If you go down to Brugges today

These are some things you see in Brugges (in Belgium) that aren't so darn cutesy, but are fairly effective toy-town mascots.






In the Brugges town square, after you pause to buy a hot chocolate with amaretto and take a moment to listen to a little girl playing "Frere Jacques" on the xylophone, you can watch people ice skating to this....

This cat was in a museum that explained how to make wooden shoes, hats, and pipes. It was all in Dutch, so I'm still not very sure how to make a felted hat.


As we were leaving, we visited the ice sculpture festival at the train station. Inside the refrigerated tent, we met an icy hedgehog, ladybug, mascot number 2, a bride and groom taking wedding pictures, and several penguins. After going down an ice sculpture slide, there was an ice sculpture bar where I had a shot of vodka with my mom. It was very cold.

Later, after spending too much time in the Brussels train station, my mom and I took a train back to Paris. Some friends visiting my mom convinced me to go to a lesbian cabaret. I had a 10 euro rum and juice drink out of an illuminated punchbowl, prepared compliments of the bar's owner, Josie.

Lesbian cabaret is a bust. More on that later.