ABC Wednesday: B is for Brugge, Belgium

My intrepid photographer and his long lens capturing other tourists in a small boat.

© Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear

Theatrical release photo from Wikipedia.

After seeing the 2008 comedy crime drama In Bruges starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, we were determined to visit this lovely city in Belgium. We enjoyed the movie but we enjoyed the scenery even more.  It was actually one of the reasons we chose last year's Tulips and Windmills Cruise with Viking River Cruises. The reality did not disappoint, but unfortunately I was very ill the day we visited. Nevertheless, I took more than 150 photos and I don't know how many Dick took. The canals...the medieval architecture...the skies in varying shades of blue...we loved it all.

The English spelling Bruges was used in the movie, but the Belgian spelling is Brugge, which is now more familiar to us. A longtime friend from the Netherlands told me, before we went, about the port city called Zeebrugge, some 15km away. However, river cruise ships don't go to sea, but stop in Antwerp, about 100km distant. The Viking Pride tour-guides took passengers to Brugge by bus. I still think I would have felt better if it hadn't been for that hour or more traveling by bus. Give me water travel any time.

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ABC Wednesday

Mrs. Nesbitt's alphabetical meme, hosted by her capable team.

What do you think of this?

Viking River Cruises, photos   

The Viking Surkov, a big, beautiful, river cruise ship.

Well, I've already mentioned it on Facebook, and it is almost all set. We've talked to Viking River Cruises, and to Air Canada, and it looks like we're going to visit Russia this summer.
I am in shock. It seems like yesterday we were doing the Tulips & Windmills Cruise with Viking River but, actually, yesterday they sent an e-mail offering a price Dick couldn't resist.
A few more things to finalize, maybe a few bugs to iron out, like the easiest way to obtain Russian visas for our passports, and then...
St. Petersburg, how can anything be more beautiful? Yusupov Palace where the infamous Rasputin died? How can anything be more thrilling? And Moscow? How can anything be more mysterious? Plus, in between, quaint riverside towns: Mandrogy and Kizhi; the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery; Yarosavl, and Uglich.
Yes, we had decided we wanted to do Viking's Waterways of the Czars cruise, but to do it this year? The possibility never once entered my head.

By the way, if you decide to book a cruise with Viking River for the first time, mention our names—Kay Davies and Richard Schear—for a discount! This will be our third time with them (if this isn't all a dream) and we were delighted with them in both Europe and China.