The Tuckers in Alaska: The Tuckers in Europe, Part III

What comes to mind when one mentions Belgium? Waffles? A small country most Americans couldn't find on a map? The muscles from Brussels? For Brandon and Stephanie, it's three things: beer, chocolate, and more beer. Depending on whom you ask, Belgium produces somewhere between 800 and 1200 different beers, and has done so for centuries. This, in a modest country roughly the size of Maryland. They are of course equally renowned for their fine chocolates, and seemingly half of the shops one sees in Belgium are dedicated to one or both of these special treats. And though Belgium is also the birthplace of the frite, or "French" fry, dipping fries in mayonnaise on a hot day was, after having tried it, something we can't recommend to anyone with functioning taste buds. They do make good fries, but come on; fried potatoes do not a remarkable experience make.

After our stay in London, we sailed across the English Channel from Dover to Calais aboard the Pride of Canterbury ferry, which the kids loved. It was a hectic day of travel, which saw us take a taxi from our London hotel to Victoria Coach Station, a coach through the southeast of England to Dover, a shuttle from the ferry terminal to the ship, the ferry ride itself, a hike through Calais to the train station there, then three separate trains as we made our way through France and Belgium to settle for the night in Bruges. It was the most grueling leg of the vacation, but entirely worth the trouble.

Bruges (or Brugge, as the local Flemish Dutch-speakers call it) is a breathtakingly special place. Yes, it is full of tourists. And yes, the shops and activities all cater to those tourists. But it's like Disneyland — just because the place is designed for tourism doesn't make it any less magical. As brilliantly immortalized in the film In Bruges, the town is a medieval fantasy frozen in time. The ancient houses, streets, churches, canals, and bridges paint a scene that is almost impossibly picturesque. Words can not do it justice, and photos only offer suggestions of the city's beauty.

We stayed two nights in Bruges, at a 100 year-old house now used as a rather luxurious bed and breakfast. By comparison, our next overnight stay was at a hostel in Ghent, where we only had time to wash laundry (albeit in typically Belgian fashion, as Brandon was served beer while he waited for the clothes). While Ghent is a larger, more modern city than Bruges, it promised many of the same medieval sights and attractions we had hoped to enjoy; however, our schedule didn't allow us enough time there, as we had a very important appointment to keep a few miles away...

Melle is a town two train stops from Ghent, and was a necessary stop for us for exactly one reason: it is the home of Brewery Huyghe, the maker of Brandon's favorite beer, Delirium Tremens. We had set up a visit of the facility in advance, and along with just one other couple from England, the five of us were given a personal tour of the entire brewery, even meeting the company's fourth-generation family owner, and culminating in delicious, fresh drinks from Huyghe's own taproom. The kids happily sipped Coca-Cola from slender beer glasses. It was something of a pilgrimage for Brandon, a place he'd wanted to see for 15 years, and a definite highlight of the entire trip for everyone. Even the kids were eager to buy Delirium Tremens gifts at the shop.

Two other places hosted us in Belgium — a beautiful farmhouse in the small village of Poppel, and a nicely appointed apartment in Brussels, where we ended our Belgian leg of the vacation and made our way back to Paris for the two final nights. Overall, Belgium seemed to suit us best. It offered the perfect balance of country and city life, with quaint, quiet, clean towns and farms everywhere one looked. And while Brussels certainly paled in comparison to its larger Gallic cousin Paris (though naturally, Brussels' beer and chocolate selections won out), we think we definitely enjoyed Belgium the most of the few countries we visited. Without a doubt, we will go back.