ThinkBelgium and you’ll prob-ably think ‘chocolate’, ‘beer’,‘lace’, then ‘how many famousBelgians can I name?’and leaveit there. That would be a mis-take, however, because these

days Belgium is definitely on the list of Europe’scoolest destinations and the city of Bruges is oneof Belgium’s best.

Bruges makes a great choice for a weekendmini-break. It’s stuffed with gorgeous, gildedmedieval buildings, has Venetian-style canalsand museums just heaving with Flemish oldmasters. There are traditional markets and,everywhere you look, gabled gingerbread townhouses are tucked away down ancient cobbledstreets. But Bruges is a modern city too, witharchitecture that will make your eyes stand onstalks, wacky retro bars and the trendiest ofboutique hotels and jazz clubs… and ofcourse, it has chocolate, beer, lace and one ortwo famous Belgians for good measure.

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Medieval, modern and retro,all at the same time, Brugesis a city of contrasts not to be

missed writes ElizabethBuchanan

Escape to…

A surprisingcapital of cool

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One of Bruges’ great attractions isthat it’s very close to home and easy toget to by rail or ferry. What’s more,you can cover the city centre on foot inno time at all. The centre of town is vir-tually a car-free zone and you can strollround most of it in under an hour.

Viking BryggaBruges is an ancient place. It was estab-lished by the Vikings in the ninth cen-tury as a port and, over the next threehundred years, grew into one ofEurope’s main trading centres. Despiteseveral attempts by the French toannex the city, Bruges held its ownand by the 14th century was a majorbanking and trading force in Europe.The city had ambassadors from Italy,Scotland, Spain and Germany anddealers in everything from importedspices and pottery, to its famousFlemish cloth.

Sadly Bruges’ glory days were notto last. Its power and influence beganto slip away as the importance of thetextile trade diminished. Despite abrief and wonderful flowering of artis-tic genius in the 15th century, when thebrothers Van Eyck did so much for theFlemish school of painting, by the early19th century Bruges had become one of

the poorest cities in Europe. Tourismsaved the city. All those twiddly gilt-topped towers, scenic waterways, neo-Gothic churches and half timberedhouses proved a steady tourist drawand, over the last 100 years, Brugeshas re-established itself as one ofEurope’s hottest travel spots.

‘...Venice of theNorth...’

Tranquil inTownPerhaps Bruges’ best-kept secret ishow peaceful this city can be. Potterdown any side street and you’ll findyourself in a hidden world ofmedieval houses and gardens. Sauntera few minutes from the centre andyou’ll find the canals that earn Brugesthe title ‘the Venice of the North’.Bruges is filled with waterways and itis these silent ‘street’s that create sucha feeling of calm. Bruges developedthis extensive system in the MiddleAges, to enable large trading vesselsto gain access to the city’s warehous-es. Nowadays only tourist boats plythe canals and, as in Venice, the own-ership of these boats is a matter oftradition and pride. There are just

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five families in Bruges allowed to run tourboats and they only have four boats each.

In the centre of town, the Spiegelrei hassome of the prettiest canals, lined withancient merchants’ houses, while the GoudenHandrei has fairy-tale summer-houses back-ing onto the water. Further south, theMinnewater is a particularly well-loved partof the city: a huge canalized lake enclosing apark and hundreds of quaint old houses.

Mystical BeguinesOne of the quietest parts of the city is theBeguinage. To enter it, you have to cross alittle bridge and then you find yourself inthe cloistered world of the Beguines; 13thcentury mystics who chose to live apartfrom the city. Originally built in 1245, theBeguinage is made up of a number ofancient white houses surrounding a churchand garden planted with poplar trees. In the1930’s it was converted into a convent forthe Benedictine nuns who still live theretoday and the whole place conveys a pas-toral simplicity and serenity hard to find inmost city centres.

Hustle and BustleIf you’re looking for a bit more excitement,the central market place is the buzzing heartof the city. Surrounded by flamboyantlyfinial-clad neo-Gothic buildings, the market

is home to masses of shops, cafes and barswhere you can sit and watch the world goby in comfort. The Provincial Court isshown on every postcard and is a greatexample of the 19th century Gothic revival.Encrusted with towers, turrets and balconiesand a-flutter with colourful flags, the build-ing dominates the market square. Marketday is Wednesday and the place is trans-formed with wonderful stalls selling snacksof waffles, ‘Belgian frites’ and chocolate,along with fried chicken, or bread andcheese. Throughout the summer you’ll see ared vintage car parked in front of the Belfryselling ice cream.

While the market square is the commer-cial centre of the city, the administrative cen-tre lies just to the east in Burg Square and isworth visiting for the architecture alone.Here, the lavish excess of the genuineGothic mixes with the formal restraint of theRenaissance. The old Town Hall was built in1376 and is dominated by its tall, pale spires,

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Catch the biggest show in town.During May the main event isdefinitely the Procession of the HolyBlood, which takes place on the ninthat 3pm.This procession dates backover 700 years and attracts thousandsof participants and visitors.Traditiondictates that a reliquary, holding abloodstained cloth (said to have beenused by Joseph of Arimathea to tendChrist’s wounds) is paraded throughthe streets. Over time, this soberreligious ritual has turned into one ofthe biggest street theatre events inEurope. Nearly 2,000 actors take partin the procession re-enacting keyscenes from the Bible.You can findout more by visitingwww.holyblood.org orwww.brugge.be.Everywhere you go in Bruges you’llbe offered ‘moules et frites’.Try thebuffet at Moules Poules on SimonStevenplein. For around €17 you’ll getfantastic mussels, chips and beer and,because it’s a buffet, when you finish, awaiter will come along and top upboth your plate and glass. Excellentvalue.You can’t visit Bruges without tastingthe chocolate and the city’s owndelicacy is the chocolate swan orBrugsch Swaentje.The filling is acombination of almond paste andspice biscuits, wrapped in dark orwhite chocolate and stamped withthe official swan motif.As with the chocolate; you can’t visitBruges without tasting the beer.Thereare hundreds of varieties on offer andmost famous are the fruit beersflavoured with cherry or strawberry.The Bottle Shop (Wollestraat 13) hasa great selection. Remember thoughthat Belgian beer is often twice asstrong as beer in the UK.Take carewhen sampling, if you want to be ableto walk back to your hotel in astraight line.

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to home..’

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while the Civil Registry is topped with glint-ing golden statues. Best of all is the Chapelof the Holy Blood, which looks like a heavi-ly worked jewel box.

HighArt and Household GoodsIf you want to get a feel for what these build-ings looked like when they were new, checkout the Gruuthuse Museum, just to the southof Burg Square on Dijver 17. This marvel-lous old town house is filled with pottery,textiles, furniture and silverware and hasrecreated rooms showing how these variousartefacts were used. For sublime Flemishpainting head for the Groeninge Museum onDijver 12. Here you’ll find not just earlymasters like Van Eyck and Breugal but laterRenaissance works, 18th centuryneo-classicism and surrealistpainters such as Rene Magritte andPaul Delvaux.

Chocolate,Beer and LaceIf you really want to go down thetourist route you have to visitChoco-Story, the chocolate museumon Wijnzakstraat 2 (Sint-Jansplein).Here you can discover the history ofchocolate before getting down to the real jobof tasting it. For the ultimate chocolate expe-rience try The Chocolate Line (SimonStevinplein 19). Here they treat chocolatelike fine wine and you can sample chocolatefrom single estates or try the exotic choco-late body paint.

For the best beer and atmosphere in town,head for the deservedly famous ‘t BrugsBeertje, Kemelstraat 5. Here you can tryhundreds of speciality beers along with

Belgian snacks of salami, pickles and cheesesurrounded by cosy brown walls festoonedwith posters of beer. To find out more abouthow Belgian beer is made, take in a tour ofthe De Halve Maan, or Half Moon, brewery(Walplein 26). The brewery is open dailyfrom 10 – 5pm and is filled with fabulously

shiny copper vats and Victorian brass pipework. After the tour try the home brewed‘Straffe Hendrik’ beer.

Finding lace is not difficult in Bruges. Infact every second shop seems to be filledwith the stuff: from doilies to aprons, table-cloths to curtains, there is lace everywhere.Be aware though that most of it is not madein Bruges and actually comes from factoriesin Taiwan and China. Traditional handmadelace will be very expensive. To see the realthing, visit the Kantcentrum (Lace Centre)on Peperstraat 3 A. This non-profit makingcentre shows old styles including bloemen-werk, rozenkant, and toversesteek and youcan buy exquisite lace in the shop.

Cool Nights OutIn the evening most people eat out or have adrink in the numberless cafes and bars inthe centre. However if you want an eveningof the hippest jazz, head down to De Werf

(Werfstrat 108) which features bothBelgian and international jazz musi-cians. Magdalenazaal (The CactusClub) on Magdalenastraat 27 featureslive local bands.Whether you want peace and tran-

quility or the sleekest of trendy bars,Bruges, with its startling contrasts willfit the bill.

‘...Belgian beer isoften twice asstrong as beer in

the UK...’Where to Stay:If you’re looking for somewhere supersophisticated, the Pand Hotel(www.pandhotel.com) in the centre ofBruges was recently voted one of the top101 hotels in the world. This C18th town-house mixes antiques and objects d’art withsleek, modern chic to stylish effect. Roomsrange from E180 for a small double to E465for a master suite.

For a more traditional stay, try theEgmond Hotel (www.egmon.be) on theedge of the Minnewater lake. The rooms arelarge and comfortable and some have beau-tiful blue and white tiled detailing. Doublegarden view rooms start at E140.00

For paired down city-chic the Erasmus(www.hotelerasmus.com) has smart maroonand teak décor and a brasserie that stocks over200 Belgian beers. Doubles start at E120.

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Travel:Train:You can get to Bruge

s in next to no time on thetrain. Book through

Rail Europe (0870 830 4862,www.raileurope.co.uk) a

nd then take the

Eurostar to Brussels and change onto a local train for B

ruges.The entire

journey takes about 3 ½ hours.

Boat: There are several ferry services to Zeebrugge, Du

nkirk and Ostend, all

of which are close to Bruges. P&O Ferries (0870 598 0333,

www.poferries.com) offer a Hull to Zeebruggeservice, Norfolkline (0870

870 1020,www.norfolkline.com) run from Dover to Dunkirk and

Transeuropa Ferries (01843595522 www.transeuropa

ferries.com) run

regular services from Ramsgate to Ostend.

Plane: If your carbon footprint can stand it, you can fly

to Brussels, although

you then have to take a train or drive to Bruges. British

Airways

(www.ba.com), SN Brussels Airlines (www.flysn.co.uk), or VLM

(www.flyvlm.com) all have regular flights.Thomson also offer a selection

of

city breaks at www.thomsoncities.co.uk

Tourist Advice:

Find out more about Bruges by visiting www.brugge.b

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