Gent to Bruges

21st & 22nd June
It was raining at breakfast, but the weather radar looked like it would clear for our ride to Bruges.
The route was pretty good, following a sealed path along a canal for most the way. After the ride from Brussels to Gent we were happy to find that Flanders is not just continuous towns, and we mostly rode past green pastures.
We had a pretty constant cross/head wind, but since we needed to find accommodation, and rain threatened, we made good time with no stops.
We rode straight to the tourist info centre. They found us a room in an old hotel, very central, but big bright room. Very lucky to get it.
The Bruge Triathlon is on here tomorrow, should be good to have a look at. Belgian waffles, chocolate shops everywhere. Too cold for Belgian beer today. Belgian chocolate is very diverse. Study is continuing.
22nd
Bruge is so crowded that you are in danger of being knocked over by a number of things. Firstly, unlike every other European city, Bruges' centre it's not pedestrianised. Secondly, due to constant tourist numbers, local drivers have adopted the policy of maximum speed in order to keep terrified pedestrians on the almost non-existent sidewalks. The situation is compounded by the regular and speedy circuits of central Bruges made by a bunch of horse-drawn carriages conveying tourists. Add to this mix a stack of cyclists, including a few large packs of inexperienced tourists lead by an extremely optimistic guide and "new" tourists who have not yet learned the local etiquette and it is a wonder the place isn't a war zone.
For the reasons stated above, we decided to walk away from the central square and headed for the Bejinhof, an enclosed area where women, both  in religious orders and laity, have lived for centuries protected from the external world. It is a beautiful, peaceful placed beside a canal and home to many swans.
On our return trip we visited the Gruuthuis Museum, by mistake. My 'MF' was supposed to be directing us to the Groenighuis Museum. We saw a lot of fabulously old and beautiful hand painted/ written books from the13th & 14th century mainly. But no artists -c'est La vie!
Later in the evening, Pat positioned himself at the transition area for the cycle leg of the triathlon & enjoyed watching the boys come over the little old canal bridge & take the corner on the wet cobblestones. No falls!