The undeniably fall weather this weekend put me in the mood to look for some travel pictures in keeping with the season. We arrived in Bruges in mid-November and it was the first place cold enough for me to want warmer clothing.

We started our trip in Southern Spain in August and needed clothing for 45 degrees, and our trip ended at the beginning of December in Scandinavia and London. Packing for three seasons into one backpack was challenging! Once we hit Bruges I threw out my running shoes, which were in tatters. I bought a pair of fake Uggs. Not only were they comfortable, they were the cheapest thing I could find at 50 euros. They were also terrible quality. Within an hour they were soaked through even with the waterproofing spray, and the soles broke within a week. But I kept wearing them because, frankly, I just couldn’t fathom spending more money. I ended up putting plastic bags over my socks before putting them on…

Bruges was filled with fog and rain for most of our stay, and was hauntingly beautiful. There were markets everywhere selling veggies and flowers. One thing we did find was that, unlike other parts of Europe, it pretty much closed down at 5pm and everyone went to bed. We went on long walks, drank beer in sample sizes at a pub and picked up chocolates every now and then.

Bruges wasn’t just where I bought fake Uggs and a warm hoodie. It was a gorgeous old city, and while we were there it was surrounded by mist and fog — which, naturally, made us want to drink filling beer and seek out chocolate. Which we did. Quite a bit. Including the best ever hot chocolate shop. This place had over 44 flavours of hot chocolate, and came served with a shot of water, a cube of sugar, and some white foam stuff which Rob thought was a palate cleanser of sorts and I thought was to be dumped on the hot chocolate. It was crazy expensive at 5 euros per glass…. but went back a day later for round two.We actually only spent 30 minutes in Brussels during a stop-over. The architecture was very similar to Bruges just… fancier, somehow. We particularly enjoyed the Tin Tin mural.Don’t even get me started on the waffles. There is a very good reason Belgium is known for its waffles. I mean, come on. Look at those! They were even cheaper than the hot chocolate and you could buy them right on the street. It’s a very good thing that we walked 8 hours a day while on this trip because look at the size of them! I spent more time photographing the waffle than eating it, so Rob, my waffle, and I ended up sprinting to catch our train. Ahhh, backpacking!