Bruges, and the Cactus Festival, July 9 and 10

Bruges was, if anything, tinier and hotter than Brussels, which is saying a lot because Brussels isn't exactly large, though it was extremely toasty there. We took the train to Bruges from Brussels, all of 45 minutes, and we had a fun time hauling ourselves through the heat with our packs on. Sweating, stinking and sore, we finally found our hostel (conveniently located in the heart of Bruges, but still hot, and without good facilities, oi). We set up and set out fairly immediately, because we had to be at the festival by 5 and we got in around 2, so we wanted to catch a quick nap and some food. We made sandwiches by a canal and fed some ducks, then wandered our way to the main gates. Now, Bruges being so small this wasn't too hard, but the vistas while we were walking were fantastic. Green was everywhere, and the windmills were hilariously Dutch.
We ended up at the festival a little early, but we got in and (now we're legit euro-travelers) got our wrist bands. Now, I know most of you have seen the paper bands you get at concerts sometimes, but these are heavy-duty bands. Cloth bands that are crimped with metal and cut off to fit your wrist. Efficient and useful for the people who are there for the whole fest (3 days) and camping, but also a great memento. We still have them on :)
We got to see Air's band (the entire reason we even went to Belgium, let's be honest) "I Am Kloot" and they were actually pretty good. THree middle aged men singing as a kind of side0gig, they had a good set even though it was the first set of all. As they said, "Usually being the first to play at a festival is kind of crap, but we like to think of it as starting it off right." The only other band we wanted to hear was one I liked (and had no idea was going to be there) Regina Spektor. Unfortunately Regina's friend had died a day or two before that, so her set was short because she didn't really have the heart to sing, which I can understand. We left after her set, and wandered our way through the dark streets of Bruges, where you could see the stars really well.
The next morning Air was having a lazy day of talking to her family and friends and whatnot, but I wanted to go see stuff, so we parted ways for the day. I set off with no plan, a map, and a bottle of water, and found myself wandering all over the city. I found a great gelato shop, and wandered through many a store and even through a few free museum-esque places. The best parts were the parks and canals, places where I just sat and listen to music or wrote in my journal, taking time off from our usual ten-foot proximity. It was nice, and I hardly wanted to go back.
When I did head back, though, I got caught up in some kind of parade, and I followed it as it wound it's way towards the city center, and thus the hostel. When I got back, Air had a surprise for me, it was a birthday present! It was a box she decorated herself, and filled with puddings and a can of mixed fruit cocktail, and we sat in our room having desert and we watched a movie and just relaxed.
Every now and again, you just have to separate.
The next morning we set out for Amsterdam, and it was the day of the WC finals, in which the Netherlands were up against spain, and we were headed straight into Orange territory!