This was definitely the highlight of the solo portion of the trip thus far. And it was all a happy little accident. I had been looking for a couch to surf in Brugge and had gotten pretty lucky with Eli. But the best thing that came out of looking for a place in Brugge was getting a note from Billy in Oostende saying they had room for me and that I should come surf for a couple of days. I hadn't really planned on going to the coast and I definitely knew nothing about Oostende. But, one read of Billy's profile and a recent couch surfing review had me convinced I would have a good time and meet excellent people. My expectations were met and exceeded tremendously.

Billy and Rob are a lovely couple who have been together for 13 years, and last year went to America and couch surfed through NYC, Baltimore, Philly, and DC. They enjoyed their surfing experiences and have been opening their home up for surfers since returning to Oostende.

I cannot not tell you how great their accommodations were and how much both Billy and Rob worked to make my time in Oostende fun, comfortable, authentic and delicious!

I got in with very low expectations given that I hadn't planned on going there and that I was meeting a couple of randoms that I was going to spend the next two days with. Well, from moment one I knew it was the right call for me. I loved the drive out to their neighborhood, which is like a ten minute drive from the city centre (maybe 20 or so minutes on the bike, which is what we used to get around mostly). The neighborhood looked like a place where normal people might live, and I loved that. I think having had been in mostly touristy places and huge city centers. It felt so welcoming to go to a place that seemed like it could belong to a family member or friend.

From the get go, I was extremely comfortable with both Billy and Rob, Billy has a little more free time than Rob, so he was more of my guide through Oostende during the days there than Rob, given that Rob was working to prepare for the start of the coming school year.

We spent that first day exploring the neighborhood by foot with Zeita (their really cool dog),and then Rob made a homemade Belgian dish for us for dinner (An endive and ham casserole - there was burnt crispy cheese involved!)

That night we went out for several delicious beers at their local beer bar, I was exposed to a bunch of Flemish beers I hadn't tried in Brussels and chatted with Billy and Rob about all kinds of things, to include Belgian politics and my various top pizza experiences in life. Great night!

Next day Billy and I spent the ENTIRE day on bikes exploring some of his favorite spots along the coast and throughout the town. We shared a pannini at the beach club with an amazing view of the ocean. We toured the neighboring towns by bike and drove our bikes up to but not through the nude beach a couple of towns over. It was one of my most fun travel days in the most simple but truly enjoyable way. This was a great guy showing me some of the coolest spots he's discovered in his home, totally perfect. Billy also is just one of the sweetest people on the planet, so spending so much time together chatting was really cool.

I think one of the best things about the experience was how much BIlly enjoys finding the beauty in almost all things, particularly architecture. So, he was constantly pointing out really interesting features of buildings or sculptures that were tremendously unique and beautiful. It seems silly, but this really added to my experience, making me notice and think more than I would have otherwise about the functionality and form of various stuff throughout the day.

Twas great.

That second night I helped prep some of the dinner that Rob would cook for us and it was so much fun to help out in the kitchen, there was a real sense of being part of the family as I washed endives and peeled mushrooms with Billy. And of course, it was just more quality time cracking jokes and connecting with my host.

In the end, I ended up changing my original plans to go to Paris on Thursday and stayed an extra night. Billy had said they've love it if I stayed and my initial reaction was OF COURSE. I was having a ball and Paris would still be there on Friday. Staying the extra day rocked. I got a great workout in, in the lovely and HUGE park down the street from their house. Did some trip planning caught up with some friends and then went out for Zeita walk and returned to the BEAUTIFUL and enchanting Mariah Hendrick park in the city center.

I couldn't have asked for a better three days. I think it was a real turning point in the trip, there was a level of comfort and zen-ness that I achieved in Oostende that hadn't really been around yet. So, I'm really thankful for the experience and my great hosts for helping to facilitate that.

I also think the seven miles of running while getting lost in the beautiful Belgian country-side didn't hurt, but the burppees I tried to do after those miles did. Side note: I fear returning to my cross fit routine, I'm thinking I've set myself back some since leaving New Orleans.

In some ways the really simple things like using a bike to get around mostly, and cooking some, and being made to feel real welcome in Billy and Rob's home really were a rejuvenating experience. It might have also been the crazy delicious fries I had on my last night in Oostende. (Side-note: The Belgians fry up some meat mixture that is very comparable to a Cuban croquetta, it was kind of amazing).

I was sad to say good bye to Billy and Rob, but Paris beckoned, and I needed to give them back some of their space. All-in-all, Oostende was a huge win.

Some of my favorite pics in Oostende:

Loving life in Maria Hendrika Park

Oostende by Night

Billy and I out for beers

Billy and Rob's 2nd Car Kermit

Crossing on the ferry to the other side of town

Some of my favorite beers from Oostende

A reminder of New Orleans (Sadly no Abita or Po Boys)

Oostende was full of interesting sculpures, this one was right up on the coast and apparently kind of hated by those that lived behind it.

Endive and Ham Casserole from my first night, prepared by Rob

"In Bruges" is a movie I probably should have seen before ending up in Brugge. I remember trying to see it years ago, but passing out as I tend to do and never really finishing it. Anyways, I was asked no less than fifty times in two days about this film and about how its beautiful and fun, etc, etc. Anyways no I haven't seen the movie. Brugge was my first time couch surfing. And I was a little anxious about that. The small things that make your life easier about a hostel or hotel really became clear to me as I was on my way to Brugge. A-number-one, I didn't have a website to look to see where or how to get to Eli's place. I didn't have a name of a hotel to ask someone about if I got lost. Etc, etc.

Of course, Eli provided me with easy enough directions and I got to his place without incident. It was really easy and the concerns about getting there and how it would be to couch surf ended up being just that, only concerns (as it often is the case, actually, always the case).

I think the thing I'll remember most about my couch surfing experience in Brugge is my initial reaction to two things. Firstly, the toilet was located OUTSIDE. It was a private little alley next to the kitchen, and you couldn't enter or leave through there or anything, but it was outside. I was like WTF, an out house? Additionally, I could tell instantly that I was deathly allergic to the attic in which I would be staying. I hadn't really even thought about that before looking into couches that I could stay on. But I learned that day.

Eli didn't have pets so it wasn't that kind of allergy, but it was a really old building and the attic was not finished and parts of it were open and so there was just a lot of stuff going on up there. Anyways, after carrying what I've decided is WAY too much shit up his tiny stair case to the attic I was pretty convinced that this couch surfing thing would be a very limited experiment on this trip. Thank god for the elephant strength allergy meds I brought along with me. :-D

So I went to Brugge because it's beautiful, and it didn't disappoint. The city is almost comically gorgeous, and it being famous for that combined with it being a bank holiday in the UK, meant LOTS of tourists. Specifically a type of loud and fat English person that made fart jokes loudly in small restaurants (this happened twice). It made things a little strange. But I enjoyed my time there.

I think my favorite things that happened in Brugge are the following:

Climbing to the top of the Belfur: this was creepy as hell, it doesn't compare to the bell tower that I climbed in Sibieu in terms of sheer potential to kill me, this one was way sturdier. But it was a crazy intense climb and SUPER claustrophobic. But the view from the top was killer and I felt accomplished. After an hour and change in line for this I was happy I'd done it.
Drinking with Australian Chris: This was a lot of fun and unexpected. Chris is a teacher working in Italy leading bike tours and all around a super smart and fun drinking companion. I enjoyed the beers and conversation, perfect travel drinking night. Although, I presumed my time in New Orleans had prepared me to enter the world of Australian Travel Drinking again after some years away from the game. And really, it hasn't, I cried uncle twice and eventually had to just dart out to make it home at a reasonable hour.
Brugge at Night: It doesn't disappoint. It's gorgeous and romantic and creepy and less crowded. Really Beautiful.
Jerusalem Church: A copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was beautiful and totally weird to find in Belgium