Bruges

After Brussels we trained 4 hours to Bruges, in the Flemish / Dutch-speaking portion of Belgium.  Change trains in Antwerp.
 (Digression on trains and public transit; Do not imagine, gentle reader, that each journey is a seamless flow from point A to point But.  Rather, picture two directional-challenged travelers in the bowels of three and four level level combined train / metro stations with minimum local language, surrounded by an energetic flow of locals who do know where they are going.  Trying to avoid being trampled is important.  Figuring out the elevators might be specific to each platform also counts.  Add a pack sack, rolling suitcase and misc. hanging bags will complete the picture.)
Bruges has a 14 / 15 cent. core when it was the leading commercial Centre in Europe.  (World's first bourse - stock market invented here.). Then the access to the sea wilted up and the trade moved, leaving a time-capsule of cobble stones, canals and beautifully preserved medieval buildings.  Now a major tourist designation for Europeans and others with crowed streets.  The summer crush must be off-the-scale.

Checked into a modern, budget hotel next to the train station.  Only three rooms left so they had taken down their Web Site - making prior booking a non-starter.  Our room was compact with every thing we needed in a tight 8'x15' space.  Bunkbed at right angles over the main bed, large shower - lights in the hand-held shower head and space ship sink/mirror pillar mid-room.  Such a contrast with the previous funky bed and breakfast.
Found a recommended small restaurant for local dishes.  Fish soup with old beer as the stock for me and Miriam started with creamy leek and potatoes.  Then the mains...,
Belgium lays claim to superior frites - served a bit too blonde / under-cooked for my taste.  Their oil of choice, lard naturally.  (Great grandfather was a fish and chips man and swore by lard for the best chips.  In T. Bay the Greeks on Hodder or Nippers on Simpson use lard.).
Bruges has one of the few remaining "Begijnhof", a cluster of historic houses around a courtyard, walled off from the town, originally to house lay-sisters who had being widowed by the deaths of their crusader-knight husbands.
Most of Saturday we just walked around - found the 'Half Moon's brewery in an enclosed courtyard. Bruges Zot is the brand, harlequin jester the symbol and robust yeasty-ness the taste.
Joined the hundreds in the Main Square for mussels and frites under the shadow of the massive 'Belfort' clock tower - 84 meters with 366 stairs described as claustrophobic.  Let's pass on that one.
Large old church has an exquisite, small Michelangelo Madonna and Child while the Choco-Story private museum had a very good overview of the world fascination with chocolate.  The Meso-American origin was very well done.  Finish with a demonstration of chocolate making.  (Heat the liquid chocolate to only 29C and it is shiny coming out of the mold, higher its surface becomes dull.)
Finish the day's stroll walking the ring canal home, passing two windmills.
Walking - Now there is a topic: We prefer to ration our museum/church/cultural enlightenment to once a day - two hours max.  For the rest we walk, exploring our neighborhood or finding local markets, shopping streets and similar local flavour.  Some days we easily do 6 to 10 km and more.