Chick, Chick, Chicken.

In the far corner of Bruges city centre is Minnewater, a fairytale park with a the white walls of a UNESCO monastery gliding along the edge.

Across a bridge, over the water, you enter the tranquil sanctuary of the monastery. Peaceful, the whole area is one of calm.

It only became a monastery for Benedictine sisters in 1937, however in its previous life, the religious area was a Beguinage.

The Beguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245 as a religious movement that did not conform with the purer, cistercian style movement that was popular during the period. Rather than following the more common religious vows of poverty, purity and a simple life, Beguinages were mystical retreats that were popular in the low countries. The women who entered the Beguinages took similar vows to a traditional nun, of chastity and obedience, however they did not take a vow of poverty. Alongside not accepting pure poverty, they also could break their vows at any time and leave the Beguinage.

Inside, a courtyard style affair houses a mixture of grand homes and convent buildings. The entrance is now a shop, selling books and paintings of Jesus, and the courtyard is constantly teeming with groups is quiet tourists wandering through the trees.

We decided to go and find something to eat, so left the peaceful courtyard, across the bridge, and followed a road, full of horse drawn carriages, piled high with cosy blankets, up to a busy little restaurant area.

The Chicken House is a small restaurant, tucked away in the middle of the street, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

As you sit down at a table, you are presented with the beer bible. Serving every Trappist beer, the waiter advises which ones are the best to try and which ones are the rare ones. We chose two rare blondes and a 9% brune, and enjoyed a lunch menu of tomato soup, filled with meatballs, and a main of half a chicken, cooked on a rotisserie, served with a selection of sauces and some crusty bread.

The whole thing was extremely simple, but unbelievably tasty. The sauces varied from a hot mango chutney to a creamy garlic mayo, and if I had not soaked the juices up with a good half a basket of bread and washed it down with four very strong beers, it would have been a fantastic low carb meal.

After lunch, we strolled/slightly staggered, up the road, stopping in museums and gazing into the windows of the beautiful Kathe Wohlfahrt decoration shop. The window glowed as wooden trains pottered around and toy soldiers stood tall. I couldn't help but pop inside and buy a few decorations to hang on my tree at home.

Tearing myself away from the christmas grotto, we kept on up the street to a large glass building wrapped around beautiful old brick work. Inside a beer museum, with hourly tours, and a large bar area looked over the water on the other side. We sat down to a selection of beers, trying one of every type that they made, include a crisp ruby.

Full of beer, it was time to return to the hotel and get dressed for a dinner, after a short nap.