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BRUGES/BRUGGE
Bruges (Brugge) is an unspoilt mediaeval city in the metaphorical if not the geographical heart of Catholic Flanders, a land of beer, lace, chocolate and large colourful flags. Although English-speakers know it by its French name of Bruges, this is a Flemish city and you should speak Dutch or English to avoid giving offence. Although the local Cactus Club has actually hosted Sol Invictus, this is not generally a place of great excitement. What it does do is to provide some very pretty sights, and a safe, clean, quiet and conservative environment for eating, drinking and relaxing. This is a very civilised city. Whatever problems Belgium may currently have with high-level corruption, the citizens of Bruges are obviously very honest and law-abiding. Though driving is erratic, traffic is minimal. CANALS Like Amsterdam, Bruges is also known as a Venice of the North. An encircling canal defines its roughly oval shape, and other, very picturesque, canals snake their way across its centre. A canal trip or a walk around the circumference provide a good introduction.
SQUARES Bruges is not only a city of canals but also of squares, whether large and imposing, or small and intimate. The Markt is the main square and has lots of cafés and bars, while the more stately Burg has the old official buildings. T' Zand has an interesting fountain but is otherwise a soulless affair for the young, noisy and less discerning. But there are many smaller squares and areas such as Simon Stevinplein, Huidenvetters Plein and the Walplein.
SIGHTSEEING The best sights are the Begijnhof, the two churches of the Holy Blood, and the Groeningen (art) Museum. The latter has a good collection of Old Masters, but it was a relief to pass from the mediaeval section with its fixation on the torture of martyrs.
SHOPS The main shopping street (Zuidzandstraat, Steenstraat, Hoogstraat, Langestraat) cuts across the city forming a diameter. Many shops close for a long lunch - up to two hours - and may not be too prompt to reopen. In comparison with Britain I was once again amazed by the absence of retail-chain domination. Cheap supermarkets (a useful and necessary source of bottled water) can be found, but not without some effort. CHIPS There are lots of competitively-priced cafés and bars offering similar fare. The typically local dishes are mussels and chips, beef casserole and chips, and eels in green sauce (basically spinach) and chips. If you want a snack you can order...chips. If you want a change you can try ordering something else. You may still get chips as substituting drinks and food without reference appears to be quite common. Avoid the restaurants on the North side of the Markt where competitive waiters attempt to drag you in. My favourite venue was outside the Uilenspiegel Brasserie (on the corner of Predikherenrei and Langestraat), an idyllic position overlooking the canal. The prawns in garlic (with chips) and the lasagne with fetta cheese (not a chip in sight) are recommended. De Chagall in Sint-Armandstraat is a cosy bar-restaurant which also plays classical music. Unfortunately it plummeted in my estimation when my side-order for potatoes grilled with garlic transformed itself into another bowl of chips.
BEER For a drink in the Markt try the Craenenburg Cafe on the west side, a relaxed bar with a reasonably large choice of Belgian beers including Leffe, possibly Belgium's most well-known brew. If you're only there for the beer, the place to go is T'Brugs Beertje in Kemelstraat, a shrine for beer-loving pilgrims. You will get a friendly and enthusiastic reception from both the landlady and guests and may find a barfull of English CAMRA enthusiasts more than willing to discuss the merits of the pub's 300 or so beers which you can enjoy against a background of baroque music. In the unlikely event of no advice being forthcoming I can recommend the (West Flanders) Kasteel bier donker (Brouwerij Van Honsebroeck te Ingelmnster), a strong dark beer close to my personal ideal.
Outside T'Brugs Beertje (where alcohol levels are listed on the menu and you should know what to expect), strong beers are usually served with a small dish of pretzels. These are meant to help keep the beer drinker sober, but your partner will probably start pinching them if she hasn't had enough chips. Although sorry to leave the Leffe, I was in culinary matters glad to return to the chip-free zone which is generally imposed upon me for my own good. Rik - 18 August 1999
REFERENCES Having been impressed with the AA's City Pack Amsterdam I got the companion volume on Brussels and Bruges. This was a mistake. The Bruges map is completely inadequate, so buy a large-scale one locally.
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Paperback
- 343 pages ( 4 December, 1997)
Paperback
- 244 pages 3 Ed edition (September 1998)
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