Spring Break Highlights, Part 1

I'm back from my lovely trip to Brussels, Bruges, Boulogne sur Mer, and Paris.  I just did a day in the first 3 places and then spent much time in Paris.  But Paris needs a lot of time to explore, and though I did a lot, I barely scratched the surface!  It was also nice to visit with my friend in Paris and have a place to stay there.

Here are some highlights from my trip:

Brussels

€95 chocolate

I visited the art nouveau house of Victor Horta and enjoyed finding some other art nouveau buildings in that neighborhood.  I loved all of the details in the house, like the curving door handles and banisters, but was also surprised by how geometric it was in other ways.

Not the Horta museum, but another art nouveau building in the area

The Grand Place is a beautiful example of opulently displayed wealth, but the whole area is very touristy.

Best of all, I had two waffles, which are eaten plain or with sugar or chocolate and/or fruit.

The last bit of my chocolate sauce waffle

Bruges

I loved Bruges!  It's a small town with cute medieval buildings and canals.  Basically it was just fun to walk around in.  The best part was finding this beautiful spot which was quite idyllic:

I also enjoyed seeing many paintings by Flemish artists like van Eyck and Memling.

Beautiful courtyard for nun's housing