Have you seen movie “In Bruges”? Movie where two gangsters end up there under order of their boss. One sees this place as terrible hole in which he is longing to die. The other, on the contrary, feels like a child caught in a fairy tale.
Honestly I spend a day in Brussels and walked it from north to south from west to east. Visited a dozen of attractions there and still wasn’t impressed with the city. Yes it is beautiful city but so all capitals in Western Europe are beautiful. But after visiting most of them you start to notice all the similarities and it’s hard to find uniqueness. But takes you only about an hour to go away from city and you find yourself in totally different world. That’s what happened to me when I came to Bruges.
From Brussels it takes you only 55 minutes by train to get to the Bruges. You can depart from Gare Du Nord, Gare Central, Gare du Midi. Train scheduled every 30 minutes to an hour and cost 20 euros one way per person. Once you are there don’t go for the hotels. Bruges is full of the coziest “bed & breakfast”, located in the most unexpected places - from the canals coast to the XIV century almshouses. After everything was set and place to sleep was found it was time to go and explore the city. But when I got out I was surprised to find no one out in the street. The place seemed dead. I didn’t have
any plans where to go or what to see in fact I didn’t know direction where I am even going. But anywhere I made a turn it was a dead way. I could meae maybe one or two people on my way. “That’s it?” – I thought. Walking for about an hour along canals I made a “wrong turn” and wow! All of a sudden there is a huge crowd of people. It was The Markt Square. Lots of tourists and places to eat and of course Belfort, which I was familiar with from the movie. Taking smalls streets from there led me to all of the beauty in city. Canals with little boats that take people for a ride. Lake with swans. Lots of swans! Lots of pubs and places to try best beer. Anywhere you turn the view is fucking amazing. Everyone is chilling. No rush. No hurry. Lots of bikes. The city is just made for biking. I had a bike for few days to check all around. There is not many cars which makes it very enjoyable for the ride. Outside of city is the sea. Having bike to myself I thought it is a
good idea to ride there and check countryside. Saw many “countryside bike tours” promoting everywhere. But why to pay
extra when you can do it all by yourself?
Well the route to the sea was kind of boring and not pretty at all and it took me a few hours. And how dumb it was to find out that trains takes you there just in 10 minutes. Well at least it was a good cardio. On the seaside is honestly nothing to do and nothing to see. But if you want to go there then the best option is to use train.
Besides biking you should get a ride on the boat on the canals to enjoy the beauty of architectures and the smell. It was autumn when I visited the place but the weather still was pleasant. About +15 C in October. Which makes it really good for sightseeing.
The city full of horses with carriages that tourist take for a ride. Therefor it smells like shit in some parts. Literally like shit. But for some reason it appeals just right to this place. Lots of bars and pubs to relax after nice walking and mellow out
with a glass of beer. I am not a big drinker but I do like a good beer. For beer lovers it’s like a heaven. After 9 pm city dies. Turns in to very romantic place. The yellow lights and the shades of Gothic buildings add a mystery touch. So it’s best to come here with you beloved one. The city that made me forget about everything and just enjoy my days there and made me fall in love with the place.
I spent about a week in Bruges. The only regret I had is that it didn’t seem enough. City just makes you feel different and I loved it. And hoping to come back here again soon and for longer!
Have you been to the Bruges? Did you like it?