28th July 2023

Early mornings aren’t always my forte, but in this instance, I appreciated my Dad’s overzealousness with his arrival time to take Pip & me to the airport for our Bruges holiday – it meant no frantic airport dashes. We booked Bruges a few weeks earlier, somewhat on a whim, after Pip spotted a clear block in her calendar and decided she needed a summer holiday. We skirted around a few ideas and eventually mutually landed on Bruges. As it happens, despite having next to no memory of it, my Mum and dad eagerly sent over two full albums of holiday snaps from previous family trips to Bruges over a decade prior – if my memory served me well, it would be a familiar place!

Airport

We sailed through the check-in and security procedures and found ourselves with three hours of tranquillity in a quiet portion of the airport. It was unusually serene. We weren’t seated together on the plane, which neither of us was fussy over – the only conundrum being our shared Wine Gums were difficult to distribute and led to a bit of a plane-aisle dash to Pip’s side with a handful, mid-flight. I found myself in the company of a jovial yet anxious stag on my row whilst Pip, half a dozen rows back, was paired with an intriguing set of strangers engaged in a deep conversation about spirituality, life, and the enigmatic subject of death. One of them nonchalantly produced a fully annotated & bookmarked Bible from her bag.

My travel plans were not as foolproof as I had wished, after landing. To reach our picturesque destination of Bruges, we were faced with a two-hour bus ride, which wasn’t as regular as I first thought. Impatience crept in, with the news that we had an hour and a half wait for the bus, but it passed by – as it always does. Our route took us through Gent, a city that was impressed with its modernity and architectural diversity. Every building adhered to a thematic unity while at the same time boasting unique embellishments & heavily steeped triangle roofs a-plenty.

In Bruges

Arriving in Bruges later than planned left us both hungry and slightly irritable. Our initial plan was to stroll through the city centre, seeking a takeaway spot for a quick pre-dinner snack before reaching our hotel. We found a takeaway pasta shop, and a simple four-cheese pasta pot, meant to be a mere appetizer, turned out to be surprisingly filling.

In a romantic and picturesque city like Bruges, I expected there to be a few heartwarming moments, but perhaps the most obscure but memorable was our amble towards our hotel. Seamlessly alternating between tugging our noisy suitcase, bouncing along the cobblestones, and savouring bites of pasta every 30 seconds. Without speaking, we would stop, and swap between pulling the suitcase and holding/eating the pasta pots, before reverting.

Without needing a full meal, we gained ourselves some more time that evening as we meandered through the streets, capturing little memories on camera. There’s a pristine charm to Bruges – so much so that I wondered if people come to power-wash the buildings every night. Day one ended with a fitting nightcap of a Kasteel Rouge beer in bed, watching TV in a language we couldn’t understand.

29th July 2023

Day two in Bruges started with a leisurely breakfast at our hotel. The croissants were a hit – buttery and delicious. Pip took full advantage of Nutella on tap, while I piled my plate with enough jam to sedate a small swarm of wasps. Our morning feast included cereal, sandwiches, oranges, and of course, coffee. We even managed to sneak a few apples for later, with Pip managing to find the shiniest green apple imaginable. I saw the allure of the shiny apples, but am firmly in the Pink Lady camp.

Our plan for the day was refreshingly simple – we had a handful of places saved on our maps, but we decided to let the day unfold as we wandered through Bruges. The city’s compact size allowed us to explore most of the central and southern areas without much fuss. However, the weather had other plans, and rain came around lunchtime. We found solace in a charming café adorned with umbrellas and savoured a couple of coffees while listening to the rain and watching canal boats glide by; their passengers huddled under umbrellas (how they could see anything on the tour is beyond me)

After the rain

When the rain finally ceased, we retraced our steps to the hotel to collect my previously-forgotten umbrella. Along the way, we couldn’t resist the antique shops, clothing boutiques, Christmas stores, and a tempting Belgian chocolate shop. Our sweet tooth led us to a few truffles, but with the minimum purchase requirement being 100 grams, we had to indulge a little more with sea shells and a marzipan pebble.

Our wanderings led us to the old fish market, which had its fair share of craft sellers peddling paintings, pottery, and even unique creations made from recycled metals like fork and spoon handles (Lucas Blaton, to be precise). We couldn’t help but chuckle at the inventive but sometimes simplistic uses of these utensils. “A spoon, made out of a fork, in the shape of a knife”

Venturing off the beaten path, we landed in less touristy areas, which were surprisingly quiet given how small Bruges is overall. After some lighthearted observations about people taking boat tours in the rain, we almost made the same mistake ourselves, but wisely waited out another midday downpour. Once it cleared, we joined the queue for a boat tour, making sure to avoid the mariachi band (who all bumbled on the boat before – instruments and all!) and securing prime seats at the back of the boat facing forward. Our guide shared insights in both English and French, although his French had a soporific effect, and his English carried a distinct Dutch accent. His elongated “Centuryyyyyyyyy/Ccc-en-Turayyy” was both amusing and endearing.

Lovers’ Bridge

Following our boat tour, we made our way to the other Lovers bridge, where we witnessed a woman striking bizarre poses whilst sitting on the bridge in a precarious way. Her boyfriend, perplexed, attempted to capture the perfect shot on his camera but seemingly didn’t ever press the shutter button – a comical sight. She was there for a good 20 minutes, and even then we weren’t convinced that the boyfriend had done justice with the photography.

A trip to Bruges wouldn’t have been complete without indulging in a Belgian waffle and meeting Bono, a golden retriever with a head that seemed larger than life. Pip mistook him for “Bruno”, named after the singer, but received a gentle correction from his owner.

On our way back, we interrupted a public square salsa performance, which ignited a spark of interest in us both! It reminded me of something similar in Girona, where a group of friends and I found ourselves in the middle of a group salsa dance!

30th July 2023

Over breakfast, we realised we’d seen a huge chunk of the city, and almost all of the touristy areas. We decided on a much more relaxed day because of this. We eased into the day, enjoying a leisurely breakfast and packing (stealing, in napkins) a lunch for later. My choice for lunch was a combination of cheese, ham, and some heavenly cream cheese that I still think about to this day.

Our morning walk took us south, towards Lovers Bridge, where we planned to circle around the city on a ring-road path and see the iconic windmills. Along the way, we had a cute encounter with Luna, a shy ex-shelter dog. Luna seemed somewhat uncomfortable as Pip and I gently stroked her cheeks, mindful of the advice to avoid petting the top of her head – a privilege reserved for her owner.

Cruises

Leaving the city behind, we ventured to the outskirts of Bruges, following a scenic path towards the windmills. Along the route, we stumbled upon a parade of classic cars and a small but charming classic car show.

The windmills, though progressively less impressive as we walked on, still held their unique charm. However, a pressing need for a restroom break led us to feign interest in a café and make a hasty exit afterwards. It’s hardly the most daring of things, but we couldn’t help but admire and laugh at an American man later in the day who confidently walked into a restaurant, went straight to the toilet, and casually remarked, “I came in here earlier…” to the staff.

We decided to enjoy our packed lunch in one of the picturesque squares – bolstered by a last-minute purchase of crisps, water, and even coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts (A classic Belgian small business…)

Belltower

We ate and watched the world go by before setting off for the hotel before the bell tower, where we had tickets booked for 4 PM. A quick stop at a Christmas shop on the way, where we picked up some lace and a small Belgian mug to use as a bauble, hopefully adding a touch of Bruges to our holiday decorations.

Back at the hotel, we took a moment to recharge before the bell tower. This was one aspect I do remember from my childhood, but the climb was a lot tighter than I remembered from my childhood (or maybe I’m a lot wider than I was). The views from the top were great, although a bit restricted unless you used your phone to peek up, over, or through the openings.

Otomat

By this point, the rain was relentless, so we sought refuge in a cosy place called Otomat; a quirky pizza joint. We began with a shared flatbread accompanied by some pickled treats. For the main course, we each picked a pizza, ate half, and swapped plates, which earned a chuckle from the German diners seated next to us. Pip had a rocket-topped pizza, while I demolished the feta cheese option. When In Bruges, it’s only right that I had another Lambic beer – this time a Cherry Chouffe.

On our way back to the hotel, we picked up a bottle of wine, which we enjoyed while indulging in one of the few English channels on the TV – David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, or something similar.

31st July 2023

Our final morning in Bruges began a tad earlier than usual, a deliberate effort to avoid any last-minute rush. After showering and packing our belongings, we ventured down to the breakfast area, arriving a mere 10 minutes before it officially opened and cheekily asking the American chap still setting up breakfast if we could sit down and tuck in – he didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Sandwich theft

Our first task of the day was to craft and conceal some sandwiches for our return leg. With sandwiches safely stashed away in makeshift napkin bags, we proceeded to stock up on croissants, cereal, coffee, and more sandwiches. The weather forecast had promised a day of relentless rain which isn’t too bad when you know it’s your last (travel) day.

The bus ride was relaxed. This time, we used our inbound knowledge to secure a window seat without any obnoxious stickers obstructing our view. Our journey through check-in and security went smoothly, but a sign security caught our attention, explicitly forbidding the carrying of sandwiches, ham, cheeses, and the like. With our illegally stashed foreign contaminants safely hidden in our bag, we made a hasty retreat, feeling a tad guilty for our ham and cheese contraband.

My parents greeted us at the airport, though the rain made our journey home slightly longer to avoid traffic. Much like my Mum and dad, who have been 3 times (two of those with kids), I’m sure we’ll be back.