In Bruges, Why This City Won My Heart

by Leyla [Thisdayilove] - 12:55

Following on from my other travel posts another friend of mine has written the following piece about one of her favourite cities

You’ve seen the film, now visit the city. Bruges is in Belgium if you didn’t know. Belgium is really only known for it’s chocolate, but Bruges is a place with so much to offer.

Sat between France, Germany, and the Netherlands, Belgium is the hidden secret of Western Europe. Bruges is its star city.

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Bruges’ architecture is like something out of a dream. Its classic central European style is like something out of a fairytale. I’m not a design buff or anything, but it really was awe inspiring.

The grandness of its design leads to a very beautiful city that is popular with photographers. They seemed to roam around in packs like wolves. I would have joined them if I had more than just my phone.

Bruges hotels are quite cleverly disguised. The chain hotels are easy to spot as they always are. The independent hotels are much more subtle. You can find both searching in this platform, Venere.com

They blend in quite easily. If you’re lost and looking for your hotel, there’s a good chance you’ve walked past it once or twice already.

I love how they look though, inside and out. Some have a very cosy lodge feel to them. I will admit I hung out in a hotel that wasn’t mine just to read a book in the lobby.

Activities in Bruges are the standard fare you’d get up to when visiting a major European city. A trip to the Groeningemuseum was quite engaging.

I don’t know a lot about art, but I liked what I saw. Light on world renowned works, but that’s just Bruges’ style. Subtle, and quaint.

The interesting thing about Bruges is that during the week it can get very quiet. The weekend is packed full of tourists coming for a short break though. If you’re looking for a bit of peace and quiet, coming midweek might be an option.

The canals of Bruges aren’t quite the shining surfaces of Venice, but they’re not the murky waters of home either. It adds to the old world appeal.

A nice stroll down by the waterside did wonders for me when was feeling a bit stressed out about going home.

Speaking of ironing out stress, Bruges is good for a glass of beer or two. Finding out how it’s made is even more relaxing apparently.

The Brouwerij De Halve Mann tour was a fun little activity. It was nice to see how the process works. It was guided and multilingual too, with a little cafe to try their products.

If beer isn’t your pleasure consumable of choice, how about chocolate? Bar Choc is the chocoholics dream.

They do some great treats and dishes. One, in particular, involved rabbit with a beer and chocolate sauce. Can’t say I tried it, but I was interested in it for the sake of science. I can’t recommend the pancakes enough though.

Bruges isn’t the big flashy city Paris or Rome are. It’s a homely, quiet place with a lot of charm. You might not think of going there for your first time abroad, but if you’re a seasoned traveller why not take a trip?