Hello! So Bruges, Belgium has been another wonderful adventure. Yesterday I arrived to the hostel, again without getting lost. I think I am really getting the hang of all this traveling stuff. Once I arrived I decided I was going to walk around and get a feel for Bruges, but it was raining which made walking around not very much fun. I ended up meeting up with a girl I met at the hostel in Brussels as she was on a day trip in Bruges. We got waffles (finally) and they were absolutely amazing, grabbed a beer and just chatted until it was time for her to grab her train back to Bruges.

I spent the evening at the hostel just getting to know new people. I started off very similar to how I was at the hostel in Brussels, just sitting by myself and observing the situation and people around me. The difference with this hostel was that it was connected to a bar so the lounging area is open to the public and it is a bit harder to know who is hanging out from the hostel and who the locals are.

I finally got up enough courage and talked with a girl from Australia. She was absolutely wonderful. She has also been bitten by the travel bug and has had so many amazing experiences. It was really neat getting to hear about everything she has been through and what her next travel plans are. It has definitely made me think that I could get used to living out of a suitcase…or a backpack and just experience tons of different countries and cultures on a more permanent basis. Eventually we ended up doing a beer tasting that was offered and I met some other people from the states as well as a couple from Canada. The really neat thing was after everyone went to bed the girl from Australia and I were chatting and were approached by a local and his friends who were out celebrating one of the guys 50th birthdays. Eventually, we got to chatting about with one of the local men about the culture of Belgium and all his different traveling adventures, as well as the differences between Belgium, the United States, and Australia.

My Saturday was just as wonderful as my Friday turned out to be. I had a bit of a lazy morning and then met up with the two people from the states and did a taste of bruges tour, where I got to eat more fries, waffles, and chocolate, and a historical tour of Bruges. We then grabbed dinner and I tried a traditional Belgium dish of Flemish beef stew…it was actually really good.

Tomorrow I head to Amsterdam. So I will keep y’all posted.