Gent and Bruges Slideshow

I went on a little tour bus trip with my friends Georgette, Jackie, Ronald, and Stella last Sunday. We got to see Gent and Bruges (or F*ing Bruges for those of you who saw the film In Bruges) in Belgium . The tour was filled with Spaniards, we were among only a few English speakers so we received an excellent Spanish lesson. It was great fun getting to parade around with cameras in tow following the tour guide's umbrella - exactly the sort of behavior that mom gets made fun of for. There is a picture of said blue and red umbrella in the slideshow. We had an agenda in Bruges and we hit it all except the fateful bell tower, which was closed by the time we got to it. Michelangelo's Madonna and Child? Check. Belgium waffles? Check. Belgium chocolate? Check. Belgium beer? Check. Festive boat ride through Bruges that would not have occurred in the US due to the fact that the boat was totally full with nary a life jacket in sight? Check. My favorite line from the boat captain was "well, there appears to be French, Spanish, and English speakers on the boat so I'll go ahead and just translate into all three languages" - what a skill. Anyhoo, below is a slideshow of festive buildings and what not.