IN BRUGES - BRUGES, BELGIUM - DAY 11

We got to our hostel in Bruges last night. We're staying at Charlie Rockets. It used to be one of the most famous and best movie theaters in Belgium! Now it’s owned by a bunch of new guys who don’t know the history at all. I guess I could just Google it. These days, it's just a popular local bar. Is it art or is it shit? On a more personal note, I'm extremely happy to be here. "In Bruges" is one of my favorite dark comedies by one of my favorite Writer and Directors, Martin McDonagh- An Irish playwright.

We were starving, and after dropping our bags, we headed out for dinner. It's extremely expensive here. The cheapest thing we could find was a three course meal, all inclusive that Kay and I split. This deal was happening because it was Valentine's Day. We cheers to being each other's dates, and chow down. I'm extra happy because I finally got my Jupiler beer again- One of my absolute favorites. I hadn't known this before, but apparently in Europe, you're either team Jupiler, or team Heineken. I'm team Jupiler all the way!

Stuffed, we walk back to our hostel to crash. It's dark out, so we can't really take in the town around us. But from what we can tell, this place is incredibly charming. We got back to the hostel and our room was BOILING HOT. Kay didn’t sleep very much, but because of my cold I took a half of a NyQuil and slept from 9PM to 9:45AM. It worked because my cold is about 90% gone haha!

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We met up with our friend Macus this morning, and he took us by the hand, surprised us with Belgian chocolates and gave us a FULL TOUR AND THE HISTORY of Bruges! He led us through the Burg square where we saw City Hall, we went inside the Basilica of the Holy Blood next to City Hall, and he showed us the Quay of the Rosary, where we stopped for lunch. We of course took him out to eat for another three course, all inclusive meal at an affordable price to thank him. Bruges is definitely one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. It’s in my top few along with Rome. We leave to sample beer at the famous beer wall with cheese, crackers and small sausages, and then we begin to head back to our hostel.

As we head back, Marcus then asked what we’re doing after, and our only plans were to do laundry and to maybe go to a brewery that came highly recommended to us.

He insisted that he give us a tour of his hometown in Ghent, and we can do laundry at his place. He sold us on the idea fairly quickly, but we promised to take him out to dinner as well to thank him again. We finished our tour of Bruges, took our packs full of filth, bought more chocolates, saw the Tower of Belfry and carted ourselves off to Ghent.

He let us do a full shared load of laundry between myself and Kay. He gave me his last Jupiler beer in the fridge, even though I insisted I didn't need one that badly, and gave wine to Kay. In moments like these, I'm especially happy to have Kay around. She's great at making conversation when I'm more reserved, and I enjoy listening while relaxing. Marcus and his partner have a beautiful apartment overlooking an equally beautiful park. I walked around, and admired a copy of a Klimt print, embedded with Swarovski crystals. We settled in the living room and socialized and listened to great music for about two hours before heading to dinner.

He drives us into Ghent, and gives us another FULL TOUR of his hometown. It's evening, but this place I think is even more beautiful than Bruges. On our way to dinner, we tell him, wherever he’d like to eat, it’s on us. He stops at the priciest restaurant, and says 'This one'! Kay and I give each other a look of panic, but go along with it. He does deserve the best after treating us like royalty. We walk in, and our jaws drop as we go in for a 5-Star, 5 course meal experience! Kay and I try to hide ourselves, ashamed of our average civilian attire. We are abysmally under dressed for this place of fine dining, and since we are not secret millionaires in disguise as Silicon Valley app developers, a wave of imposter syndrome washes over us as we rush to our assigned table. Marcus is as cool as a cucumber, and it turns out he knows the co-owner of the place. The flavors and food were like Uncle J. and Uncle R.’s pre-wedding dinner. We felt as full as if Agneta and Marcello in Rome had treated us and stuffed our bellies to full capacity. Plus, Marcus made sure I was drinking my favorite Jupiler beer all day and evening, while him and Kay had white wine throughout. I can't pronounce half of the menu, and the other half, I don't even know what it is. I just know everything that touches my palate bursts with complex flavors, and contradicting notes that somehow work in harmony together. There are dishes of rich meats that I could cut with a spoon, appetizers that are carefully balanced between bitter and sour, salty and sweet, sour and sweet, sweet and bitter. Above all, everything tastes fresh. It had been acquired, curated, and made that day.

When finished, Marcus leaves for the restroom, and Kay and I get our cards out to pay. This was going to be at least 160 euros, because it was 50 euros per person, plus drinks. When he comes back, he says, "Ready to go"? he asks. "What?! We have to pay" we reply. And he says, "I already did"- And he stuffs his wallet back in his coat. We couldn’t believe it- He was very sneaky. But then all we could do was thank him a million times, which we did.

After dinner, we walk around the rest of Ghent for the remaining tour. Marcus tells us that this city has now become a popular place of living for students at the University. I can tell- The vibe is much younger and energetic here. He takes us past Graslei with beautiful historic buildings, Gravensteen Castle, Ghent City Hall, and two parts of The Belfry of Ghent- One new and modern, next to the other, old and historic. In the old historic cathedral, Marcus said he grew up singing in the choir there. He then drove us back to the apartment to get our clean clothes, and offered to drive us back to Bruges. We could tell he started to feel exhausted, and we felt badly, and insisted he'd already went above and beyond for us, (he certainly had). Instead, he walked us to the train station. (We MUST repay the favor when they visit us in the States).

This was truly the most luxurious experience we could’ve ever had, and we couldn’t be more grateful. I already emailed him a thank you email, but I’d like to write one when I come home too.

We just got home to our hostel. It’s 1am here, and we need to wake up at 6AM for a 7AM train to Paris. Gotta shower and crash! Love you!

-eM