Adventures in Brugge: A Mama and Son Day Out

Whoopsie-daisy! It seems I’ve been playing an epic game of hide and seek on this blog and, spoiler alert, I’m winning! But not to worry, I am back and taking you on an international journey with this one!

Blogging was easier in the beginning when my son slept a lot more and I could sit and write while he napped in my lap but these days naps are nonexistent and I spend more time building duplo blocks and racing cars than anything else. It’s a wonderful season of motherhood full of life and joy and laughter. Seriously, the entertainment that comes from this age is priceless! Another intangible priceless thing from this age is making memories. Specifically now, while we are still overseas and able to travel to so many history filled and beautiful places! He may not understand all that our travels have to offer, but he does enjoy the adventures of new places!

So, while my husband was TDY for work over a long weekend, I booked a trip for my son and I to Brugge, Belgium.

A few of my friends mentioned how brave I was for venturing on such a solo trip with a freshly 3 year old toddler but when I tell you that he is the BEST travel buddy I really mean it! I need to get caught up on other travels we did with him and write them into posts as well, but after 30+ flights, over 10 of them internationally and lots of car rides ranging from 1 hour to 10 hours never having any major issues with him I really can say that I love traveling with him.

Our day started super early when I woke him up at 0400. I can’t remember the last time I had to wake him before he woke up on his own so I wasn’t sure how it would go but I told him about the trip plans the night before so the next morning when he realized he was awake he was actually really excited to go which made getting him into the car a breeze. Some quick socks on and a hoodie over his pajamas, and we were on our way to the bus!

I got us onto the tourbus, carseat installed and buckled in – we were ready to go! It took a little bit, but eventually we both fell asleep. On our first stop I had enough time to get him dressed, stretch our legs and grab something to eat for the rest of the ride.

On the drive we kept ourselves entertained by talking about our snacks, what we see outside and pretended to race all the “little” cars we were passing.

Now I know you’re not really here to read about the drive so I won’t ramble on about that but I just want to give credit to my little man with how observant he was to everything we saw out of our big window and say how proud of him I am for making it the entire day with zero screen time. We get enough of it at home, more than I’d actually like, but if you’re a parent then you know what it’s like. The drive home was just as easy with some sleeping, snacking, and chatting.

On to the topic matter… Brugge, Belgium. Although the weather was somewhat unexpectedly super rainy we had some windows of sunshine, too. At least in the beginning when we started our tour from the bus to the city center. On that walk we got some brief explanations of buildings and sites from our tour guide and stopped for a boat ride on the Canals of Brugge. They measure 15km long, 5km can be visited by boat. There’s even a small area where people can enjoy a swim in the canal water. (Would you swim in it?!)

The first sight the boat driver pointed out to us was the Belfry Tower, which I will talk more about a little later in my post and share a fun fact you’ll have to keep reading to find out.

We got to see lots of buildings from the boat ride that were parts of the early days of Brugge for example a few breweries, a hospital and so many buildings that are now various bed and breakfasts or shops.

Along the ride we went under numerous bridges – a few if them noteworthy:

One of the first bridges was the oldest one. You can see the original structure of the bridge (the gray stones) and how it has since been built up with new bricks only cemented on top. We also learned it’s been standing for over 1,000 years!

The next bridge we floated under was a bridge so low to the water that although we were sitting, most of us still had to lower our heads. My son, who was on my lap, thought it was fascinating that he was able to touch the “tunnel” as he called it.

Another noteworthy bridge is a three-part bridge built over the span of 3 centuries! The first bridge built in the 1500s, followed by an addition in the 1600s and lastly another addition in the 1700s. They were all combined to make a wider bridge, I assume for easier transport.

Lastly one to mention, simply because I’m a sucker for romantic things is “The Kissing Bridge”. Naturally a popular location for wedding photos, couples looking for that perfect kissing selfie or even just a great photo opportunity for yourself. It’s surrounded by beautiful buildings and a gorgeous view of the canal.

The rest of the canal ride was full of historical facts of the city, views left and right, like the tiniest window in Brugge, as you can see in my photo below, and a nice light breeze.

Next, we were let loose by our guide to explore on our own, and the first stop was Frittes! French fries actually originated from Belgium – Brugge to be exact! We found a hole in the wall place, which to me screams local and authentic and just as we got our frittes the rain came pouring in so we found shelter under a storefront awning and enjoyed the warm potato snack. I loved the view from where we stood and snapped this shot.

The sun came out fairly quickly, and everything seemed to glisten with the leftover rain covering it all. My son was really interested in the horse carriage rides, so we ventured over and hopped on the next available wagon to be lead by a horse named Billy.

Billy led us through historic Brugge, and our driver shared more fun facts and information about things we could see.

Remember I mentioned the Belfry Tower at the beginning of my post? Well, here’s the fun facts you’ve been waiting for, and I promise it was worth the long read until now!

The Belfry Tower stands a tall 83 meters (272 feet) high with a narrow and steep staircase of 366 steps that can be climbed by the public, no elevator! That’s a lot of steps that we did not take, but believe it or not, there is a man who climbs those steps every time he has to ring the 47 bells. Although a Belfry and a “bell tower” are not exactly the same thing this Belfry is often referred to as a bell tower. I mean, it does make sense by the literal term, right?

The Belfry was built in the 14th century to mark the town center and to warn the public of fires, announce the time and more. It has undergone damages and renovations numerous times, which may be the cause of it beginning to lean. It’s currently leaning 18cm already!

As we rode alongside the canal we had a beautiful view of the “Church of Our Lady” or in Dutch “Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk”.

This church took 300 years to build! Beginning in the 13th century, it wasn’t completed until  the 15th century. During that time, it endured a few damages and underwent multiple repairs. It is the tallest structure in the city and is actually the 3rd largest brickwork tower in the world. (The other two being in Germany).

Inside, you can find the “Madonna and Child” sculpture by Michelangelo. It had previously been stolen twice; once by French Revolutionaries and the second during WWII during the retreat of German soldiers.

The City Hall (Stadhuis) is another beautiful and must-see building if you ever find yourself in the area. It’s located in the very center of the city. It’s one of the oldest City Halls in the Low Countries (Burgundian Netherlands). Its construction started in 1376 and the city has since been governed from that room. That’s over 700 years!

Our horse carriage tour guide told us that people still get married there! We didn’t get to see the interior, but I looked up photos online. And going by the intricate and gorgeous Gothic exterior, it is just as stunning inside as it is outside!

Next to it is another beautiful building; the Brugse Vrije, an ornate 18th century court building. It is not used as a Court anymore but can still be viewed.

Walking through, or taking the horse carriage ride, the historic village of Brugge you will see a few houses at which the windows are “closed off” in one way or another. For example, you might see windows that have just been filled with bricks or boarded up. Others got creative and painted murals on them. This was because of the window tax they would have to pay, especially if they had a prime view from the windows. The more windows you had, the more tax you would have to pay! That’s so crazy to think about, especially with how many homes these days have large floor to ceiling windows or are built with intentionally placed windows in the direction of very specific views.

Another fun fact she shared with us as we were passing an all white brick structure was that it was a building built by the rich, for the poor. The poor could live there for free and would be fed and clothed. The poor would not have to pay anything to live there but the rich did ask that the poor would pray for them (the rich). It was a win-win for everyone it sounds like.


The carriage was a beautiful and unique way to see the highlights of Brugge. We had one stop along the way so our horse Billy could eat and have a drink of water. It was right next to the canal with a platform to walk on and lots of geese and ducks hanging out. My son loved watching a baby duckling find its courage to jump into the water to its Mama.

On the ride, I scoped out a few shops I wanted to walk back to, so as soon as we were done, we headed in their direction.

We stopped at McDonald’s because we were hungry, and I shamelessly will admit that I love McDonald’s, and I enjoy trying McDonald’s from different countries.

Once you’ve tasted any European McDonald’s, you’ll never want to eat it anywhere else! Not only do some countries taste vastly different (I’m looking at you USA) but they also offer different menu items and sides. For example, in Belgium, my son got cherry tomatoes and a yogurt drink with his Happy Meal! So much healthier than what the US serves with their Happy Meals.

I’m not sure what the building was before it became a McDonald’s but it was 3 stories high, narrow but long and was definitely not a modern building which made it all the more of a unique experience. We sat at the top floor next to a window, and the view of the downtown street and rooftops from across the way were so cool to see. My son definitely enjoyed it!

Our next stop was a Beer store. I really wanted to bring some authentic Belgian beers home for my husband. I had no idea which store to choose as there were definitely plenty around but I wanted to go somewhere that had a large selection. I decided on the Bierhuis (Beer House) and I’d say it was a good choice. The cashier was helpful and I was able to choose 6 different beers that I thought my husband would like to try.

Directly across from there was a very small hole in the wall kind of place with an awning that said “The place to be to drink hot-chocolate”. I love a good hole in the wall location and this one seemed like THE place that gets recommended all the time. Inside you can tell this place was popular as I could barely stand and turn in place to look at the chocolates.

I left with some chocolates to sample and some stir in your milk chocolate spoons to make hot chocolate at home.

From here we made our way back to the city center and my next goal was to get a waffle because Belgium, duh.

I have to admit I didn’t make the best choice in where we got waffles from. We found a store that had waffles on a stick, chocolate coated, and with different toppings. They weren’t bad, it just wasn’t the “Belgium Waffle” I was wanting. I expected them to be, but they didn’t leave me feeling like I had the best thing Belgium had to offer. My son loved them no doubt, especially since he ate his and finished mine! But I probably would have been happier with one from a street vendor that I saw a few of around. They all looked delicious!

The rain was pouring down again at this point, and it was pretty much time to gather and head back to the bus.

The drive home felt quick. We slept, were awake, slept some more, and when we got back to our car, it was pretty easy getting everything packed up, home, and back to bed. My son definitely had a great time and told me all his favorite things! The horse carriage ride being a consistent answer.
Even now, over a week later he is asking me to go on another bus trip.

So if you’re thinking about going to Belgium, I hope you found this post to be of benefit to you and even if you’re not I hope you enjoyed reading about our day in Brugge and learned some cool things like we did.

Thanks for being back here with me, and I can’t wait to share more of our adventures!

Any idea where that might be?!