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Brugge is a Delight!What can you not love about Brugge?By Susan Fogwell
Market Square is home to one of the city’s most distinctive medieval landmarks -- the Belfort. Since 1300, this 353 ft. bell tower has stood over the square. To survey the town’s storybook rooftops and outskirts, climb the 366 steps to the top. On a clear day, the coastal towns along the North Sea can be seen in the distance. Two of the most visited sites in Brugge are the Groeninge Museum, which has one of the best collections of Flemish art in the world, and the Memling Museum, which is in a former hospital where several of Memling’s masterpieces are among surgical instruments from medieval times.
There were a total of eight British couples and one other American couple. Understandably, the tour caters to English speaking tourists. Brugge is a heavyweight sightseeing destination for the British. (It’s easily reached via the London-Brussels-Cologne railway network.) Andrew’s wealth of Northern European history was sprinkled with lively jokes about the French. A few jokes about the Dutch and Scottish added to his candid thoughts, which had everybody laughing.
Hotel Heritage Photos by Susan Fogwell |
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TM
I boarded a train with my husband, John, at Centraal
Station in Amsterdam -- for the three-hour journey to Brugge, Belgium. The
accessibility in reaching Brugge via train makes it a fun and delightful
destination. With a quick change of trains in Antwerp, we were on a comfortable
train slicing through flat Belgian farmland. Light snow covered the landscape
dotted with horses with thick winter coats. As we got closer to our
destination, villages comprised of gabled buildings with cobbled narrow streets
passed by our window. It wasn’t long before the train stopped in Brugge, which
is considered one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. The
day-tripper popular city is the capital of the West Flanders Province, and in
2000, Brugge, was added to the long list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
As we made a beeline for the line of waiting taxis, I
thought how apropos it was to be in Belgium on Valentines Day. After all, the
small country is world famous for their decadent, rich chocolate and fine
handmade lace. A brief five-minute ride later and we were in the heart of the
small Flemish city. In perfect English, the taxi driver asked, “Is this your
first time to Brugge?” (In Flemish and Dutch, it’s pronounced Broo-gah. In
French and English, it’s spelled Bruges and pronounced Broozh.) I answered,
“Yes.” He responded with the standard, “You’ll absolutely love it.” Upon
my first sighting of the gothic town, I instantly fell in love with it.
Everywhere I looked colorful buildings replete with heavenly chocolate shops and
toasty restaurants pervaded the town. Simple pink and red hearts hung from
teashop windows where inviting fireplaces glowed from within.
The taxi pulled up in front of the Hotel Heritage -- a
small, elegant hotel, which, at one time was a Georgian mansion. In 1993, it
became a hotel. The warm surroundings made me feel instantly at home. Isabelle,
who was stationed at the front desk, promptly checked us in and asked, “Is there
something specific you would like for dinner?” I answered, “Yes, mussels. A
couple of friends, who had visited Brugge, raved about dining on mussels and
Flemish fries. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. The authoritave
Isabelle suggested a few restaurants and offered to make a reservation for later
in the evening. She continued, “Tomorrow at 2:30 sharp is a two-hour English
speaking walking tour. It starts in Burg Square and is included in your stay.”
The best way to absorb Brugge is by getting lost on the
cobblestone back streets -- away from the tourist-trodden shops. Grabbing two
umbrellas on our way out the door, we set out to explore the gothic town that
grew wealthy on the cloth trade in the 11th century. At one time, Brugge was a
focus for international trade. High quality English wool was turned into
clothing and exported all over the known world. Unbelievably, by the 14th
century, the population had grown to the size of London. With a population of
35,000, it was one of the biggest cities in the world.
Moving forward to the 15th century, Brugge was the favored
residence to the Dukes of Burgundy – while England and France trudged through
the 100-year-long-war. It was also home to the artists, Jan van Eyck and Hans
Memling. Nevertheless, by the 16th century, Brugge’s Golden Age abruptly ended.
The economy had collapsed, the Burgandian court left town, and Brugge became
known as the mysterious and dead city. Occupied by the Germans in Word Wars II,
the city remained dormant until the 1960s, when tourists discovered it. Today,
it prospers on mass tourism. Springtime is bursting with vivid colors. Daffodils
and tulips are in abundance; comfortable temperatures with longer days are
perfect for bicycle rides to nearby Damme and boat rides under arched bridges.
The in-depth walking tour took us around to all of the
museums. We walked into Burg Square a few minutes early and ran smack into our
tour guide. The voucher in my hand gave me away and the guide introduced himself
as Andrew. He said, “I’m out here looking for people with vouchers, so I can
show them into the Town Hall where the tour begins.” In the entrance hall, he
explained, “I’ve been a guide for over forty years in Brugge and I was married,
here, in the Town Hall fifty years ago.” That was impressive enough, but then he
continued. “I speak seven languages, fluently, but the tour is only in English.”
That statement was equally impressive. Andrew along with most of the Flemish
effortlessly shift from one language to another. Not only was Andrew fluent, but
he amused himself with using American slang picked up from Hollywood movies.
After the two-hour walking tour, we made our way back to
Market Square. A revolving line of horses converges in the center of the square,
where a buggy will whisk you off, through the cobblestone streets of Brugge.
This is another a fun, relaxing thirty minutes where the driver points out
interesting sites along with history tidbits. The horse rests for ten-minutes at
the peaceful Begijnhof -- where women spent their lives in piety without having
to take the vows that a nun would. Just enough time is allotted to
determine whether you choose to return on your own to explore the grounds
further and to take a casual tour of the small museum. It’s time well
spent.
A full two days and two nights is the suggested amount of
time required to see all of the sites in Brugge. Ideally, the best itinerary is
to combine Brugge with other European destinations. Whether it’s Holland, France
or perhaps Germany, they are all within close proximity.