Bruges: A Day in the Canal City
We were into March approaching spring but the severe winter just refused to relent. An arctic blast from the east aptly titled ‘Beast from the East’ had its say causing snowfall even in March. Luckily we learnt that this would be the final act of the winter. We were all set to pack our bags and decided on a three day trip across the ditch to Belgium. Three days, three cities of Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. Weather would still be depressing at times but the vibrancy if the cities would compensate for it.
An overnight bus journey through the Euro-tunnel took us to Brussels Midi bus station in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. We decided on Bruges and Ghent over the weekend as the train tickets were cheaper and Brussels on Monday.
We were booked at a hotel in Brussels which we assumed will not allow us a check in tjis eatly so we decided to kill some time at tbe station itself. I took a nap on the empty seats of a Costa and as soon as it opened we had breakfast and also got some respite from the cold.
As soon as the counters opened and life started, we thought of checking in to our hotel. We took a three day Brussels card which would give us access to all public transport metro , tram, bus so we were all set and nit to worry about any tickets for next three days. Our hotel was close to the metro station which was close by and well within the city center. We were allowed to check in which was a bonus and we duly freshened up and were all set for a day at the beautiful, historic city of Bruges.
A one hour train ride took us to the old world, picturesque town of Bruges. Bruges is another one of those canal based cities of Europe like Amsterdam and hence another city to be referred to as ‘Venice’, in this case ‘Of the North’. We started our walk towards the city center with a tourist map in hand and quietly transported to a different era during the walk. There were cobbled roads of course along with quiet, narrow lanes lined with residential houses wearing a boring retro but photogenic look. The top of the main church could be seen and we walked towards that. Soon we were on the road to the market square. The place now sprung into life. We could see shops, people and lots of bicycles. Like many European cities, this was the best mode to get around this beautiful city. As we walked towards the market square, we encountered many a historic monument and many a lane which we needed to explore some time or the other during the rest of the day.
And then we reached the market square and got the most gorgeous view of the UNESCO World Heritage site. It was colourful, buzzing with people and even horse drawn carriages moving about on the cobbled streets. The most prominent landmark being the Bellfry of Bruges, a medieval clock tower with 366 steps which offers a great view of Bruges. We were in no mood, however to climb those steps as the ground level seemed to attract us more. The other prominent landmarks were the Provincial Court (I would say it was too beautiful to be just a court), Crarenburg House and the city town hall, which is now converted into cafes and restaurants. Frankly, the name did not matter as one just had to be there and soak in the brilliant atmosphere. Most of the colourful buildings symbolized Belgium in one way or the other and most converted into cafes.
A short walk took us to the canal side. Canal ride is a must here and we planned that we would do so post our lunch. This was the land of chocolates and it seemed to be the most prized souvenir. My wife had her first round of waffles after which we decided on a modest Burger King lunch. In the meanwhile we had an encounter with the rain, a heavy one at that which actually forced us to finish off our lunch. Had the rains not intervened it was difficult for us to be driven indoors for a meal. Post lunch, I went about exploring the lanes of the city while my wife decided on her customary shop visit. The rain had subsided and hence the walk felt brilliant, each lane unveiling a new story, a new experience. The canal made its entry often and each time it made great viewing from those small bridges with the boats moving below. Among other landmarks, I think I crossed the Church of Lady Bruges. I crossed the canal a few more times and returned to the market square. It was now time to for the canal ride. The weather was cold and muggy but the rain somehow held up with a drizzle at times. The canal ride showed us another side of the city. I could recognize many of the places that I had walked by. The view was great but just wondered how much more beautiful it would be under the sunny, bright, blue skies. May be another time in summer. It was still the winter time that was prevailing so dusk had set in and soon it was evening. The lights took effect and provided us yet another sight of the beautiful market square. One last act of the day remained and that was my wife having her favourite ice-cream. How can one not do that in Bruges? We now walked back to the station and made our journey back to Brussels. We headed straight to Grand Place where we planned to have dinner. After a lot of deliberation we decided to visit the Indian restaurant Maharani which incidentally we had visited on our previous trip of Brussels in 2011. When you are famished after a long day, there can be nothing better than biriyani to hog.
Catch a video of Bruges on our Youtube channel
