Beautiful Brugge. We used Brussels, Belgium, as a stopover point on our flights to and from Kenya. On our return trip, we drove an hour and a half from Brussels to Brugge, letting Flanders' green, manicured farmland embrace us. The Leie River shimmered silver in the sun. A house-barge floated in the river's middle, and a towpath ran along its side. Arrow-straight lines of pencil-thin trees lined its banks.
Brugge is perfect medieval beauty. Canals and cobbles, bridges and gables, bicycles and 365 steps to the top of the belfry in Marktplatz for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding Flemish countryside. We stayed at the small, canalside Adornes Hotel, an intimate, economical inn that greets you in the morning with a sumptuous breakfast spread and offers free bikes so you can explore Brugge's wonders.
