Ballooning, beer & boats. (Bruges)

Member Name: StephenPhillips

Product:	Bruges
Date:	13/08/09 (128 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful, romantic & full of surprises.

Disadvantages: Too much to do in one holiday.

--- Bruges or should I say Brugge? ---

Looking out of the taxi window my partner and I filled with excitement eagerly tried to catch a glimpse of the towering Belfry as we entered the city walls and were driven through a warren of back streets into central Brugge. It's late and a calm mist had enveloped the city as it lingered over the canals wrapping around the twinkling street lamps. Our week of adventure in this unexplored city lay before us but it will have to wait for now until day break.

--- Brugge ---

Brugge is located in North West Belgium approximately nine miles from the North Sea port of Zeebrugge. It's city of two halves situated on the river Reie. The central moated historic "core" of the city is the tourist honey pot, with a population of around 28,000. The outer relatively modern "shell" has a population of around 130,000. The population is unmatched by the 3.6 million visitors the city welcomes each year, with most of these being day trippers spending a fleeting few moments looking out of a crowded tour bus with flashing cameras documenting a trip so they can go home and say "I did Bruges". The architecture is predominantly medieval and gothic which adds a touch romance to the city attracting a lot of dreamy eyed couples to the tree lined canals and winding back streets.

--- Things to see & do---

We explored a number of the classic tourist hot spots as well as seeking out a few gems of our own. We fitted so many things into our week long stay that I could write a book detailing all of them so I will just give the highlights as a taster for you and let you discover the rest.

The first morning I could think of nothing else than climbing 336 steps up the iconic Belfry. The 13th Century Belfry stands 83 metres high above the Markt square. It can be heard from miles around as bells strike a range of ever changing musical tunes. The tower opens at 9.30 am until 5 pm costs 5 Euros for adults, 4 Euros for concessions and free for under 13 year olds. The tower is not for the faint hearted as the winding steps get smaller as you rise above the centre of historic Brugge. There are several stops on the way up so I would advise to take time to admire the view and allow for the day trippers to run past you to the top. The tower has be one of the busiest attractions in Brugge so expect to have squeeze past sweaty bodies nearer the top as the stairs tighten further and for rucksacks to begin to hit you in the face! However, all this hard work is worth it. As you arrive at the top the view opens up and you have your first proper view of Brugge. The view is simply amazing as you gaze over the city and beyond to the Zeebrugge and the North Sea. I would recommend hanging around to wait to see the bells chime as they work their magic every fifteen minutes.

Next on our list was the The Half Moon Brewery. My partner and I were told this was a must see by our hotel staff and we weren't let down. For 5 Euros a tour, the brewer opens between 11 am and 4.30 pm. You are given a well informed tour of a good length (over one hour), time for questions about the history of the brewery and an excellent view from the roof of the building over beautiful Brugge which makes for a wonderful afternoon out. The tour guide adds humour to the visit and keeps it interesting throughout, interacting with members of the group both young and old. This is a good trip for a wet weather day as 90% of the tour takes place indoors. Afterwards, as part of our tour, we were given a beer brewed at the brewery. The food court looked lovely so we decided to eat there after the tour. The food was good value and we had three courses and of course an extra pint of the wonderful beer brewed there. The only disadvantage is the amount of stair climbing involved.

After all that stair climbing and view taking I decided it was time to go somewhere my partner would like, the Diamond Museum. The Diamantmuseum, 6 Euros for adults and 3 Euros for under 12 year olds, gives you a fascinating look back into Brugge's role as the diamond capital of Belgium. The museum has a mix of displays and interactive tables which guide you through everything you need to know from the history of the diamond through to how they are extracted and prepared. I would highly recommend arriving before noon and booking onto the daily polishing demonstration that takes place at 12.15 pm for an additional 3 Euros. The demonstration takes place in the atmospheric basement and illustrates the ins and outs of diamond polishing.

For an extra special treat for my partner I organised a surprise hot air balloon ride over the city at sunset. I organised it with a company called Bruges Ballooning, at a cost of 160 Euros person (you can get a romantic flight for two for an additional cost). It is a very personal service. We were picked up from our hotel at 6 pm in a 4 x 4 with the balloon in a trailer behind. We then picked up two other couples from hotels around Brugge. After a quick call to the weather centre to check the wind direction that evening we headed to our take off site. This is not a fixed site and changes for every flight depending on the wind direction in order to get a flight line over Brugge. This was very exciting, bouncing around all the little side roads seeking out a suitable spot. Finally we found a spot, the guys jumped out and asked the farmers permission for the all clear and we were set. The three guys in charge pulled the balloon out and got it ready for takeoff, involving us as much as possible in inflating the balloon which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. We all clambered into the balloon got our safety briefing and we were off. It was around 8.15 pm and we lifted off the ground, wow, is all I can say! Scared at first but as the creaking basket and loud blasts of flames settled it was calm, peaceful and beautiful. We slowly drifted over beautiful Brugge. With the sun slowly setting behind us we could see for miles over the Belgian countryside. We sometimes lost height and drifted over the chimney tops and then suddenly gained height again up to 3,500 ft as we hit a thermal. Waving to the people down below and listening to evening chorus of bird song was simply magical. After a soft landing we were again involved with helping to pack the balloon away as the chase car finally found us. By this time it was 10 pm and we headed back to Brugge where we got a our balloon certificate stating the height we reached and enjoyed a glass or two of champagne and a waffle before being dropped back at our hotel again. This is highly recommended as a way to see a city. This was our second flight, with the first being over Florence at sunrise two years ago. The best bit about this trip is no advanced booking is required, just wait for a nice day and call on that day, simply fantastic.

For one of our days in Brugge we decided to take an organised tour called the Triple Treat Tour, run by a husband and wife team that also run a Flanders Fields Tour, through their company called Quasimodo Tours. The tours are 45 Euros each and came recommended to us by Trip Advisor. We don't usually like going on organised tours but we thought it would be an ideal way to get out the city and learn a little culture and history from a local. The tour started across from the square our hotel was located on, t'Zand, and we were told to arrive at 9:15 am to be picked up. Our guide was very charming and had a lot of passion for Belgium. The tour was mixed and we had many stops (only driving for a maximum of thirty minutes between stops) including historic towns and castles. We had lunch which included a beer and a homemade Belgian waffle, simply delicious! Other highlights of the trip included a look around a Belgian chocolate factory to see first hand the world famous chocolates being made and a beer tasting session in a local bar. The trip was wonderful and our guide mixed humour with a fascinating insight into Belgian history, arts and culture, our guide was clearly very passionate about his country. On the way back we were asked where we would like to be dropped off which was a very nice gesture as the bustling streets of Brugge looked a nightmare to navigate through.

Other highlights included a shop at the Chocolate Line, one of only five chocolate shops in Brugge that make chocolate on the premises, open daily 10 am until 6 pm. Well worth a shop here, you can see the guys at the back making the chocolates before your very eyes. I recommend the praline selection for 11 Euros! Divine!

Other activities we did that are worth a mention include a canal boat ride through the city. They cost 6 Euros per person and start from many points through the city taking around thirty minutes. They offer an alternative view of the city and is a welcome break from all the walking. The tours have commentary throughout, remember your camera. They drop you back where you started from.

--- Where to eat ---

When you think of Belgium you think of waffles, chocolate, beer and fries. Brugge has many hundreds of places to eat ranging from simple but tasty bar food to sublime food created by award winning chefs. There is a mix of traditional Flemish food and as well a range of international flavours.

I will give one bit of advice you should all take home with you, do not eat on the Market squares. They very popular tourist traps but be warned of offers of cheap food. A typical example is steak for 8 Euros, which sounds amazing at first but beware if you want chips to go with it it's an additional 8 Euros, Ketchup is an additional 5 Euros, and salad is an additional 7 Euros. It is common to order a meal in the square and not realise that you pay for each item separately.

One particular memorable place we dined at was Den Dyver. This has to be the best afternoon lunch I have ever eaten. The idea behind the restaurant is that you chose the food and they match the beer. We arrived at noon just after our canal boat trip feeling fairly hungry. It was a beautiful warm sunny summer's day and we were invited out the back to the courtyard where we enjoyed a 5 course meal matched of course with a wonderful selection of Belgian beers to go with the food. The restaurant is family run and the service is spot on. We were treated very well. Other diners included locals and other visitors to the city. The food isn't cheap by any means, our lunch for the two of us set us back £160 but it was worth every penny. They had a range of traditional Flemish dishes on offer but I recommend going for the set menu with the beer selection. It was a real delight, I highly recommend. After the meal we went in search of the beers we had sampled but we couldn't find one beer in particular we had with our dessert anywhere. We went back to the restaurant the next day and asked for advice, instead they simply gave us four bottles and said it was from small brewer that didn't supply shops. Simply wonderful place and people that take great pride in what they do and the people they serve.

One last bit of advice, no table water is offered in Brugge, just bottled, so don't be offended if your request is not meet.

---- Where to drink ---

Before I talk about the wonderful Belgium beers we tasted a word of warning, particularly to us Brits. Beer in Belgium is commonly served to you as half a pint or less. Never ask for a litre of beer as they can charge you up to 18 Euros!

In order to get the best from Brugge, as with the food, you should wonder off the main squares and seek out the little local cosy bars that exist but are never advertised. We frequently visited many such places daily but here are a few of my best bar picks.

't Poatersgat which translates to "monks hole" is a lovely place we found in a cross vaulted cellar on the outskirts of the city. It has a huge range of beers (over 100) and is very friendly. The barman was extremely helpful in guiding us though the huge selection. The bar opens daily from 5 pm till late and is well worth a stop off. Just be careful though, as the entrance is not obvious, it is literally a door no more than 5 ft high you squeeze through to climb down into the cellar!

Brugs Beertje is bar we had to try due to the many great reviews it had been given. We arrived at ten to four in the afternoon, eagerly waiting for it open at 4 pm. The doors opened and we shot in to grab a table seat next to the window. The bar was very small and cosy but the highlight of this bar over the others was the very helpful and charming barman. He gave us a huge insight into the ins and outs of Belgian beers, their history and how they are made. We had over eight beers each in this little place and by the end we were a little worse for wear (average alcohol content is between 7 - 10 %) but very enlightened!

--- Where to stay ---

t'Zand hotel is where our base was for our trip. The hotel is 3 stars and very pleasant. We never usually go for an expensive traditional hotel as we like to spend a lot of our time out exploring the city. So in summary this hotel was modern, clean and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. There is a lovely little cafe downstairs and the breakfast is simple but satisfying. The hotel looks onto the t'Zand square and is well worth asking for a room with a balcony that over looks the square to add a little atmosphere to the room (unless you like the peace and quiet that is).

--- How to get there ---

There are a number of ways to get to Brugge. Brussels and Amsterdam airports are well served with regular flights in and out of Europe with Brugge only being a short train ride away. Also the Euro Star is an excellent method of getting across to the continent although I have never tried it. We however opted for the ferry from Rosyth to Zeebrugge which was far from pleasant as you will read in one of my previous reviews.

--- Winding up ---

I could type away into the night about the highs and lows of our trip but I will draw a line here. I will update the review in the future add one or two other highlights but think I had given you all some food for thought.

Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for sticking it out this far and get yourself across there! I'm heading back in the autumn as I still have so many things still to experience and try that I never had time for this time! I will update the review on my return.

As for Bruges or Brugge, it's Brugge, don't offend the locals by talking French!

Summary: A hidden gem close to home.