In Bruges

You have heard from Marph about his weekend in Bruges and now here is our tale of last weekend =)

We set out bright and early on Saturday morning to catch our 7:55 train to Antwerp only to find that it had been cancelled. So instead of an extra hour sleep in, we sat in the fresh breeze at Rotterdam Central Station waiting for the 8:55 train. The connecting train from Antwerp to Bruges was also delayed and so what should have been a 2.5 hr journey took closer to 4 hrs! So instead of arriving at 10:30 am we only got to Bruges station at about 12pm.

Funny story. The train to Antwerp was packed and we sat in the part between the doors and not actually in the carriage. At the next station a guy and his younger son decided it would be a good idea to bring their bicycles loaded with stuff for the weekend onto the already crowded train. Hm mm. We landed up holding the one bike balancing between everyone while he helped his son in the next carriage. When he came back I said very clearly, it’s ok you can leave the bike here, it’s fine. After several attempts he asked me if I speak English. No comment. Justin’s new favourite saying is, do you speak English?? ;~)

Despite the later than expected arrival, we still had plenty of time for exploring our new surroundings before the sun went down. After dropping off our gear at the B ‘n B, we headed into the city centre to explore =)

The centre of the city is marked by the old Markt Square. The Belfort, De Craenenburg, the Provinciaal Hof (the administrative offices of West Flanders), the post office and many medieval houses with stepped gables line Markt Square. In the centre is a statue of Breidel and Pieter de Coninck, guildsmen who led a rebellion, known as the Bruges Matin, against the French in 1302. Most of the medieval houses lining the Markt, including De Craenenburg where Archduke Maximilian of Austria was impressed by Bruges authorities in 1488, have been converted into restaurants and cafés.

Next up was Burg Square lined by the Oude Griffie (Old Recorder’s House), the Stadhuis and the Heilig Bloed Basiliek. The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a truly beautiful church. It is very ornate with colourful paintings adorning every surface and many wood carvings. The church is famous for being the home of a phial supposedly containing blood and water washed from the body of Jesus. Unfortunately, the church was very busy with tourists which detracted from its peacefulness. Despite the please-be-quiet signs, there was a message in several languages on replay announcing Sunday services. While I appreciate churches trying to encourage people to come to church, it really felt very commercial.

From Burg, we walked through the Blinde Ezelstraat or blind donkey alley with its decorated arch, past the fish market, and enjoyed more of the Bruges scenery, canals and old houses. We walked on and came to Simon Stevin Plein with the recommended Belgian chocolate shop, The Chocolate Line. We also found the two main shopping streets in Bruges and browsed some of the Summer sales through the window. We went on to find the Kruispoort, the only remaining gate and port of entry into the city and the only remaining part of the old city wall, and the four windmills of Bruges. Kruispoort was smaller than I thought it would be but it was still impressive.

Lunch consisted of a large portion of Flamse Frites, pronounced ‘fritters’ not ‘frights’ according to one American tourist, very healthy! Dinner was yummy mussels in white wine and creamy garlic sauce followed by a real Belgian waffle =) We enjoyed the waffle but found it very airy and went a bit mushy with the chocolate sauce… Justin had a local beer while Bron tried a framboos (raspberry) beer.

Saturday was mostly a walking-tour-of-the-city kind of day but on Sunday we visited some of the museums and sights. We started with the Belfort or Belfry with its octagonal bell tower. The Belfry was used as a lookout point for fires and the city’s charter and other important documents were kept here. We climbed the 366 stairs to the top where the bells were chiming and were greeted with magical views over the city. The bells were really loud! But we enjoyed it =) On the way up, there was an old steel trumpet which looked suspiciously like the first ever vuvuzela!

Next up was the Groeninge Museum with its collection of early Flemish and Dutch masters such as Van Eyck and Hieronymus Bosch. The museum is small and rotates its collection. The art works was mostly religious which is fine but we were still feeling church-paintinged-out after Italy. However, there were some special pieces which stood out.

Entry to the Groeninge museum also gave us entry to Arentshuis and Forum 7. Arentshuis, an 18th century mansion overlooking the Dijver Canal, is home to a collection of work by Frank Brangwyn on the first floor while the ground floor is for temporary exhibitions. I really enjoyed the Brangywn collection, it was really good. Mostly drawings, but really good and full of emotion. Forum 7 is the seventh floor of the concert hall and is good for views over Bruges =)

We also went to the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk or Church of our Lady. It is a massive church which is well known for its Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo. This was the only piece of the artist’s work to leave Italy during his lifetime. We really learnt to appreciate Michelangelo’s work while travelling through Italy and were curious to see this one. It is smaller than some of his other sculptures but he has done an excellent job on Mary’s face and achieved a pensive look. Justin however was disappointed with the longer than normal fingers on Mary’s right hand which seemed to become one with the folds of her skirt. Bron likes the way Michelangelo does muscly arms and legs but there was not much going in this one, lol. This church is also home to various other works of art which were unfortunately covered up due to restoration works. We did however see the mausoleums of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the bold and we enjoyed the quire.

On Sunday we discovered a lovely local bakery for morning pastries, tried some of the local chocolate and enjoyed good Italian ice cream! Justin also continued trying the different Belgian beers on offer and Bron tried a cherry beer =)

On Monday we did some more walking and discovered some places we haven’t been yet, interesting given the size of Bruges! We found the Begijnhof or Beguinage; a walled off nunnery. It was really peaceful inside the gardens and the wonderful aroma of brewing beer wafted past. We found the source next door, De Halve Maan brewery. We did a tour of the brewery and tasted their beer at the end. They are the only brewery still operating in the historical city centre of Bruges. It was interesting to see the old brewing systems but also to see the new ones in action! After the tour of De Halve Maan, we wandered about the local Minnewater Park and enjoyed watching the swans and ducks in the ponds and canals.

Tuesday was our last day in Bruges and we just enjoyed a last walk around before heading to the train station. Fortunately the return trip was more smooth than the inbound trip and besides one slightly late train, all went well. We really liked Antwerp station. It is massive and has a feeling of oldness about it and having seen many travellers pass through.

Other sights and impressions of Bruges that we haven’t mentioned yet are: It is well-known for good quality lace, you can do a horse and carriage tour of the city, you can do a canal cruise on boats around the city, the buildings are really old (1300 - 1600s), there is often a suspicious smell floating about the city probably due to an inadequate sewage system and is not helped by a distinctly horsey smell. Bruges is VERY touristy and the city centre is constantly crowded and busy with tourists. Lots of Americans, Italians and Spanish speaking people. The city has an old feel about it but we didn’t find it particularly romantic unfortunately, probably due to too many people and a busy atmosphere all the time. Bruges is also VERY expensive. It is the most expensive city in Europe we have been to so far. The streets are all cobbled which is very pretty but is hard going to walk on all the time. And we were spoilt with four days of sunny, mildly-warm days =)

In other news Justin had a good birthday on Thursday and Bron starts her new job on Monday. Watch this space!

Hope you are well and having a good weekend!

x

The Belfry and Provinciaal Hof at Markt Square

Horse and carriage tour passing the medieval houses lining Markt Square

Statue of Breidel and Pieter de Coninck in the centre of Markt Square with the Provinciaal Hof in the background

The Provinciaal Hof and post office (red/brown building on the right) in Markt Square

Typical architecture found throughout Bruges

A well on a corner near our accomodation

Kruispoort, the only remaining gate and part of the old city wall

Windmill near Kruispoort

Trying the different local beers! And a healthy lunch =)

The back of the Beguinage 

Peaceful park area in the Bequinage

Views and canals in Bruges

Old Saint John's hospital

Seen around Bruges...

Front entrance of De Halve Maan brewery

Beer 'on tap' at De Halve Maan  

At the top of the brewery overlooking the historical city centre of Bruges

Taste test of the finished product after the tour =)

They also have clogs in Belgium! Near one of the launch places for the boat cruises were a whole bunch of clogs painted in the colours of different national flags

Statue in front of the City Theatre

Statues in the Arentshuis garden

View of Bruges from Forum 7 of the concert hall