A few years ago, I had a free weekend, and fancied a trip, so I booked myself a train and went to Bruges for the weekend.
I almost had to cancel the trip due to a last minute work thing, but luckily, it all worked out in the end, and my boss didn't have to refund my holiday.
My solo trip to Bruges was the first time I experienced what has now become the norm for me - ordering a tea and getting it brought to you on a tray, with a snack.
I was so pleasantly surprised, I took a picture of it and texted my mum about it. This was a long time before I had a phone that was in anyway capable of taking decent pictures (I could have borrowed my work blackberry, but that wasn't much more than blurry pixels at the best of times...)
See, you have to realise, that I've been used to the Swiss way of receiving cups of tea in cafés. Which is just a cup of hot water with a teabag on the side. Sure, there's nothing wrong with it, but when you're used to people who order coffees and espressos getting a little piece of chocolate with theirs, but never getting anything with your tea, Belgium was a pleasant surprise - I always get something here, whether it's a little wafer filled with whipped cream, a biscuit, mini muffin, croissant, chocolate... and it's always pleasant.
I don't always eat it, the biscuits often go into my handbag for future food-emergencies, but it's wonderful to be treated the same way as everyone else.
And of course, it being a trip to Belgium, I had to get a hot chocolate somewhere.
I can't remember the café I went to (and I tried to find it last time I was there, but no luck), but it was cosy and creaky, with old wooden furniture and cushions everywhere.
The hot chocolate arrived deconstructed, with a little chocolate pot of chocolate chips to dunk into the milk and melt in yourself.
It was nice, but, as I often do, I forgot I'm a little lactose-intolerant, and after all that milk, I wasn't feeling tip-top.
Still, I was glad I got a decent hot chocolate.
I almost had to cancel the trip due to a last minute work thing, but luckily, it all worked out in the end, and my boss didn't have to refund my holiday.
My solo trip to Bruges was the first time I experienced what has now become the norm for me - ordering a tea and getting it brought to you on a tray, with a snack.
I was so pleasantly surprised, I took a picture of it and texted my mum about it. This was a long time before I had a phone that was in anyway capable of taking decent pictures (I could have borrowed my work blackberry, but that wasn't much more than blurry pixels at the best of times...)
See, you have to realise, that I've been used to the Swiss way of receiving cups of tea in cafés. Which is just a cup of hot water with a teabag on the side. Sure, there's nothing wrong with it, but when you're used to people who order coffees and espressos getting a little piece of chocolate with theirs, but never getting anything with your tea, Belgium was a pleasant surprise - I always get something here, whether it's a little wafer filled with whipped cream, a biscuit, mini muffin, croissant, chocolate... and it's always pleasant.
I don't always eat it, the biscuits often go into my handbag for future food-emergencies, but it's wonderful to be treated the same way as everyone else.
And of course, it being a trip to Belgium, I had to get a hot chocolate somewhere.
I can't remember the café I went to (and I tried to find it last time I was there, but no luck), but it was cosy and creaky, with old wooden furniture and cushions everywhere.
The hot chocolate arrived deconstructed, with a little chocolate pot of chocolate chips to dunk into the milk and melt in yourself.
I remember starting with just a few at a time, trying not to overdo the chocolate, and then just going for it and dunking the whole pot in, as it just wasn't going chocolaty enough.
It was nice, but, as I often do, I forgot I'm a little lactose-intolerant, and after all that milk, I wasn't feeling tip-top.
Still, I was glad I got a decent hot chocolate.
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