After departing from Southampton at
around 5pm on Friday, and sailing
through the night, our cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth, docked at the Belgian port
of Zeebrugge early on Saturday
morning. Neither Mrs PBT’s or I were in a hurry to get ashore, particularly as
our ship wouldn’t be sailing until the early evening.
We’d both enjoyed a good night’s sleep, so much so that I at
least had forgotten that my good lady wife had ordered breakfast in bed. She
was in the shower, when a knock came at the door and one of the waiting staff arrived with her tray of bacon and eggs.
I say “her,” because I was not partaking of such
frivolities, even though room service, if wanted, was included as part of our
package. Unlike Mrs PBT’s, I’ve never been a fan of eating in any bedroom,
whether in a hotel or onboard ship, so as soon as she’d reappeared I left her
to enjoy being pampered, and set off to
locate the buffet on one of the Queen Elizabeth’s upper decks.
There was a choice of at least two buffet and dining areas,
so I picked the least crowded. After scanning what was on offer, I loaded my
plate up with a couple of rather tasty Cumberland
sausages, a few rashers of back bacon and a good helping of scrambled eggs, and
sat down at a vacant, port-side window seat. I was just wondering what to do
about an accompanying hot drink, when the waiter turned up with a most welcome jug of coffee.
From my vantage point, nine decks up from the waterline, I
had a good view of the comings and goings on the quayside below. There were
various groups of passengers disembarking, in order to board the coaches,
waiting to transport them away on a number of pre-booked, shore excursions, but
myself, Mrs PBT’s and our two travelling
companions had a more leisurely day in mind.
I mentioned in a previous post that the excursions were
expensive and, apart from the trip to Ghent,
were heading off to places I’d been to before. Our plan was to make a short
trip ashore, have a look around, buy some Belgian chocolate and a few Belgian
beers, and then come back onboard in time for that most British of institutions
- afternoon tea.
As well as the various coaches, I noticed the appearance of
red, single-deck buses at regular intervals, and quickly sussed out these were
the means of leaving the port. I’d already read that no pedestrian traffic is
permitted in the port area, and that passengers wishing to make their own way
ashore, were required to use the buses, so after finishing my breakfast, and a
second cup of rather strong coffee, I set off back to our cabin to collect my
good lady wife.
With an all-inclusive package, the only things to buy are
alcoholic drinks, luxury items (perfume and jewellery), an upgrade to one of
the more exclusive restaurants and the service charge added in lieu of tipping
individual stewards or waiters. On leaving the ship your card is scanned, and
it is scanned again on return. Additional airport-style security checks are
also carried out on all returning passengers.
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I discovered at the terminal that we could have instead
taken a bus to the nearby seaside town of Blankenberge,
where there is a lot more in terms of shops, cafés and bars. Unfortunately my
companions seemed much less keen on the idea of a couple of hours in
Blankenberge than I did, and my suggestion to Mrs PBT’s that I could shoot off
there on my own, met with one of those real old-fashioned and very disdainful looks.
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On the way into the shop, I’d noticed the tell-tale canopies
of a bar, further along the marina, so when Mrs PBT’s went to pay for her
purchases, I enquired, all innocently, as to the whereabouts of the nearest
café. Just a short distance along the marina said the lady at the till. “Would
you recommend it?” I asked. “Certainly,” was the reply.
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After ordering either coffee or hot chocolate for the rest
of the group and a Westmalle Dubbel for me, we sat there enjoying our drinks
and taking in the atmosphere of this typical and rather pleasant Belgian café. There
wasn’t a huge variety of beers on the menu, but what was available was quite
respectable. I tend to prefer the dark Dubbel-style beers, to the paler, but
stronger Trippels, and I have always enjoyed Westmalle’s version
Naturally my Westmalle was served in the correct badged
glass, which came as no surprise to Eileen, but quite impressed her sister. Café
Chevvy's was a lucky find in an area consisting largely of modern apartments and
unused yacht berths. It was also a good place to spend some time with our
travelling companions and to enjoy the excellent Trappist ale.
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I came away with a Brugse Zot Dubbel, from De Halve Maan
Brewery, plus a selection from Fort Lapin;
an artisanal brewery located just outside the centre of Bruges.
After that, it was back on the bus and back on the boat, ready for afternoon
tea.
2 comments:
Good choice to do the buffet!
Room looks nice.
The coffee is always a bit strong on ships.
The buffet areas were very busy on the final morning Martin, as everyone was getting ready to disembark. It was still far more civilised than flying, as you just leave your cases outside the room, the night before, and they're off-loaded for you.
Coffee is always welcome in the morning, even when it's on the strong side!
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