September 22, 2007 | Belgium, Bruges, Europe, France, Paris

I enjoyed one last cafe noisette before heading to get the rental car near the Louvre on Rue di Rivoli, which turned out to be a goat rodeo. It took 25 minutes to walk there which is just a little longer than I thought, but took nearly 45 minutes to figure out where Hertz was, which is down some obscure stairs below the Louvre. We managed to pack ourselves in like sardines, and headed out, having lunch on the highway.

We arrived at the Hotel Heritage which is just off the main square in Bruges – the rooms are large and nicely decorated, and the location couldn’t be more perfect. We headed directly to the square to do what they do in Belgium – drink beer!

The group was less than enthusiastic about the Michelin 3-star restaurant that I had planned for dinner (a bummer for me!) so we cancelled that reservation and instead when to Le Petit Grand for dinner where they specialize in grilled food. We shared beef carpaccio and a fairly gross shrimp croquette as appetizers. Most of the group had beef, but I had a filet of bar fish which was wrapped in prosciutto and pan seared, then served over slices of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, which was really delicious.