Wednesday and Saturday mornings the Markt is overtaken with the local farmer’s market. I was surprised… here I was thinking it would be a dinky affair (based on some other markets we’ve been to) but it’s actually a really bustling event. Locals shop at the market, which is also surprising, given the location. Local strawberries (which look so cute because they’re really small! But sour and watery ;( ):
Last day in Bruges means chocolate tasting time! ^.^ Very tiresome! Haha j/k I held out til the last day because I wanted to taste which shops were good and buy from them so they would as fresh as can be when I get back to Cali.
I started with The Chocolate Line, because Dominque Persoone has obtained rock star-chocolatier status for his unique compositions.
Heston Blumenthal’s take on him:
I had heard of his Havana cigar chocolate, which supposedly actually uses cigar inside the ganache so it is illegal to bring into the US. I was so excited to try it!
But don’t worry Angel, you’re not missing out on much... the ganache was waaaayyy too smoky, bitter and alcohol-y for me! It’s supposed to have rum in it, but I didn’t taste the rum. Just lots of that alcohol taste… like straight-up vodka. *Shudder* ….and that’s my fingerprint! Haha It wasn’t even hot today (raining, actually) and the chocolate was melting! >__<
I also bought a praline milk chocolate porcupine:
It’s really cute! But the praline was just a tad bit too sweet (I feel like I’m not Jen Chao anymore! Nothing used to be ‘too sweet’ for me!), I think due to the fact that they mixed in milk chocolate into the praline paste for the filling AND used milk chocolate for the outer shell.
Dumon is the most famous chocolatier in Bruges~ run by a mother and her two sons. They regularly show up on tour guides recommendations. The lady behind the counter let me taste a chocolate mousse pyramid and the ganache is super-creamy. They have a wide selection of molded chocolates:
I was getting chocolated-out (I swear something’s wrong with me!) and in need of salty food. What better than fries in Bruges? Since 1896, there have been 2 stands in front of the Belfry competing for customers, selling fries (or so they say in the tour books, but I heard they’re actually owned by the same company…?). In the map I got yesterday (billed ‘made by locals for young travelers’), they claim locals frequent the stands and debate which fry stand tastes better… which is interesting, since I saw frozen fries being delivered to one of the stands this morning? And every time I walk by, I only see tourists in line.
But since I’m here, gotta try the fries! Keep an open mind! I had been debating my whole trip here whether to try them or not, because a small order runs a steep 2.25 euro PLUS if you want sauce, add 0.60 euro on top of that! There’s actually a kebab shop near my hotel that sells fries for a whole euro less and whenever I walk by, I see a lot of local students eating in there. Anyway, I chose the stand that had more people in line and although I brought my own truffle mayo ~__^, I wanted to try their sauce (which is also bought a la supplier):
Not bad fries, if you like very crispy fries. I’m more a soggy fry person ^.^ I keep preaching to Angel throughout our trip that we shouldn’t waste food (at some points, force feeding her hehe) but I could NOT stomach eating the whole thing! A small order is very generous, but I was getting a little nauseous mid-way through… to the point where I was thinking I really don’t want to eat fries for a very long time!
Some gorgeous lace I saw today:
Tapestry of Gustav Klimt’s work!
The Belfry has an exhibition of Salvador Dali’s work on the ground floor.
A quote from the man himself:
“Every morning when I wake up, I feel an exquisite sense of joy~ the joy of being Salvador Dali. And I ask myself, in a sort of rapture, what wonderful thing will he create today, this Salvador Dali.”
And you think I’m pompous? Haha
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