Bruges/Brussels

Ten days in, and we've already experienced so much. We had to say goodbye to Jordan, whose adventure only went as far as Bruges; we had to say farewell to Ben and Mark, who were off in different directions on their own journeys; and of course, we had to say adieu to the charming city itself, which made a truly lasting impression on us all.

We climbed the hundreds of stairs to the top of the belfry in the main square and got one last magnificent panoramic look from above, then reluctantly returned to earth for one more round of mouth watering waffles from our favorite waffle stand.

We found a small, peaceful courtyard to eat in and visit a bit before finally parting ways. And just like that, it was just Joanie and me, trekking down the cobblestone streets of Bruges on to the train station toward Cologne.

But first, we had to stop for mussels in Brussels!

And although we only had a couple hours to spare for this pit stop, we were able to snap several photos of the bustling city center and all its grandeur.

Our traveling concluded for the day upon arriving in Cologne, where we were greeted by Conny, our host for the next three nights. It was very kind of her to let us stay with her, and a nice change of pace from all the hostels (particularly because we needed to do laundry!), though we did very much enjoy our hosteling experiences in each of the first four cities. And so we went directly back to Conny's and relaxed for the evening, enjoying dinner and drinks with her and her friend Boris. A fine finish to a day full of travel and transition.