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| One of the most iconic views in Bruges - Rozenhoedkaai, with the Belfry of Bruges in the background. We too were one of the throng of tourists taking boat tours of the canals |
Hello Readers!
It is with glad heart that I share with you our recent brief trip to continental Europe, returning for the first time since just before Covid (we spent Christmas 2019 in a very flooded Venice).
I was meant to take this trip to Belgium in March 2020, as one of my annual solo trips (translation: one of my solo trips taking advantage of super-cheap deals outside of school holidays). The primary destination was Bruges but you can't get there directly by Eurostar - you need to change to a local train in Brussels and travel a further hour. The little boutique hotel in Bruges that I had selected, after hours of research, had no vacancies for our first night so we elected to stay in Brussels for one night, travelling on to Bruges the next day.
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| Europe, here we come! 😍 Waiting to board Eurostar at London's St Pancras Station |
Ah, one forgets how very civilised the Eurostar experience is, particularly when you upgrade to Standard Premier, which is the equivalent of going Business Class by plane. Ordinarily we aim for the cheapest fares, but we were able to secure Standard Premier seats for the journey over to Belgium at a very modest price, in fact cheaper than the return journey in Standard Economy. Mind you, it meant leaving home just after 5am in order to park near Guildford Station, trudge ten minutes in the pre-dawn gloom with our luggage to the station, and travel into St Pancras to arrive about 90 minutes ahead of our international departure. No matter; we had packed sandwiches and coffee for the journey, and boarding was a relatively painless affair after a short period of queuing for passport control.
I will never get over the fact that you can get on a train in central London, travel above ground for about 30 minutes, enter a tunnel and approximately 25 minutes later you pop up in the French countryside. It's one of the reasons I've chosen to live here in the UK and, following the curtailment of international travel due to the pandemic, I'm determined to take even more advantage of this proximity to Europe.
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| The view from our hotel room in Brussels |
Arriving into Brussels at lunchtime, we were too early to check into our room and so left our luggage at our hotel and set off on foot to explore the city, before getting onto one of those hop on / hop off buses that allowed us to gad about for 24 hours. We had a 25-minute walk from the hotel to the nearest pick-up point, and I was positively giddy to find that during that time we passed through no fewer than three open-air antiques markets, and there were signs indicating the following day there would be a plethora of fresh produce markets across the city. We decided those Belgians do love a market! I resisted temptation to buy, but one day I will return and stock up old paintings, silverware and vintage china.
In addition to antiques markets, there was an abundance of vintage clothing stores. I'm not sure if we just happened to be venturing through a particularly antique-y / second-hand area, but I wasn't complaining.
In case you're not aware, in Belgium all the signs have to be in both French and Dutch. Every restaurant seems to also have their menus in English and often German as well, and we were amused by a number of 'interesting' English translations. I remarked to Kevin that signmakers must do alright in this town - the signs have to be large to accommodate both languages.
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| Brussels: interspersed with modern glass and chrome buildings are quiet, cobbled streets |
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| Vintage silverware by - literally - the bucket-load. Just one of the several antiques markets we ambled past in our first hour in Brussels! |
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| Of course there were absolutely gorgeous chocolate stores everywhere... |
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| Elegant rows of townhouses in the parkland areas bordering the centre of the city |
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| We didn't have the opportunity to visit the Magritte Museum - next time! |
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| The Belgian Infantry Memorial, commemorating infantry soldiers who died in both World Wars. It's high up on a hill overlooking the centre of the city, in front of the Palace of Justice. And yes, that's a giant ferris wheel right behind it... how very odd |
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| Squished in between modern and larger buildings in the centre of Brussels is the quaint restaurant L'Estrille du Vieux |
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| I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this sculpture / installation (The Eternal Addict) in a gallery window in Brussels. It struck me as representative of this city, which is indeed quite quirky |
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| Here I am, leaning out of the window with a warning to fellow tourists: Do not choose TootBus for your next hop on / hop off city experience! |
Travel trip: Do NOT choose Tootbus over the more established City Sightseeing company which runs hop on / hop off buses in many cities across the world. This was the second Tootbus we had tried, the first being in Bristol a couple of months ago. If we thought the Bristol version was a bit ordinary, the Brussels one was dire. I have left them very honest feedback, particularly regarding the recorded narration which was absolutely rubbish. In addition to great swathes of time where there was only background music instead of dialogue telling us about the areas we were passing through, when the narration did kick in it was almost a waste of time - eg 'Over there you'll see the tower of the XYZ building which...'
Over WHERE?! Looking out the left-hand side of the bus? Looking out the right-hand side? Out the back window? Up ahead? Now, if we'd been in a place with only distinguishable tower, fine. But this was Brussels - towers everywhere.
Despite our dissatisfaction with the Tootbus narration, we enjoyed riding the two city routes that afternoon and bright and early the next morning, getting a feel for the city. I realise Brussels is probably not on everybody's must-see list, but I have long intended a visit to this truly international city which is the seat of the European Parliament. Sadly time did not permit me to take a tour through the most significant buildings, but it was a thrill for me just to pass by on the bus and see all those EU flags proudly flying - though of course this was bittersweet, with the UK having surrendered its membership in December 2020, at the end of the transition period. I will never recover from this sad episode in Britain's modern history.
Brussels has many beautiful and interesting buildings. The Belgian vernacular style is everywhere, interspersed with shiny glass-and-chrome modern buildings. Having grown up in Sydney in an age where nobody lived in the actual city (resulting in a ghost town atmosphere on evenings and weekends), I still thrill to the mix of residential and commercial architecture, side by side.
The city also has some real quirks, including the iconic Atomium at the northern end of Brussels. Constructed originally for the 1958 World Fair which was hosted by Belgium, it was not intended to remain standing. However, such was the popularity of this combination museum and arts centre, standing it remained and in fact underwent a complete renovation during 2004-2006. It's now Brussels' number one tourist attraction, with people lining up all year round to go inside the spheres and dine in the restaurant. If you are d’un certain âge the picture of the Atomium below will transport you back to an optimistic time in Europe's history - with the horrors of WWII far enough behind and the excitement of the space age ahead.
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| *swoon* How gorgeous is this building, south-east of the city centre |
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| The Atomium, Brussels' No. 1 tourist attraction |
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| Some seriously stylish modern residential architecture in Brussels |
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| And there it is, folks - *sob* the home of the European Parliament |
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| The European Commission building in Brussels |
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| Morning sun striking the top of the Maison des Notaires / Notarishuis in Brussels |
As we only had 24 hours in Belgium's capital city we made the most of every minute, and in between hopping on and hopping off the bus we walked, and walked and walked... a good thing, given we indulged in one of the national specialties, the sugar and fat laden Belgian waffle. The smell emanating from cafés and food trucks offering these ridiculously delicious treats was almost as good as the taste.
Naturally, Kevin was also keen to sample as many of Belgium's famous beers as humanly possible and he managed to cram in a couple of tastings in Brussels.
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| These cheery yellow vans are all over Brussels, with the delicious aroma of freshly cooked waffles luring people in a constant streamn |
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| I can feel my arteries hardening at the memory of these glorious Belgian waffles. Kevin elected to have chocolate sauce; I chose Chantilly cream. Oh, blimey - they were G-O-O-D |
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| The first of many Belgian ales tested for quality by Kevin during our four days in Belgium |
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| Not being a beer drinker, I made do with a small glass of rosé. It was a tad chilly that afternoon - hence the woolly hat |
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| Temptation is everywhere in Belgium. I do indeed love a good macaron, but resisted the urge, having already scoffed a gigantic Belgian waffle |
After riding the inadequate Tootbus for another couple of hours on our second day in Belgium (getting our money's worth with the 24-hour ticket), we took a local train to Bruges which takes about 60 minutes.
I had a good idea of what to expect - Bruges is famed as a remarkably intact medieval European small city, with gorgeous buildings and winding canals. I know a lot of places tend to be called 'the Venice of the north' but Bruges really deserves that moniker; it has so many charming little bridges and rustic canal-side buildings. It's nowhere near as elegant or grand as Venice, of course, but in parts it's very reminiscent of that great Italian destination.
And it truly is a gorgeous place, though we were glad to be visiting after peak season. Just like Venice, Bruges is chock-full of tourists (excuse the chocolate pun!) and we imagined with horror how very crowded it must be during the summer months. It is best explored on foot and by boat; there are endless little cobbled streets with adorable buildings that look like gingerbread houses with their stepped gables and decorative touches. We clocked up between 10-15km of walking each day.
Being a tourist-focussed town, English is spoken everywhere and I was relieved not to have to haul out my rusty high school French which admittedly has seen me through short stays in the French alps and Paris - I manage, with the occasional assistance of Google Translate, but it's hard work dredging up that rarely used knowledge.
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| The famed Bruges Belfry, from which (*spoiler alert!*) Brendan Gleeson's character jumped in the 2008 film In Bruges. Kevin got amazing pictures of the city from the top but I'm claustrophobic and didn't think I could cope with the narrow, winding stairs |
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| View of the workings of the bells in the Bruges Belfry [photo by Kevin Joy] |
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| Spectacular views over Bruges from the top of Bruges Belfry [photo by Kevin Joy] |
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| Another view from the top of Bruges Belfry, this time down to the main square below [photo by Kevin Joy] |
Our boutique hotel, located right on one of the canals about a ten-minute walk from the city centre, was a winner. A very cute building, fairly basic but extremely comfortable rooms with an excellent (by Belgian standards) breakfast buffet, friendly and helpful staff and free bicycles as well! We made use of the bikes one day, cycling a short route along the canal and then past a row of windmills, but even in a cycling-friendly place like Bruges I am nervous riding on roads with cars and part of our route obliged us to be on roads. I will always choose walking over cycling.
My boss had given me some tips about places to eat and drink in Bruges, and one of them - Café Vlissinghe, the oldest tavern in Bruges - was literally around the corner, which was convenient for our first stop. The weather was unseasonably warm (it's been the warmest Autumn on record across the UK and much of Europe), so despite travelling in mid October it was almost summer weather and quite muggy. Consequently Kevin enjoyed his first Bruges ale in the beer garden of Café Vlissinghe, whilst I made do with a double espresso.
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| Yours Truly in the doorway to our lovely little boutique hotel in Bruges - Hotel Adornes. The canal is right opposite where I'm standing |
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| One of Bruges' many picturesque canals - our hotel fronted onto this one |
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| The breakfast room at Hotel Adornes in Bruges |
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| The pretty windows of our room in Hotel Adornes, Bruges |
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| One of the windmills on the canal path on the outskirts of Bruges. There used to be about 25 of these historic windmills, however only a handful remain |
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| Like us, these people had borrowed bikes from Hotel Adornes to view the windmills which were only a short distance away |
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| As in Brussels, Bruges had plenty of sugary treats on offer. I loved this retro/space-age display of jellies in one confectionary store! |
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| Depla was recommended to us by our hotel as a place where citizens of Bruges purchase their chocolate (it was not on the main tourist drag) |
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| It's not just chocolates and waffles in Bruges! This bakery / patisserie had such beautiful displays, crowned by the elegant chandelier overhead |
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| Just take a look at all this temptation... We couldn't resist purchasing a slice of chocolate marzipan in Bruges |
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| Brasserie Raymond on the Grand Place (the main square) in Bruges |
As much as I really enjoyed our four days in Belgium, it really is not the country for me in terms of food and drink - excepting the aforementioned waffles, marzipan and chocolate of course. Plus the bread and coffee are excellent. But... it's all about meat, dairy and beer, with a bit of seafood thrown in, in this particular low country.
Breakfast was fine, like a more meat-and-dairy-heavy, fish-less and less varied version of a Scandinavian breakfast. But after four days I was longing for something other than bread and cheese, pastries and a bit of fruit. In some ways we are frugal travellers and we always pack ourselves a sandwich and take some fruit from the breakfast buffet by way of a cost-free lunch - so that's two lots of bread and cheese each day. We'd found all the Belgian eateries very limited for me; a salad niçoise was my only menu option one evening, though Kevin enjoyed a local seafood speciality, waterzooi which is a seafood stew. By our last evening I was desperate for something different.
Luckily we happened to pass a vegan / vegetarian Indian restaurant on our second day and we booked a table as soon as we could - what a find! Superb food with actual spice and heat, plus we discovered a new dish, pani puri which is apparently a very common street food dish from the western peninsular region of India. You'll see this dish in one of the photos below - delicate little deep fried flatbread cups half-filled with a spicy potato mix, usually served with a couple of sauces which you pour inside. Our sauces were a tamarind and cumin blend, plus one made from mint, coriander, lime and chilli. Holy cow (excuse the cultural pun), this dish was delicious.
I found it extremely weird that in a touristy place such as Bruges there was scant regard given to wine in most establishments. OK, if you're going to a traditional Belgian bar or restaurant then of course the focus will be on the seven billion types of locally produced beer. But surely there's room for wine, for the people who don't like beer? It would appear not. Our experience in most of the places where we dined or drank was that there would be 25 pages of beer, and then on the last page there was an entry for 'white wine / rosé / red wine' - no choice, just the one type of white / rosé / red that they had. Upon enquiry about the type of red, it was invariably cabernet sauvignon (too 'big' for me) or malbec (*yuck*). I mean, this is a country that borders France - one of the most famous wine producing countries in the world. Go figure.
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| The entrance to Bistro Zwart Huis in Bruges which is housed in a building dating from 1482 |
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| Kevin enjoying local speciality waterzooi, essentially a seafood stew, at Bistro Zwart Huis in Bruges |
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| Fancy a beer? Drop in and pick up a bottle or two for later... |
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| Or you could visit Café Vlissinghe, the oldest tavern in Bruges (it dates from 1515), which was literally around the corner from our hotel... |
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| ... and have a beer instead? Interior of Café Vlissinghe |
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| Or perhaps a beer? (in the beer garden of Café Vlissinghe) |
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| No, let's mix it up a bit: how about a beer? (at Bistro Zwart Huis) |
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| Or maybe even FOUR beers? Kevin tried the 'tasting menu' at Bierbrasserie Cambrinus which has more than 400 varieties on offer |
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| Thank goodness for Garlic & Greens, a totally vegetarian & vegan Indian restaurant in the centre of Bruges - we dined here on our final evening in Bruges |
Like Venice, one of the main benefits of the canals is that you barely see or hear a car. In the centre of town there is only limited vehicular access for deliveries and for residents, obviously, but overall the pedestrian and the cyclist are the priority.
What a glorious treat to be able to visit such a lovely European city for just a few days, travelling with just carry-on luggage and without all the horror of wasted hours at an airport.
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| How I do love a bit of cloud topiary! These beauties stood outside a very exclusive boutique hotel in the centre of Bruges |
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| Half-timbered buildings next to Bonifaciusbrug (Boniface Bridge), Bruges |
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| A Bruges kitty-cat! ♥️ |
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| We visited the Groeningemuseum in Bruges - what a superb collection of art, focusing on the Flemish primitives (ie early Netherlandish paintings from the 15th and early 16th centuries including van Eyck, Memling and Hieronymus Bosch) |
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| Every street in Bruges seems to have at least one particularly beautiful or interesting building or entrance. I have no idea what this building was, other than the hint that it's something Catholic, judging by the Christogram above ('IHS') |
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| Doorway at the Gruuthuse Museum, Bruges |
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| Bonifaciusbrug (Boniface Bridge), in Bruges |
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| Elements common across Bruges: lace curtains, painted doorways, bicycles |
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| Yours Truly at the sauvegarde (safeguard) gateway to The Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde, now a convent for Benedictine nuns |
I hope this post has convinced you that Bruges is worth a visit. It's so picturesque and sadly I think it's probably left off the itinerary for most people's European jaunts. Certainly if you like beer, meat, cheese and chocolate, this is the town for you!
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| Yep. Sadly, without the UK (mural in Brussels) |
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| Kevin and myself canal-side in Bruges on a sunny Autumn afternoon |
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| Meestraat Bridge in Bruges |
Until next time,
- Maree x
