Belgium Travel Review (Part 2 of 4)

Belgium

Travel Review

BRUGES

I saw the main Bruges square, the Markt, on the way to my hostel. The square is instantly recognisable if you've seen the recent Brendan Gleeson-Colin Farrell tourist advertisement, and I must say that it reminded me of being in a facking fairytale.

The Bauhaus hostel is... I mean, listen, what can you really say about any given hostel? I went in, got sheets, went to bed, woke up unharmed and with all my belongings intact, had a decent enough shower and left. It's inexpensive, clean and comfortable. You always take pot luck when it comes to roommates and mine were, for the most part, fine (if you discount the drunk snoring American lady). I didn't grow an inch overnight or awaken in a euphoric state, but it did the job.

The big plus point to the Bauhaus is that it's five minutes walk from Burg Square which houses the Stadhuis (City Hall), my first port of call. The admission fee is 2 euro and also includes entry to the nearby Brugse Vrije (liberty of Bruges) which housed the Bruges courts. The Stadhuis is really only one room, but the audio guide is free, lengthy and for the most part interesting. Give the Brugse Vrije a miss though, it's boring.

The Helig-Bloedbasiliek was next on the list. This is the Chapel of the Holy Blood, so called because it apparently is home to a vial containing drops of Christ's blood. Either that or Dulux top coat shade number 53. This was a trip highlight because the choir were practising as I walked in. They were so good that I ended up staying for 20 minutes just to listen.

In hindsight, I should have gone to the Belfort (Belfry) earlier, since the queue I joined took half an hour to shuffle to the ticket desk. The views are panoramic, and the different levels offer some decent Belfry information, but I must admit that I'm a bit observation point-ed out. Most big towns have some tower or other for tourists to climb and they become samey after you've done a few. This is no different, but worth a look all the same.

The Groeninge Museum was temporarily shut for the installation of a new exhibit, so I went next to the Gruuthuse. One word sums this museum up, and that's M'eh. The guide cards laid out in each room provide an astonishing amount of detail on the artifacts, but none of them are terribly interesting. I'm sure that when I was 18 I could have gotten a semi from looking at an apothecary jar, along with every other thing I saw, smelled or touched, but after forty five minutes with the Gruuthuse's collection I was searching for the exit.

Next door is the Church of Our Lady of Bruges, in which Michelangelo's Madonna with Child stands. The statue itself, despite being ensconced in a grandiose altar, is a low key affair but worth a look.

My overall trip highlight was De Halve Maan brewery. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and the price includes a free beer. My tour guide, whose name I have completely forgotten, did an excellent job of keeping things entertaining and there was no need to force laughter at her jokes. By this stage things in Bruges were beginning to close up and wind down, so I stayed for a couple of tasty beers before catching the train to Antwerp.

To Be Continued

Next Installment: (Insert wordplay incorporating the word Twerp here)