Fairy tale village in Belgium

Only magical Europe could create a medieval village combining cobblestone streets, centuries-old cathedrals and palaces, boat rides on picturesque canals and an enchanting landmark dedicated to the blood of a very famous man.

Then there was our brief encounter with a real European countess...

Brugge, Belgium, didn't have to exert itself at all to completely conquer and win over our hearts.

Very few people traveling with the Yuma Youth Choir had ever seen a city so old, so different, so beautiful and just so downright magical.

Lots of cities in America and Europe boast charming historic sections. But what makes Brugge different is that even tiny modern parts don't come close to looking like the real world. No, with Brugge visitors are treated to block upon block of a brick and stone fairyland that looks much like it did centuries ago...

The only thing a lot of us hated about Brugge was its wear and tear on our load of adjectives. How do you describe a postcard place that doesn't even seem real?

The cobblestone streets were obviously a treat. Not many of us had seen those before. Then there was the architecture with all its Dutch style stair-stepped roofs, all the adorable shutters and flower boxes, plus the view of church towers rising up toward the sky in seemingly every direction.

But those details didn't even rival the mesmerizing draw of the canals that run through the city. Those canals could practically make cameras fly right out of pockets as we jumped to capture the scenes of baby ducks playing the waters or boats full of tourists skipping across the churning waters.

Our first full day in Brugge began with such a strange, but oddly pleasant experience. Our first tourist stop took us to the Church of the Holy Blood, an impressive architectural wonder that was built to house and protect a prescious vial that the faithful believe to contain the blood of Jesus Christ.

After having performed in French cathedrals that supposedly contain Christ's crown of thorns and a bone from Mary Magdalene, this encounter in Brugge just seemed to be the continuance of a very unusual theme.

But what was beautiful about this church was not how it looked, but how it felt. Almost all of the churches we visited in France and Belgium so far had felt more like museums than living places of real worship.

Inside Holy Blood the sacred energy earned a major reaction from people on the choir tour, including inspiring several youngsters to stop for the first time ever on the tour to openly reflect and pray. Tourists suddenly became Catholics, Baptists and so on...

But everyone's favorite outing was clearly our ride through the gorgeous canals, an experience that took us underneath a city of stone bridges and gave us the chance to see homes and their Dutch designs so up close and personal.

Other favorite things for folks might include the village's special cherry beer, the local favorite snack of french fries, the many waffle stands or the countless shops peddling Belgian chocolate or lace.

Then there was the quaint coffee service offered at the hotel. For just two euros ladies could have silver trays filed with a coffee or tea pot, little bowls of sugar and wine glasses offering up yummy Belgian chocolate.

But for one choir mom the biggest highlight of Brugge was likely seeing a long-time friend, a lovely lady who drove down from Luxembourg one morning for a long-overdue visit. The choir mom used lots of complimentary words to describe her friend, but the most astounding description was this - countess.

This friend is a real European countess, the daughter of true blue-blood duke and duchess. Although the friend is known for being terribly down to earth she still carried herself so royally.

The concert at Brugge turned out to be exceptionally magical, too. Parents of choir members raved about the event, with everyone agreeing that the concert was the choir's best performance ever - home or abroad. Parents also proudly reported that several stiff-lipped Britains in the audience were even moved to tears during an especially beautiful song.

We're in Holland now and this installment is so sorely over due, but for a good reason. Our travel itinerary is so full of great events and activities, all of which you'll hear about soon. Tales of cheese makers and wooden shoe carvers are just around the corner.