Bloggo Trenticinquesime: Brugge, or Bruges - Birthday Trip

Dottore Gianni usually has a fairly decent idea of how to begin a travel post, but he must admit that he has no smooth start for this one. Perhaps a "just the facts" approach is best, and who knows? It may lead to inspiration as well.


Traveling to Brugge is fairly easy, and if you book ahead fairly economical. I chose the Eurostar (sometimes known as the chunnel) train from London's spanking new St Pancras Station. I booked about a month ahead of time and got a 70£ return (or round trip) to any destination in Belgium. The Eurostar goes to and stops at Brussels, but at that large station transfers can be made to almost anywhere in Europe, not just other Belgian cities. I arrived at about 10 past noon (a bit over 2 hours from London) and thanks to careful scanning of the departures charts found a train leaving for Brugge and beyond at 12:26. I was "In Bruges" (apologies to M. McDonagh) an hour later, and thanks to a taxi waiting at the station at my hotel. the excellent Jan Brito, in a ten minutes. 


Sidebar: Belgians call the city Brugge, but its French name is Bruges -- easily confused with another Bruges, actually IN France. I'm going with the Belgians primarily, in this blog at least.


The Jan Brito Hotel gets rave reviews and it's easy to see why. 

Jan Brito Hotel

I booked what I think must be the least expensive room in it. 255 Euros (all I could afford) for three nights. My room is tiny (called the Maid's room -- and as far as I can tell everybody ought to have one -- figure out what I mean by "one" - to what or whom does it refer?) The is situated in an elegant town home that dates from the 16th century. much restored in the 18th, with a beautiful garden court which my room looks out upon. I am back from breakfast on my first full day here as I write this, and that meal was correctly called "sumptuous" by the management. The hotel is quiet and peaceful and yet in the midst of the bustling center of Brugge, only a few minutes from the Vismarkt (fishmarket) and the bevy of restaurants on the canal near it. 

It takes only moments more to reach the two main squares in Brugge, the Markt and the Burg. These are breathtaking, the first for the massive Belfort which dominates it and the city skyline in general. 

Belfort

Belfort was built in the 13th century from brick. Its carillon chimes every 15 minutes and apparently there are also occasional concerts of carillon music. It housed cloth markets in the past. Also on the Markt is the Provinciaal Hof which houses the government of West Flanders. These two, along with several other brilliantly colored buildings that have now been turned into overpriced restaurants, make the area unique in Europe, at least of the cities I've seen. I next intended to make a beeline for the Burg, but got side-tracked at a small establishment just off the Markt that specialized in Belgian (move over, French!) fries, fried twice to give them their unique flavor. There are over 20 possible sauces to put atop these fries. No malt vinegar need apply, though there is a concession to ketchup, for Americans that could not imagine their fries any other way.. I chose a simple sauce -- mayonnaise -- very different from that in the U.S. Delicious, as promised. 


Having fed myself I gained a burst of energy, and I needed it in the weather, which was, sad to say, pretty miserable -- light rain, not so light wind and frigid. But still I wandered, first down a major shopping street to the church of San Salvatore, which features another gigantic tower, then finally found my way to the Burg, a sight stunning to see in any weather. 

The Burg

If the Markt overwhelms with sheer size, the Burg does with elegance. The centerpiece is the Gothic Stadhuis (City Hall) which still houses civic functions. The Heilig Bloed Basiliek or Basilica of the Holy Blood is another beauty, and a small Renaissance gem sits just to the left of the Stadhuis in the picture to the left. There are other amazing places to see in Brugge, but if you're on a day trip these two are a must -- just don't eat or drink on the Markt. The receptionist at my hotel told me that a beer can go for as high as 13 Euros there, so let the buyer beware. 


Speaking of beer, after rambling around for two hours in inclement weather, I finally got tired enough to find a bar to sit down in and to try my first Belgian beer -- I found an establishment just next to the Vismarkt and I chose a local brew,

 Brugse Zot, whose logo features a grinning jester. Perfect for me, as I've always thought that jesting should have been my first calling, if only it had paid! This beer comes light or dark -- I chose light for my snack -- and was instantly transported into beer heaven! The Belgians are said to make some of the finest beer in the world, and I was converted after the first taste. By the way, the Brugse Zot pictured on the right is the dark version, which I had that night at dinner. The bar where I had the light version was full of tough-looking, though not unfriendly locals. I was sure I'd lose any standing with them (precious little, I;m sure) if I'd started to photograph my glass!


Brugse Zot also packs an unexpected punch, so I sstaggered back to my hotel for a little R&R before I ventured back outdoors for dinner. In fact the place I chose fit one basic requirement: it had to be close to the hotel, as I was pretty tired. Fortunately very near the Vismarkt is a beautiful old square that houses four or five restaurants. Two of them have tables overlooking the canal, and you pay through the nose for that alone. Birthday or not I had to watch my budget, so I found a nice place called Vistro & Mosselkelder, which, as the name implies is located in a kelder or cellar and features vis (fish) and mossels (mussels). Mussels and Belgian Fries is one of the signature dishes in Brugges, however I was not in that mood, and tried a meat dish instead. Vlaamse Stoofkar-bonaden, aka Carbonnades Flamande is another Belgian staple. It's a thick, rich beef stew in which chunks of beef are slow-cooked for hours in Belgian beer, in this case the dark Brugse Zot pictured above. So what's the perfect drink to accompany it? Guess! It was served with a salad and more fries, and from the first bite I knew I had chosen wisely. I had fully intended to treat myself to dessert, which I almost never do these days, but I was so stuffed by the end of the meal and two large glasses of Brugse Zot that I could find no room for it within.

No particular reason for this photo, except that it gives
you an idea of the lovely canals of Brugge

In fact all I had strength for when I returned to the hotel at about 9 pm was processing the photos I'd taken yesterday. I then slept soundly. Good night. Stay tuned for Brugge  day two, coming at you soon!