Tags
Belgium, British food, Bruges, Cooking, Food, London, Spirit OF Europe, Topdeck, Travel
The Tour
Woke up with the sad realisation that today was the last day of the tour. Thankfully Still had one last destination for our trip, the city of Bruges in Belgium. It only took us a few hours to get to the city after leaving Amsterdam, most of which I was fast asleep. We had just under two hours to explore the city and get some lunch. Spent most of our time in market square in the the centre of the city, took some photos of the Belfry of Bruges, the Provincial Court and the Post office. Stopped in at a little restaurant to grab one of Belgium’s specialities, Belgian fries, which were served with mayonnaise. Wandered a little of the centre of the city where found a little store front selling another of Belgium’s specialities, the Belgian waffle, which was covered in melted chocolate and pretty much amazing. Speaking of chocolate, Belgium’s other finest food, our tour guide took us to a little chocolate shop which among a delicious looking range of chocolate, sold chocolate that looked like male and female genitalia.
Back onto the bus and onwards to Calais to wait for our ferry back to England. Here at the port we said a sad goodbye to home away from home for the past few weeks, the Topdeck bus. Once on the ferry, I took another opportunity to nap and woke up when we arrived in Dover. Back onto another bus and then onwards to London. Arriving back at our hostel, we all said a teary goodbye to those who were staying elsewhere and then the rest of the group had our final dinner at a Japanese place across the street.
I’d booked into a private room for my last night so enjoyed an amazing sleep in a double bed with my own ensuite. Breakfast with a few of our tour group before heading out for last day to explore London. First stop was the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms, which were used during the bombings in World War 2. Then I headed over to the Tower of London. After a tour of the site by a Beefeater, I saw the Crown Jewels, explored some of the other buildings inside the grounds and managed to catch the Tower Guards in the Ceremony of the Word. Once I was finished at the Tower London, it was time for me to head back to the hostel, grab my bags and take the tube to the airport for the very long trip home.
The Food
I wanted to make Fries but usually avoid deep frying food where possible. So decided to cut up a potato into fries, bake them coated in a little oil and then serve them with mayonnaise, of course. They were slightly over cooked on the edges but nice and crunchy, and I didn’t have to deal with the hassle of oil and deep frying.
For my last England based savoury dish, I had some sausages and potatoes leftover from all my cooking adventures this past month so I whipped up a simple Bangers and Mash, served with peas and onion gravy. It was quick and easy to make and definitely tasty.
For my very final food item, there is nothing more English than a pudding. A particular favourite of mine is Bread and Butter Pudding with its rich eggy custard, plump sultanas and a slightly caramelised golden brown top. It was simple to prepare and a rather nice way to finish my food tour of Europe.