ET 2.03 - Bruges, Belgium

Actual date of this event: 2 January

Luke and I had two day trips from Brussels on the itinerary, and the first was to Bruges. Have any of you seen the movie In Bruges starring Colin Farrell? The movie also has four actors that played in Harry Potter movies. Anyway, it is a great movie and the whole thing was shot in Bruges. I watched it after visiting the town, and it was super fun to see all of the spots we saw. It was a funny movie to me because in the movie Colin Farrell's character thinks Bruges is a dump. Basically, he is the only person in the world (reality and in the movie) who believes Bruges is a dump. Bruges just might be the best little town I have ever visited! Yes, possibly higher than Prague.

Bruges is one of those places that you must experience for yourself. This blog post will in no way express the beauty and magic that Bruges holds. I will do my best to explain the things that made me love it.

Canals and waterways - Homes, businesses and walkways are right on the water.

Alleys - Y'all know how I love small alleys.

Cobblestone streets - I can only remember one street that wasn't cobblestone.

Horse carriages - We did not take a tour, but they were everywhere.

Canal tours - We didn't see any running because of winter, but they are open other times of the year.

Swans - Even though they can be evil creatures, they are gorgeous.

Bells - The Belfry Tower is constantly chiming. Adds such charm to the town.

Quiet - You can be just a few blocks from the main square with lots of tourists and the only thing you hear are the bells.

One of the negative aspects of Bruges is almost every attraction has an entry fee. Churches are considered museums, so they cost 8 euro or so to enter. We did not go into many things due to the entry fee, but we still filled our time by walking around the town.

Left: The wall displayed all Belgian beers. Each beer has its own glass to go with it.

Right: A book of all Belgian beers - it was about two inches thick.   

The snowmen were about 2 feet tall. The whole display was made out of chocolate.

We did go into the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The church is best known for having a vial with the blood of Jesus Christ. The vial was held in a box up on a separate altar and was guarded by a woman of the church. Just before we were leaving the church, we saw the woman getting up to leave, possibly to take a break, and the box was placed into another locked box and taken away. As it should be, the Holy Blood was protected.

The weather was starting look dreary, so Luke grabbed some fries for a snack. We also stopped for a few drinks and waffles before making our way back to the train station in the rain.

I cannot wait until I get the chance to visit this city again. Rain or shine, cold or hot, I will go back in a heart beat!

RANDOM FACT:
The main language in Bruges is dutch. To say thank you, you say "dank u".

-Debbie-