Weekend in the Lowlands

As with most old European towns, the most difficult part of the vacation is navigating the streets of Bruges by car.  The hayday of the city was back in the 16th century, and the preferred mode of transport is by canal.  Like Venice or Amsterdam, Bruges was a merchant city designed over time for commerce and shipment by waterways.  fortunately for contemporary tourists, the city lost its standing as an important trade town and retained its medieval charm, when the river by which Bruges is accessed silted up and was no longer navigable by the cargo ships.  Today, the city appears much the same as it would have in the 1600s.

After a series of "lucky" wrong turns we arrived at our hotel near the old city center.  I managed to book us in a five star hotel for a deal of a price, because they failed to update the website.   It equated to a discount of almost 50%.  The four person room that we shared was a duplex that included, among other amenities, two flat screen TVs, the "best shower in the world" according to Dennis (my brother), and complimentary slippers for everyone in the room.

Determined to see more of the city than the inside of our luxury suite, we headed first to the Markt.  this central city square would have been used, just like the name suggests, as a market.  The cenerpice of the square is an enormous belfry.  This bell tower seemed to reach indefinitely into the dky.  though short by Chicago stadnards, it is the tallest building in Bruges.  The rest of the Markt is lined with former guild houses.  These multicolored row buildings make up the square's backdrop and distinguish it from other town centers.  today, the base of the guild houses are occupied by over-priced restaurants. 

Although Flemish is the local tongue, English was again spoken fluently by our servers and hotel staff.  The menus at many restaurants were published in Flemish, English, French, and German.  Just flip to the color-coded section of the menu and you can be sure to order your "duck in the Flemish way."  Of course, you also come to Belgium for the waffles, chocolates, and beer.  The chocolate, especially, was a deal.  We paid 7 Euros for 250g from the store featuring the life-size chocolate boobs.  we also had fun trying to choose a couple of local brews from a nearby store boasting over 500 unique selections.

No stay in Bruges would not be complete withoug a canal cruise.  Unlike the larger canals of Amserdam, these are narrow waterways with very low bridges.  In some cases, the taller guys in our boat had to duck to avoid the brick arches.  Even Mary Ann was easily able to reach the soffit as we floated underneath.  As with the menu's, the tour was given in four languages - all by the same guy.  He really had a flair for using American expressions and was fond of picking on Dennis and his girlfriend, Trish, for being from Arizona.

We spent a couple more hours in Bruges the next day.  Time enough to pick up another pound of chocolate (none of which made it back home to Copenhagen) and a waffle.  Visiting a little flee market, we narrowly escaped returning with yet another trumpet.  Bruges would be a great city to return to for a relaxing weekend.