Bruges / Ghent

From Brussels? Yes.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/brugge/ghent/@51.1267172,3.1804454,10z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c350d0c11e420d:0x1aa2f35ac8834df7!2m2!1d3.2246995!2d51.209348!1m5!1m1!1s0x47c370e1339443ad:0x40099ab2f4d5140!2m2!1d3.7174243!2d51.0543422

it is a 15 minutes direct Brugge to Ghent vice versa

thank you very much...... now....where do I eat mussels in Brussels; Bruges; Ghent ?? :)

Anywhere, but note that only restaurants that cater primarily to tourists will serve them when not in season... and off the top of my head, I forget when that season occurrs. It's a fairly basic recipe that any restaurant can get right, but at the wrong time of year, you won't get the large, juicy Noordsee mussels that makes the dish special.

Now for waterzooi, I've found the best in Ghent.

15 minutes is ambitious from Gent to Bruges by train. First is the tram to the station from the city centre. Then the train is anywhere from 23 to 40 minutes, with most in the mid-20 minutes, then getting a ticket for and boarding a bus and the bus trip into the centre. An hour or so, all in.

Driving isn't any faster, considering the road works in Gent and the maze to the motorway, and parking at Bruges station.

thanks much to everyone :)