Weekend in Belgeum

Our commute to Belgium was hellish. Peter hated the train and hated going under water. Against all odds; however, I enjoyed a tasty meal with wine, while Conor made acquaintance with an French lawyer and chatted up about human rights and etc. Liz and Spongebob were happy together under the sea.
From Brussels we took train in to Bruges. Bruges has chocolate, beer and lace. It is as cute as anyone ever imagines it to be.
Caution! While amazing food can be found anywhere just few steps from the main square, the places that are located at the immediate perimeter of the square are to be avoided at all cost by the visitors.

We were lucky to have a quite afternoon to drink, people watch and then go on the chocolate sampler binge while kids took a nap in the stroller together.

In Bruges is on of my favorite flicks, so naturally, we had to find the church where they did some of its filming. Once again with the help of Conor's wonder phone, we located the exact place. It turned out to be a private owned and really really old.
The man that let us in, then closed the door behind us and locked it with a log of wood. He then proceeded to give us a private tour. He showed us a room with paintings from 14th century! We understood very little of his narrative, as his French consisted of mostly Dutch words.
We took train to Brussels next morning. I did not like capital at the first sight. It has a lot less of Belgian charm and character that I dream of. It is not very different from any large European city. It has parks, small and large streets, buildings, tourist traps, hotels and tourists.
We took kids to the park, where we stumbled upon a stage in a gazebo on the hill. DJ played old jazz and soul tunes, while Peter bonded with local hipsters over a jam session.
Liz did not miss her chance to dance on the stage. As we were leaving the park we saw more and more people heading in. It was a party that I would have enjoyed.

The train ride back ranks high in my travel commute list experience. Both Peter and Liz were happy and let us just seat back to enjoy 1st class food, wine and country landscapes.