Friday, April 27, 2012

Sister Trip- Springtime in Bruges

Springtime in Bruges
Bruges, Belgium
April 1-3, 2012

My sisters Joanna, Megan and I had talked about taking a European Sisters' Trip but financial considerations and vacation time constraints always worked against us.  Finally, after years of hoping and dreaming, we were able to embark on a two-week trip to explore a little of Europe.  The beginning of our whirlwind European trip got off to a rocky start.  After boarding our flight on time and taxiing down the runway to take-off, the pilot came on the speaker system to tell us that we had a flat tire and had to return to the gate.  Getting into Brussels, Belgium three hours later than originally expected, we’d been traveling for about 20 hours and still had to take a train to Bruges.  Luckily, our introduction to Europe was relatively seamless.  We found an ATM, pulled out some cash in Euros (€), located the airport train station and bought our tickets.  After a little confusion about what platform we needed to be on and the difference between 1st and 2nd class train cars, we were on the way to our first destination- Bruges, Belgium.


Bruges was the perfect place to spend the first leg of our trip.  Bruges is a small, calm, historical city and gave us a chance to ease into European ways.  The first thing we did upon arrival was stop for Belgian delicacies- waffles and frites.  From there we took a taxi to our lodging- Lut & Bruno Setola B&B (€100/night triple).  The B&B is lovely, located in a quiet residential area just a few blocks from the Markt Square.  The rooms of the B&B occupy the upper level of a three-story building with a central breakfast area.  Lut greeted us and led us to our room- the Red Room.  She gave us a map, some general recommendations and the best advice ever for this extremely walkable city- “just explore the city by turning left and right, left and right.”

We first headed toward Markt Square to take in the quintessential Bruges view of the buildings and bellower surrounding the square.  Our next goal was to find the Concert Hall and the adjacent Office of Tourism just a short walk from the square. But Bruges is made up of a maze of streets, many narrow and cattycornered.  We lost and found our way several times.  Almost by accident we found the Office of Tourism as we wandered into a large fountain square.  

A canal-boat tour (€7/pp) sounded like a relaxing way to get an overview of the city.  We glided through the network of canals taking in highlights like Minnewaterpark, the Begijnhof, various churches and other sights.  Across the street from the canal boat base was Sukerbuyc Chocolaterie where we indulged in our next Belgian delicacy- chocolate.  We bought an assortment of beautiful and delectable morsels in the shape of swans or fleur de lis and in flavors like pistachio and cherry. 

For dinner we headed back to a group of restaurants with indoor and outdoor seating near a square and chose La Source based on the set menu displayed outside.  Sticking to traditional Belgian foods we shared cheese croquettes, moules-frites-(mussels and fries) and Vlaamse Stovery- Flemish beef stew cooked in beer.  After a long and relaxing dinner, we walked back to our B&B.  We were beat and ready to finally go to bed.

The next morning we had a traditional European breakfast of cold cuts, cheese, fruit and bread prepared by Lut, and headed out to explore more of the city.  We set out to find windmills, happening upon stunning canal views and cute little streets along the way.  The windmills were pretty cool- each a little different than the others.  We meandered around an artsy neighborhood with lots of clothing and music shops as we made our way back into the center of town but it was too early for anything to be open. 

We roamed the city some more, strolling through the Burg, browsing the jewelry and art at the former fish market turned flea market and making purchases.  We walked through charming little courtyards, narrow alleyways, along the canals.  On Lut’s recommendation we made our way to Begijnhof, a collection of buildings used to house pious women set around a courtyard full of blooming daffodils.  No talking is allowed within the walls- it is a very tranquil place.  Another very peaceful place we visited was Minnewaterpark, just a short stroll away from Begijnhof.  People relaxed in pairs on park benches or in groups on blankets spread in the grass among the tulip beds.
We got lunch from a little sandwich shop we’d found in a narrow alley earlier that day-we all shared scrumptious ham & cheese and salami & cheese sandwiches toasted and served warm.  We sat by a canal and savored the beautiful weather as much as our paninis.  The sun was shining, the air was warm, spring flowers were blooming- it was a beautiful spring day in Bruges.  We spent the rest of our afternoon roaming around, visiting Astridpark, sitting on park benches and taking in the laidback feeling.  We ambled through residential areas and did a little shopping along one of Bruges main retail streets.  Throughout our walk we’d come upon live performers and musicians- flutists playing in a church courtyard, a guitar player by a city gate, and a particularly awesome dude playing the didgeridoo in the Burg. 
We decided to have one last waffle before we left and stopped at De Vier Winden restaurant near the Markt.  We were given a nice seat outside near a heater so that we could enjoy the views of the square.  Our French waiter was superb- when we ordered wine, he presented us with the bottle and made sure I approved before pouring.  He called us Madame or Mademoiselle.  He was attentive but not overbearing.  By the end of the night he had us giggling and blushing. 




We bought a bottle of wine and relished our last night in Bruges.  Everything was closed, the streets were mostly deserted.  We walked around, talked, laughed and looked in shop windows as we wandered around the maze of streets we’d gotten to know in the two days we’d been there- it was like we had Bruges to ourselves. 
That next morning we loaded up our packs, called a taxi and headed to the train station for the next leg of our trip- Paris, France. Our few days in Bruges were full of exploring and discovering.  Spring flowers were in full bloom- we enjoyed tulips and pansies and fields of daffodils.  For me the highlight of this segment of the trip was just weaving in and out of the city streets, alleys and passageways, taking in a new view with each turn.  I can’t imagine a more delightful time to be in Bruges than the springtime.
 

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