Douglas Easton Travel Blog - Douglas Easton Travel

November 04, 2006

Bruges, Belgium

Our tour of Normandy (France), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Bruges (Belgium) has been a sensual overload! The autumn has been magnificent, offering a brilliant display of foliage, unusually moderate weather and incredible food (natch).

Our stay in Normandy was packed with history. First, we inspected the ruins of the 11th-century Abbey of Jumieges, amongst the oldest and most beautiful in France. We then spent the night at a wonderful hotel, the 17th-century Chateau de Sully, near Bayeaux.

Additionally, we took the opportunity to visit the astonishing Bayeux Tapestry, a ninety-yard, almost-one-thousand-year-old piece of embroidery depicting William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hastings. This was followed by a drive first to the German bunker at Pointe du Hoc and then to adjacent Omaha Beach, the main landing site of the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. We also walked for a bit in the painfully beautiful American Cemetery, with its endless and tragic rows of simple white headstones.

Tracing the coast of the English Channel north, we arrived in Amsterdam, one of our favorite cities. Famed for the beauty of its narrow cobblestone streets, canals and uniformly stunning architecture, Amsterdam is invariably a high point in any vacation. It's also one of the best places in the world to try an authentic Indonesian rijstafel (literall, "rice table"), where rice is served along with an army of dishes and condiments.

Our last stop took us back down the coast to Bruges, Belgium, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This town is a 17th-century marvel, with canals, gorgeous buildings and chocolate stores seemingly on every corner. We pigged out at lunch at an atmosphere-drenched cafe specializing in squeaky-fresh mussels and crispy fries with homemade mayonnaise, the Belgian national dish. We also scarfed down a few chocolates. (We refuse to define "few" either.)

We'lll be spending one night back in the US before we make our way to the Caribbean for a few days... more updates to follow soon!

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