19. Zeebrugge, Belgium - June 6

At the bottom of the page click on the YouTube link to see the photos.

Early morning we cruised along the Belgium coast and docked in Zeebrugge at 8:00 o’clock. At first glance you can tell that Belgium is an underdog when compared with slicker European countries. Sure you can see many spectacular vistas if you are under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Otherwise you’ll see a lot of really flat agriculture surrounded by water. But the people are very nice and the beer is the best in the world.

After breakfast we took the bus to the romantic city of Bruges. There we set out on a guided walking tour through the heart of this picturesque city. Next we got on a boat for a pleasurable ride on the canals. No wonder this splendid medieval city is called “the Venice of the North.” In no other European city is the feel and the look of medieval times so present as here. If there was one disappointment it was the weather. As you can see from the photos it was raining. However, regardless of what the weather is doing you cannot help but be inspired and amazed at the awesome beauty and majesty of the place.

Our guide talked about the deeply divided split between the south, where they speak French, and the north, where they speak Flemish, a dialect of Dutch/German. It irks the Flemish, about 60 percent of the Belgian population, that the French-speakers often dominate the national government. Jokingly he said “the Belgians are united only by the king, a love of beer, and the national soccer team,” (a lousy team to boot – they didn’t even make it to the World Cup last year). He continued “when you’re in Bruges, don’t say bonjour and s'il vous plait, instead say hallo and dan, and please don’t call this lovely city Bruges……………we, the Flemish, call it Brugge.”

“Of course, not every stone in Brugge has come to us straight from the Middle-Ages”, he says. “Because of the 19th century renovations, some critics have put us down as “fake” medieval city.” Nevertheless, the town authorities have done the utmost to combine the old, not so old and new fascinates. And fake or not……..Brugge rocks.

This being Sunday, a lot of people from Brussels made the day trip to Brugge and the town was inundated with tourists. A good percentage of them were beer pilgrims. So when in Rome, do as the Romans do! Our plan was to go to the famous Brugs Beertje, a friendly beerhouse (run by Daisy) that stocks more than 300 Belgian varieties. Unfortunately it was closed until four o ‘clock. So we went to the local Brewery instead, with a bunch of good people from the ship, and our guide. He mentioned how unpredictable the weather has been and explained they have “nice weather 20 times a day.” (We’ve seen all 20 in the last 6 hours.). Oh, did I mention the beer? I had no idea that a pint could taste like this.

We made our trip back to Zeebrugge a bit tipsy, but happy. Not only did I get well-oiled at the brewery we were also schooled in the many varieties of local beer, and learned a few things about modern-day Belgian life. It was a fun day. We came as strangers and left as friends, thanks to Joanne who's in charge of the Prinsendam's Med Center and her "retired" husband Brian, who should be in charge of all P.R. functions on the ship.

Op uw gezondheid – that’s Cheers in Flemish – word by word translated “To your health”.
See you in Amsterdam tomorrow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifv9YqvCh54

Click on the above YouTube link to see the pictures.