It turns out we're staying in one of the oldest houses in Bruges. The fireplace on the middle floor has the original "Annunciation"-themed stone carvings from the 14th century. We're right off one of the beautiful canals, and a quick walk (when not laden with suitcases) to the center of town.
Yesterday, as soon as we could all get ready, we went to find Belgian waffles for breakfast. I think the Belgians don't eat waffles for breakfast; they're a snack. But anyway we found a place on the square and had coffee, croissants, and
waffles and watched an artist paint. Then we went back to the house.
We met our lovely landlady. She showed us the interesting electrical peculiarities of the house (such as having to open the cabinet above the stove to find the switch for the light above the sink) and pointed out the many original features of the house. The kids enjoyed using the switches in the bathroom to raise and lower the outside canopy that keeps the skylights from cooking the upstairs room on sunny days.
The house has 3 floors. On the ground floor, the entrance, sofa bed, and a tiny bathroom. Up a flight of steps, the kitchen and living room with futon bed. Another flight of steps brings you to the master bedroom and a very large, bright white bathroom. There are rows of skylights along the entire West wall. You can really tell the heat difference between the chilly ground floor and the toasty master bedroom.
We got a late start out of the house and walked all over central Bruges. Columbia and I began our study of chocolate shops with Leonidas and Dumon (advantage: Dumon). We left time for laundry reconnaissance and marketing before my work day started. Then I took the laundry down to the Laundromat with my laptop and worked there for about 2 hours. It took me 15 minutes to figure out which laundry detergent to buy at the supermarket. But, I was able to figure that out and also figure out how to buy my tokens, choose a temperature, lock the washing machine door, and get the machine started. I ended up sharing this hard-won knowledge with the San Franciscan couple and the Australian lady who came in after me. I got quite a bit of work done, did all the laundry for the week, and walked home in a deluge. I can certify the Lenovo Carbon X1 can tolerate not only a little moisture but also significant jarring, as it bounced along in my suitcase on the cobbles.
Wesley made the first home-cooked meal of the trip, which was a lovely pasta with sausages from the butcher. Meanwhile, the kids had what everyone described as a very busy school day.
Yesterday, as soon as we could all get ready, we went to find Belgian waffles for breakfast. I think the Belgians don't eat waffles for breakfast; they're a snack. But anyway we found a place on the square and had coffee, croissants, and
waffles and watched an artist paint. Then we went back to the house.
We met our lovely landlady. She showed us the interesting electrical peculiarities of the house (such as having to open the cabinet above the stove to find the switch for the light above the sink) and pointed out the many original features of the house. The kids enjoyed using the switches in the bathroom to raise and lower the outside canopy that keeps the skylights from cooking the upstairs room on sunny days.
The house has 3 floors. On the ground floor, the entrance, sofa bed, and a tiny bathroom. Up a flight of steps, the kitchen and living room with futon bed. Another flight of steps brings you to the master bedroom and a very large, bright white bathroom. There are rows of skylights along the entire West wall. You can really tell the heat difference between the chilly ground floor and the toasty master bedroom.
We got a late start out of the house and walked all over central Bruges. Columbia and I began our study of chocolate shops with Leonidas and Dumon (advantage: Dumon). We left time for laundry reconnaissance and marketing before my work day started. Then I took the laundry down to the Laundromat with my laptop and worked there for about 2 hours. It took me 15 minutes to figure out which laundry detergent to buy at the supermarket. But, I was able to figure that out and also figure out how to buy my tokens, choose a temperature, lock the washing machine door, and get the machine started. I ended up sharing this hard-won knowledge with the San Franciscan couple and the Australian lady who came in after me. I got quite a bit of work done, did all the laundry for the week, and walked home in a deluge. I can certify the Lenovo Carbon X1 can tolerate not only a little moisture but also significant jarring, as it bounced along in my suitcase on the cobbles.
Wesley made the first home-cooked meal of the trip, which was a lovely pasta with sausages from the butcher. Meanwhile, the kids had what everyone described as a very busy school day.