The [B][B][C]: Simply Irresistible

We'd like to take the opportunity to dedicate this blog entry to

two of life's simply irresistible pleasures - Chocolate & Beer.

Last weekend, after a very long week of work, we escaped our hectic London lives via the Eurostar, for a short weekend away in Bruges, Belgium. Having only just heard of Bruges after Bryan recently watched the Hollywood film, "In Bruges," and consequently our impetus for planning the trip (seriously!), Bruges turned out to be charming through and through. A quaint medieval town, with original architecture dating back to the 1100's, Bruges boasts all of the visual pleasures of a European hideaway - the Bell tower, the impressive churches, the canal boats, the cobblestone streets and bridges, and the charming store fronts selling Belgian waffles and handmade lace. For the tired and weary, Bruges is a perfect place to recharge - with its busy season in the summer months, January turned out to be an exceptionally peaceful, quiet time to visit, which quite frankly, could not have been more welcome.

But more importantly, being a Belgian town, Bruges provides its guests with the opportunity to just relax and indulge in chocolate and beer. Belgium, as a country, is home to hundreds of locally brewed beers, most famous for its white beers and fruit-infused varieties, and literally countless retailers of chocolate. And, to be fair, Belgian chocolate is quite possibly the most intoxicating chocolate we've had to date - absolutely divine in taste, smell, and texture (trust me, we sampled enough to know!) Despite being a relatively tiny town, Bruges has plenty of both, making for the perfect, most pleasurable weekend away.