing that I have clean sheets, working internet, and place to call home. I’m out 3 Euros.

IF PARIS: I might as well head to Spain and not worry about the hassle of getting from Strasbourg to Paris to grab a High-Speed rail train. I have to carry all of my souvenirs though Spain. I’ll have to find my hostel in Paris at night. I’ll have to figure out the Metro when I get there. I’m out 6 Euros for the other reservation I made for Apr 20th.

I was literally holding up the sheets with the two timetables and trying to figure which one to choose. I couldn’t decide. In less than 10-minutes the train for Strasbourg would leave. In less than 15-minutes the train for Paris would leave. Which one would I be on?

There was an article I read a long time ago in a magazine that I have always remembered. The article was a personal experience of a military solider sharing his experiences as a young recruit. He was selected to lead his troop into a training; a battle scenario. The “battle” has started and he is in the trenches with his troops. His drill sergeant is there too. The man says, “Ok, we can go left and under the bridge into the gully and attack from that side. Or, we can go from the right and use the tress and bushes as cover. Or, we can go straight on and use force. Or…” His sergeant interrupted him, “Solider! Your men are dying out there!” The man telling the story shares that it doesn’t matter what you do, it’s that you pick a plan and act fast. You stick to that plan and go for it! Well, whenever I’m in an indecisive mood about something important I think about this story.

I choose Paris. I pack up my stuff fast, find my platform, and board my train. I look down at my watch. I think, “Hmm, the Strasbourg train left already. There is no going back.”

On the train I was thinking about my decision and decided that I made the right one. This reminds me of some advise I gave a co-worker once when I was working at the Toll House Hotel. This was the last piece of advise I offered the new night manager right before I left for my internship. I said, “you can do anything you want…..as long as you can justify it.” My justification was: By going to Paris I leave my comfort zone; I enter a new place at night, need to figure out the Metro, I need to locate the hostel, etc. See, there are some pretty crummy places out there in the world, sadly. As a tourist you don’t know if the place you booked your hostel is in South of Market or the Presidio. There are places you just don’t go…..especially at night. It’s a little disconcerting. You have to travel smart and not put yourself in questionable situations if you can avoid it. Going to Paris was out of my routine and my developed system.

I arrive in Paris and I figure out the Metro. Done! Now, the hostel…..yep, bad directions again from the Hostel. They say to turn left on Rue Ramey, but the is no Rue Ramey where I need to turn. I ask, I get pointed in the right direction, and I find the hostel. Didn’t take me long to find the place.

The hostel is hip! Very homey, good people, good staff, and a great feel to the place. I like it! I take my stuff up to my room and meet my two roomies. They were a mother and daughter from Canada named April and Heidi. April was a police Sergeant and Heidi had just finished Bible school in Spain and was going to get her Master’s to help aboriginal females in Canada. Let me tell you: A great set of roomies for a hostel that has no security lockers for your belongings. Ha! They were a joy!

Well, I got settled into bed. Tomorrow I have an exciting day planned for my birthday. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!