24 Aug 2002 Belgium

Tim & I, along with our friends (Linda & Karin) left our homes at 0515. We walked and met friends, Tom & Barb, where we all boarded our bus (coach) at 0615.
(Most of the other people had boarded even earlier at West Ruislip.)

In the picture on the right, you see Zoe (age 2).
Her mother, Tiffany (outside the window), was
our guide on the bus to/from Dover. Zoe had just locked her mother out
and had taken over counting the passengers (just kidding).

The coach took us from London to Dover (usually a 2-hour drive).
We caught the 0930 ferry across the English Channel to Calais France.

This ferry was about 9 decks high. Tim & Linda (above right) - we hung out at the stern.

Some of us were surprised no one could go to their vehicles until the ferry had landed
ferry employees had opened the stairwell gates! Getting down the stairs to board
the bus after landing in Calais was not very pleasant for any of us.
(Fortunately, the ferry ride back to Dover was late at night and not too crowded.)

We landed in Calais about 1040

	Our driver, Dereck (right, in the white shirt) then drove us from Calais to Bruges. We arrived about 1230.
Bruges is beautiful. "The town is dominated by fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century houses, and a great number of magnificent buildings are reminiscent of the town's unsurpassed flowering during the Middle Ages." Tim and I fell in love with the beautiful and tranquil scenery as we walked through the park, along the canal, and through the town.