My fascination with Bruges is old. It started when I watched the movie “In Bruges” during my college days. Was it the movie or was it the truly the irresistible charm of Bruges? I don’t know. But whenever I thought of Bruges, a sensation ran through my body. My mind started wandering in the neon-lit cobblestone alleys of this idyllic city. Bruges enthralled me. And it still does.

Belgium: A cockpit of Europe

Belgium is sandwiched between Netherlands and France. It is famously called cockpit of Europe because it has been the site of more European battles than any other country. Very few invaders actually wanted to conquer Belgium, rather use it as a place to attack other empires. In 5^th century AD, Roman empire fragmented into Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire which we also know as Byzantine Empire. The Western Roman Empire comprised of western and central Europe and was referred to as Holy Roman Empire. The territories which constitute present-day Belgium came under the control of Holy Roman Empire and remained as such till 11^th and 12^th century. As the influence and control of Holy Roman Empire over these territories declined, they were left isolated. Over the centuries, these territories were divided into small feudal states. Of these feudal states, the wealthiest was the County of Flanders. The region became a center of trade and where English wool was imported and converted into fine cloth. The wealth of the region led to the emergence of cities such as Bruges, Gent and Ypres. Until 19^th century, the territories of present-day Belgium were controlled by Dutch, French and Spanish kings. After the defeat of Napoleon in Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the victorious countries convened in Vienna and agreed to form a United Kingdom of Netherlands. In this United Kingdom of Netherlands, the northern part was present-day Netherlands and southern part was present-day Belgium. The people of south were Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons. Both these people were Roman Catholics in contrast with Protestants who dominated north. This was the bone of contention. The people of south felt that King William I favored the Protestants and revolted. This revolution in 1830 led to the formation of a new country of Belgium. Today, Belgium is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, but it still divided linguistically. The Flemings, who speaking Dutch or Belgian Dutch live mainly in north, while the Walloons, who speak a dialect of French, live chiefly in south. Bruges is a Flemish city.

Quite an interesting history!

11^th August 2019

We had an early morning train at 8.30 AM from Amsterdam Centraal to Bruges via Antwerp. So, we planned to leave our Airbnb at 7.30 AM and take a metro to Amsterdam Centraal. Although the metro station was just 10 minutes’ walk from our Airbnb, we ignored two points. First, we had to walk with all our luggage that day and second, there might be some wait period before you get a metro to Amsterdam Centraal. The result was that we barely managed to catch the train. The train ride further wasn’t without its fair share of fun. Unknowingly we sat in first class compartment on a second-class ticket. It was only when TC came for checking, did we come to know about our mistake. We had to move all our luggage from first class to second class compartment. I must say, the TC was very kind and polite in his demeanor. Upon reaching Antwerp, we had 8-10 minutes during which we had to get down from first train, find the platform for the second train, and then board it. It was again a rush that we somehow managed.

We reached Bruges at around 12 PM. Finding transportation in Bruges is difficult. It is a literally a village with no Uber, no tram or metro. There is a bus service, but it is limited and sporadic. Taxis were also not easy to find. In hindsight, I now think it is good. You really leave behind the humdrums of life and chill out here.

We went to the hotel on foot, dragging along 6 suitcases on cobblestone pavements and leaving behind a pesky rattle in our wake. Our hotel Monsieur Maurice was small and sweet one. It blended well with aura of Bruges.

We went to Gruuthuse museum first. It’s a sprawling palace that was built was Louis de Gruuthuse. Louis was no king. He was a rich trader who amassed huge wealth by imposing taxes on hops which is one of the main ingredients of beer. And Belgians drink beer like anything. In this museum, you can journey through the three crucial periods in the history of Bruges – from Burgundian heyday to its decline in 17^th century to its rise in 19^th century. I enjoyed the audio guide explaining all the details. I tried audio guide for the first time in this trip and I liked it. It is a good way to get educated and learn. Church of Our Lady is a church adjacent to this palace. It enshrines a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Italian genius Michelangelo. We were not able to go there as it was late and ticket counter was closed.

When we came out of the museum, Sneh said she wanted to change her shoes. It was getting difficult for her to walk in boots. So, Anshu and Sneh went back to the hotel. We agreed to meet at De Halve Maan brewery. Run by Maes family, it is one of the oldest breweries in Bruges. Recently, they laid down a 3.2 km pipeline that delivers beer directly from within the lager tanks of brewery to bottling factory outside the city. I enjoyed sitting there sipping the Bruges Zot straight from the lager tank, unfiltered. Bruges Zot was a golden blonde beer with a fruity palate and spicy aroma of hop. When Anshu and Sneh joined me after about an hour, I ordered Bruges Zot Dubbel this time. It was a ruby red-brown colored beer with a tinge of bitterness. Fuller, stronger and bitter. I liked this place, but I wish it would have been a bit less crowded.

Bruges is best enjoyed on foot. It is a very small town, or rather it’s a village. We roamed on streets of Bruges, hopping from one place to another, trying Belgian delicacies here and there. Some of the shops were creative, some were eclectic, some run-of-the-mill, while some exorbitant.

At 8 PM, we had a free walking tour of Bruges. This was yet another first in this trip. Free walking tour is a great way to discover cities compared to the traditional tour concept. These tours are ‘free’, because unlike regular tour providers’ services, there is no set price for taking a tour, no prescribed fee to pay regardless of the tour experience itself. Instead, you are free to ‘tip’ your guide as you see fit after your tour. But before joining the tour, we went to Otomat Pizza café for some more beer. I already had beer with lunch, then few more at De Halve Maan and then a couple of more here. By now, I had crossed the stage of sobriety and entered the stage of being drunk. And so was Anshu. But guess what, that was the plan 😉.

Our tour guide’s name was Louis. He was an army veteran, now working as tour guide giving tourists some insights into the history of his beautiful city. He told us stories while walking us through the streets of Bruges. While Amsterdam may lay claim on inventing stock market, Bruges’ predates it. Bruges was the hub of merchants and economic activities. The people of Bruges were not actual traders. They tended to act as agents or intermediaries between the various foreign merchants. The brokerage function was often taken on by innkeepers. In 13^th century, Van der Buerse family built an inn here and offered discounted beers to passing merchants on their way between the tollhouse and the Markt. Gradually, these hangouts began to host more formal trading of good and services. To kick off these meetings amid the chaos, they’d ring a bell, a practice that happens till date to start and end trading sessions. And to this day, in many European language, some variation of the word “Buerse” means “stock market”. While navigating through the bridges over canals, we saw beautiful swans; Bruges’ symbols of wealth and power since the 15th century.

The tour ended at 10 PM at a beer house with a complimentary beer. Another one. I chatted a lot with Louis on history and learnt many things from him. It was at this time he told that he worked with Amir Khan during the shooting of movie P.K. The scenes of Anushka and Sushant were shot in Bruges.

I don’t remember most of the stories that Louis told or what the hell happened in those two hours, courtesy the numerous bottles of beer I had gulped down. But I had a good time. I remember laughing a lot and yes, running into a random restaurant’s washroom just to pee 😉.

While returning to the hotel, we stopped at an Indian restaurant. The restaurant was about to close. Their kitchen was closed for the day and they had stopped taking orders. But we had Anshu. He somehow managed to convince the restaurant owner to pack some food for us. We got chicken curry and rice parceled that we ate in hotel room.

12^th August 2019

My head was throbbing from the last night’s beer. It was only after I took cold shower that I started feeling better. After having a nice complimentary breakfast at hotel, we headed to Belfry of Bruges at around 10.30 AM. We should have gone there earlier. When we reached, it was a long queue. And there are only limited number of visitors allowed inside Belfry at any given time. So, only when one comes out, another visitor is allowed in. We had to remain in queue for almost an hour and were able to enter Belfry only by noon.

Belfry of Bruges is a medieval era bell tower situated at the heart of the city. It’s a magnificent brickwork tower with rib vaults, flying buttresses, pointed arches and stained-glass windows – an epitome of Gothic architecture. A narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps leads to the top of this 83 meters high structure from where one can view entire Bruges, basking in sunshine with its orange rooftops.

I always wondered why people built bell towers, what purpose did it fulfil. It was here that I got my answer. In medieval times, the sound of bells from Belfry ruled the life of its citizens. The way in which the bells were rung differed (ringing, chiming, tolling) and each one had a different meaning. The combination of pitch and time of the day enabled citizens to interpret the signal. There was one bell in the morning to mark the start of the working day, another in the evening to end the day after which the city gates were closed. There was different pitch and variation of bell during festivities. These high bell towers were used as lookouts for guards who would ring yet another variation of bell when the city was under attack. Bells were a means of communication during Middle Ages.

After coming out of Belfry, we had delicious Belgian fries with samurai sauce. This was the best fries that I have ever had. It was thick, crispy, salty. No trip to Belgium is complete without tasting these Belgian fries with indispensable samurai sauce. The lip-smacking taste is worth the calories.

Belgian fries with samurai sauce

We went back to the hotel to collect our luggage from the cloak room. We were in no mood to drag the luggage once again. So, we requested he hotel staff to call the taxi for us, and he obliged. The taxi driver took €9 for dropping us to the station from where we too the train to Brussels.

Final thoughts

Visiting Bruges is not a check mark, it’s a promise to come back again. When I dream of some of the best places where I can spend my whole life, Bruges tops the list. I could spend my life here, walking arm in arm with my beloved through the cobbled lanes and dreamy canals under nocturnal floodlighting and exhaling breath vapors. Earlier Bruges enthralled me, now it has enchanted me. This pint-sized city packs a punch!