“I didn’t even know where Bruges fucking was…It’s in Belgium” says Colin Farrell, the only surviver ‘in Bruges’, an oscar nominated film. It was good to start the trip with this movie; it sets you in the right mood. A french ‘Thalys’ train took us from Rotterdam to Antwerpen. The Thalys network connects Paris, Köln, Brussels and Amsterdam. Passengers are required to reserve seats and a conductor will politely ask for 18 Euros if you don’t follow this rule.
Once in Bruges, it was dark already, a heavy wind shred our umbrella and rainfalls forced us into the nearest taxi. After some searching we finally stumbled upon Grand Hotel du Sablon, a nicely decorated three-star hotel. The hotelier refreshed us with some tea and found us a good place to eat. We ended up eating a local beef stew and grilled chicken at the grand square ‘Grote Markt’ in the town center. Despite a relatively small town center, Bruges has about 120,000 inhabitants, which makes it the largest city in the province of West Flanders.
The city is well known for its extraordinary atmosphere, casted by narrow roads, little houses and smallish shops; it is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2000. In the middle, a huge tower, Belfort, rises up to the sky. It was there where one of ‘In Bruges’ characters falls out of the window, just to save his friend from being executed (he wanted him to inherit his pistol). Now they installed fences.
We also took a boat ride on Bruges’ canals. After a rainy morning the sky presented its nicer side and allowed some sunlight to sparkle on the waters. On foot we explored the town down to the Begeijnhof, a monastery backyard, where all trees stand crooked towards the same direction. A sign shows that talking was prohibited, in order to honor the nuns who died during their service to god. Sadly, most tourists didn’t respect the constraint.
The weirdest experience happens at the Jerusalem Church, where you can observe a dozen of old women weaving clothes complemented by a Jewish museum about the art of table clothes. The church itself is very nice. I enjoyed the moment by lighting a candle in absolute silence.
The best place to go at night is the eggmarket, an area with some clubs and bars, where modern club hits are mixed with sounds from the 80s and 90s. Belgium beer, by the way, is highly recommended; especially ‘Kwak’ is worth a try. However, be aware of Italian restaurants; there are surely many tourist traps you can slump into. And also, make sure to have robust umbrella. As Colin Farrell puts it: “Damn Bruges!”