JALAN JALAN - PARIS

On the third day, we moved from Bruges to Brussels where we took the Thalys Express to Paris.

The were only a few passengers on board the local train to Brussels.

It's 4 seats for me and my suitcase!

Changed to this deluxe high speed Thayls train at Brussels.  

Lunch was served as the train was zooming across the countryside.

Arriving Paris' Nord Train Station in the late afternoon.

Jalan jalan in Paris

The Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées.

According to the Paris' guide book, the Champs-Elysees, a wide avenue lined with horse-chestnut trees running for 2 km from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe is the world's most famous shopping street.

 

It was a good place to enjoy some window shopping. Along the street, there are luxury boutiques, cafés and cinemas. I believed it is the most beautiful avenue in Paris!

 

 

We bought some "French pancakes" by the roadside. The combination of banana slices and Nutella was delicious !

The Petit Palais, a museum, a 1900 Charles Girault's designs.

The Esplanade des Invalides area.

The "Alexandre III" bridge, a symbol of the past alliance between France and Russia in 1900. Across the bridge is the "Les invalides", a famous palace, where Napoleon's grave is. There is also a  WW1 and WW2 Army museum.

From the bridge we could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Air France building

The "Les invalides", the famous palace.

We passed the British Embassy, on our way back to our rented apartment.

We have not eaten Asian food since we left London, so, I selected this Japanese restaurant. My expectation for Japanese restaurant has always been high but I was very disappointed when I realized that this restaurant was operated by Chinese. The waiters, and waitresses including the chefs were all Chinese!  

 

 Very mild and plain "Miso soup"

 Japanese style salad in French dressing?

Meat balls, salmon, chicken, beef and cheese chicken rolls in Yaki mono (BBQ items)  - they looked OK but nothing close to Japanese taste.

 Main course was the "duck breast Teppanyaki"  - like Chinese cooking! 

 Fried rice was OK.

So far, Paris was interesting because of the historical environment. I found that the people in the streets were not friendly even those working in the service sectors. The weather had been bad since our arrival - rain on and off with an unusual cold temperature between 6C to 12C.     

BRUGES - BELGIUM

From Amsterdam, we moved to Bruges, a city that cherishes its architectural and artistic treasures from the past in Belgium.

We boarded this Thalys International express train at Amsterdam.

Deluxe carriage with free wi-fi on-board + individual electric sockets for recharging electronic equipment.

Refreshment was served about 15 minutes after leaving the station.

A wide selection of drinks and snacks were also available in the Thalys Bar carriage.

Arrived Bruges via Antwerpen, Belgium just at noon. From Bruges station, it's about 6-7 minutes taxi ride to our hotel.

Hotel Navarra, an elegant 17th-century mansion with 94 rooms. A 4 star standard, situated in the heart of the city near the world famous Market Square and its Belfry Tower.

 Lunch at this local restaurant.

 My first Belgian draft beer!

Beer followed by the delicious Belgian cuisine !      

 

After a good meal, we ventured into the attractions of Bruges, like the Market Square and the Belfry Tower.   

According to the Bruges' guide book,  the square was used as a marketplace since 958, and a weekly market was held here from 985 - more than a thousand years ago. Today,  the large square is ringed by banks, a post office, and many guild houses converted into restaurants. 

The market Square was full of people in the afternoon. It was a good place to start or end a walking tour.

Most of the street are occupied by restaurants and cafes - people were seen enjoying their afternoon wine, beer and other refreshment.

 

One of the city's most impressive monuments are the Belfry and Cloth Hall. It is a beautiful neo-gothic structure. Its predecessor was in Classical style of the early 1800s.  

This Belfry is one of the city's most  prominent symbols. Formerly it housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger. It has a narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps. This 83-metre-high building, which leans about a metre to the east. 

Close-up of the tower. It is believed that this Belfry Tower was already standing in Bruges since 1240. It was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1280. 

 

The canal boat tour is one of the most popular tour in Bruges.

  We walked the streets for some window shopping.

Horse carriage tour - many of them were on the road that afternoon.

Bruges is a chocolate paradise - a huge assortment of flavors and chocolate goodies with excellent quality.

They came in all shapes - exciting creations.

There was non-stop queue at this Waffles shop - we waited for about 20 minutes to get our Waffles.

Scrumptious !!!

 Houses along of the most picturesque canals.

We returned to the Square at sunset and had our dinner at a lovely little restaurant just off the main square near our hotel.  

  "Pietje Pek" restaurant.

  It was almost a full house as we entered.

Creative posters on the walls.

The bar tender recommended this Belgian beer. The flavour was rich, fruity with a fresh-bitter finish. 

This restaurant served a variety of food - our selection was based on the suggestion from the waitress.

 

The house special, a robust and flavoursome Rabbit stew, accompanied by those fabulous Belgian frites! Delicious! 

Traditional beef stew marinated in beer.

 The salad, bread and frites.

Despite a full house, the service was extremely efficient. The food was well prepared and tasty! It's a good dinner to end a tiring day!