In Bruges: The Sequel

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Dear Blog Readers,

Finally taking advantage of a cracking Christmas gift to use the Eurostar and scope out locations for a sequel to a cult movie, we were going to have a few days in Bruges. It was an early start but the authentic French cafe just outside the check in area set us up nicely with a petit dejeuner. It was authentic enough, although I’d have preferred the waiter to at least throw the cutlery down onto our table rather than place it softly. Check in was straightforward and we were on the train in no time and already asleep within half an hour. Next stop Brussels where we had a 20 minute wait before the Belgian Rail train rolled in an took us through the countryside to Bruges an hour later.



It was early afternoon and very pleasant to walk to our hotel about 20 minutes away. Step count fans prepared to be disappointed – no FitBit this time. We were staying at the Floris hotel. It’s only about 10 minutes walk from the centre of town. The room was great and the staff helpful. “Bonjour Sir” said the receptionist – our first sign of multi-lingual opportunities and naturally assuming I’m French, Laura launches into dialogue only for them to coil back and quickly revert to English. After dumping our stuff, we wandered into town. It was a beautiful day, and the town matched it perfectly.



The architecture of the buildings is stunning, akin to a scene from a movie. Facing front on, the huge three/four storey high buildings look 2D and a breath of wind away from falling over. However, most of these are over 400 years old and survived the history that surrounds it, “sometimes you just get a bit of luck” one of the local guides later said. We found our bearings and decided to go to one of Laura's favourite artist museums. The Salvador Dali museum is in the magnificent main square next to the grand belfry tower. The museum was great, showcasing numerous small exhibitions linked together by a common theme. There were statues and sketches as well as a selection of originals that could be purchased. We navigated our way back out of town through the back streets and avoiding the numerous cyclists ploughing down the streets. It’s amazing how many are whizzing through the town and how much it has embraced it with cycle parking, hire and simple locks outside most houses. To be honest, I hardly saw anybody actually lock up their bike...can you imagine how long that would last back home?



We found a tourist info and a decent, but surprisingly quiet, restaurant near the hotel. They did a great steak and we were able to plan out the next couple of days that we had here. It was also the first time we have been served by an actual WAG...who’s footballing boyfriend was about to move to play for Everton (she was disappointed as she thought it was near London).



After a good night’s sleep and a cracking breakfast (not half as fun as the selection in Israel), we headed to the bustling market square which actually had a market going on that morning. Plenty of produce, smells and activity to liven up the senses. We stumbled across a free walking tour – something we now actively look for when visiting a new place. They’re always packed with information, normally from a local, who can give you lots of insider tips to make the most out of your time there. Our guide, Louis, didn’t disappoint. Born and bred in Bruges, he took us on a tour lasting nearly three hours around the sights. The history of the place is fascinating. A melting pot for tradesmen centred on pretty awful water which has been transformed to beer giving the dwellers the nickname ‘Bruges Fools’.



Moments in history which have shown great innovation, such as coordinating tradesmen around the market square to bring great wealth, have been offset by moments of madness, such as rounding up and torturing key leaders then expecting them to protect the city. After the tour, we headed to the Choco Story Museum. We actually got in for free as part of our Eurostar deal so it was a bonus. We both enjoyed it, but acknowledged the guided tour we got at the plantation in Nicaragua was better, we were particularly fascinated by the bloke who was filming himself going around the shop at the end of the tour... that’ll be a cracker to show the grandkids.



Next to the main square is the equally as beautiful, but less touristy, Burg Square. Here, we got some great chocolates and a nice coffee before heading back to the hotel for a well earned rest and congratulate ourselves on not being decapitated by a bike or horse & cart! One of Louis’s recommendations was a restaurant called De Gastro. It was a nice little place with great service. We indulged in a Belgian classic, moules-frites. They tasted great and the dessert, a creme brulee, actually came out on fire, thankfully the waitress reminded me, “don’t eat until the flame goes out”.



Our final day came around far too quickly. We filled our boots at the breakfast buffet (standard) and went into town to go onto the canal for a boat trip. It’s only €8 for a return trip and highly recommended. Louis gave a good tip to go at 10am or 5pm to avoid the queues so we went for the morning rise. Our boat driver popped his head around and asked what languages everybody spoke. The 15 of us on the boat ranged from Flemish, English, Dutch and one French (Laura). Initially impressed with him beginning the tour and going through each language to talk about something enroute, we soon realised we couldn’t understand any of the languages he was speaking so have no idea what he was pointing out. Thankfully we could rely on Louis’s facts from the walking tour to get us through. The views from the canal were great - one of the highlights of our short trip so would highly recommend...and tell your driver you speak Swahili to really test them.



Afterwards, we went and finished off some shopping and booked ourselves in for a tour of the local brewery. This would be my second brewery tour as a tee-totaller (after Windsor & Eton). The Half Moon brewery is the only working brewery in Bruges and has over 150 years of lineage supporting their unique concoction. It's called Bruge's Zot (Bruge's Fool) and Laura said it tasted great. I asked if she got the sense of citrus coming through from the hops but was met with a blank response. We headed to the market square and decided to complete our holiday with a nice spot of lunch. Laura was straight onto the Bruges Zot as I saw my way through a traditional Flemish beef stew - I can only assume they'd got the recipe from my Gran! It's a shame to be home but can highly recommend Bruges for a lovely break - plenty to see and do with only a short hop away using the Eurostar!



Tink & Laura

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