Above all, though, Bruges is the home of some amazing beer. The Belgians consider themselves the beer connoisseurs of Europe, and I can certainly tell why � light beers, dark beers, fruit beers, beers made by monks � they have it all here, and they revel in the fact. The only odd thing is the way they pour it. Now, I have to admit first that nowhere in mainland Europe have I had a beer filled all the way to the top. In the States, if the glass isn�t full, the bartender notices and tops it off. Here they expect a good head on the top. But Belgium takes this to the extreme. Glasses here are literally filled half-full. I mean, the beers often have a five-inch layer of foam that makes me wonder why they even bother with the ruse. Just order smaller glasses and fill them. So if you ever visit Belgium, just order bottled beer. Even though the bottles are smaller (33 cl), you don�t get the feeling that they�re just cheating you because you�re American.
We were joined on Friday by Barbra and Yannis, our friends from London, and their two kids. We spent much of the weekend looking around and chasing the kids, which I found immensely enjoyable. Their son, Costas (4 years old), was full of life and always wanted to play games and have a good time. It was really refreshing. While they were here, we decided to take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage (it seemed sort of appropriate in this place), and I have to say it turned out really well. The kids certainly enjoyed it. They left this morning, so we are back on our own again.
The only downside to Bruges has been the sleep, or lack thereof. We are in a wonderful hotel, but they only had a room with a double bed. Normally this wouldn�t be so bad, but Colleen has to sleep with all kinds of pillows stacked around her to keep her in the correct sleeping position for the baby. That doesn�t leave a whole lot of room. We do have a fold-out sofa, so I have been trying to sleep on that for the past three nights. It�s not much better � plenty of space, but very little comfort. The result is that I have been walking around Bruges like a zombie most of the time. Hopefully our room in Amsterdam will be more spacious and comfortable.
Yes, that�s right. Our next stop is Amsterdam. We are leaving Bruges tomorrow for the Netherlands. We have heard lots of stories about Amsterdam, so it will be very interesting to see what is in store for us. I can only imagine the stories I will have to tell. I have posted some pictures to the web site (http://photos.yahoo.com/psargent), so check them out. You can see why Bruges is constantly filled with tourists.
We hope everyone is doing well. It has been so long since we have talked to most of you, and we are looking forward to running up our cell phone bill when we get home. Take care of yourselves, and we�ll be in touch soon.
Paul and Colleen
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