I told absentdaughter that she could celebrate her first big 0 (10 years old) in a European city with a friend for a week. I suggested Paris; she chose Bruges which I had never previously visited. The three of us had an absolute blast and loved every minute, including places I didn't think the girls would want to visit, such as the lace museum.
The most extraordinary thing was when we went out for dinner in the evening – one very blonde girl and one very black-haired girl so people would start chatting to us in the restaurant of the day. I have vague recollections of conversations held many years ago by the Dutch side of my family but I was astonished to find that I could pretty much follow what was said to me in Flemish. The problem was that I could not answer unless in French, English or international gestures.