Belgium's Redemption in Brugge

Matt:

Belgium didn’t really impress Ed and me the last time we were there, five years ago. Looking back, I remember it more as this hazy void between the beauty of Berlin and the debauchery of Amsterdam (or as nine hours of my life that I’ll never get back). And so when a few of our friends suggested that we take a weekend in Brugge, I was less than enthusiastic!

My doubts eased however when I started reading some articles on the place. Brugge seems to be known for four of my favourite things: Chocolate, Canals, Cuteness and Belgian Beer. Picturing myself consuming chocolate while cruising down a cute canal, sipping Belgian beer (try saying that fast 10 times), I relented.

Our journey started on Friday afternoon at Waterloo where we picked up our car for the 90 minute drive to Folkestone and the car train to Calais. Along for the ride were Erin, Mon and Chris.

The Channel Tunnel car train is a bit of a surreal experience. After checking in, you drive onto an enormous double-decker carriage that runs the whole length of the train and (from the outside) looks more like a P&O shipping container. You then park your car and wait 35 minutes before driving off - onto French soil! The carriages have no windows, offer no entertainment and have few comforts. On the plus side though, it’s quick, easy and with a couple of choice CDs (and your car's doors and windows closed) you can spend the entire 35 minute journey practicing your Karaoke without so much as a sideways glance from your fellow passengers!

After spending the night in Calais and sneaking in a couple of croissants and some booze shopping for breakfast, we headed off again for the one hour drive into the heart of Belgium (if there is such a thing).

Brugge is literally a town that time forgot. Despite being 20 kilometres inland, it was originally a major shipping port, connected to the North Sea via a canal. After a while though, the channel became silted and the city lost its lifeline and main link to the outside world. As a result, much of the town was preserved as it was in the 14th Century.

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive in the town is that the whole place is cuter and sweeter than a bag of kittens dusted in icing sugar. The second thing is the impact it has on otherwise normal people - as evidenced by the amount of times we found ourselves saying ‘Awww’, ‘Ooooo’ and ‘Bless’. The amazing thing is that although the place looks like it was conjured up by some Disney theme park designer, it is actually (for the most part) genuine.

After taking a canal cruise (without chocolate or beer - whah!), we headed to a local café to try the local food. We ordered mussels (from Brussels), numerous pints of Belgian beer and sat back for three hours in the sun, which was awesome! I even managed to get sunburnt!

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around the town from chocolate shop to chocolate shop. Along the way we called in at the Church of Our Lady which, along with being spectacular, is known as the home of Madonna and Child, one of the most famous sculptures by Michelangelo (of ‘David’ fame).

That night we settled into a funky bar next to one of the canals for a few more beers. From there, Chris and I decided to lead our little party on a search for the best restaurant in Brugge. After walking around for ages we decided on a little place nestled between a canal and a church. Despite whinging about the walk, everyone was hugely impressed by the food.

After dinner, we walked down to a local bar for a few more beers and a boogie. Unfortunately, the DJ suffered from attention deficit disorder and kept changing the track as soon as it came to the chorus (I’m sure it had something to do with Ed’s singing!).

The following day, we headed back into town before having one last wander and collective ‘Awww’ before heading back to London.

Anyways - hope everything is well with you all. Miss you all heaps!

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