My Trip To Bruges

Be still my heart! I loved this place.

Bruges is a city of picturesque canals and charming stone buildings, the crow-stepped gable roof lined architecture. I’m a HUGE hopeless romantic and a sucker for darling little cities, and it is one of many European cities to have been dubbed ‘The Venice of the North’. Oh my gosh! There were even swans in the canals!! Plus a park (Hof de Jonghe) that is home to sheep. So stink’n CUTE!

There is legend for why there were swans in the canals. According to the legend around 1488 the people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators belonging to the court of Maximilian of Austria. The town administrator’s, called Pieter Lanchals his name meaning “long neck”, family coat of arms featured a white swan. Maximilian then punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep swans on their lakes and canals until eternity.

The current city boundaries still coincide exactly with those of the medieval city center, and the spaces and structures remain largely unchanged since the 16th century, making Bruges very idyllic. There is so much history behind the buildings.

There are lots of charming places to stay here, but again, Nate and I didn’t want to splurge on a room and just needed a clean place with a bathroom. We stayed at Hotel Aragon. It was perfect, no complaints and the staff were very friendly.

Because of it’s size, it’s very walkable and believe you, me, Nate and I enjoyed wandering all over the place. It’s a great place to get lost. We pretty much wandered, laughed together and ate some of the tastiest treats in the world.

Isn’t this house darling?!!

How could we say no to the land of waffles, chocolate, and fries??! May I just add, all of them were outstanding! Their fries are WAY BETTER. I don’t know or want to know what they deep fry them in twice, but it’s good. Oh, condiments are extra here, but it’s worth splurging on one pump of mayo and one pump of curry ketchup.

Nothing comes close the their silky chocolate, nothing. It’s a chocolate lovers delight! Even their pastry and chocolate shops were breathtaking. The Belgians have a long history of chocolate-making and in Bruges you’ll find an abundance of chocolate shops showcasing delectable selection of truffles and pralines, white chocolate and dark chocolate, creamy fillings and strawberry ganache. YUM! Their not shy with adding liqueur in their chocolate, so if you don’t drink, you’ll want to ask if it contains alcohol.

So stunning!

The waffles were fluffier and carried a different texture and flavor that was simply scrumptious! I loaded mine with strawberries, real melted chocolate (not syrup crap), and fresh whipped cream!! I’m getting excited again just thinking about it.

We wandered and found our way to the Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde with its whitewashed house fronts, peaceful golden garden, and beguinage museum that was founded in 1245 by Joanna Countess of Constantinople. Even today the nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict live at the site.

 We also stumbled across a beautiful and unusual church (St Magdalen’s Church) with a very interactive installation in the center of it’s interior. It’s an active church, and in its center was a swing and large sand box. Evidently, they also fill that area with water other times of the year. Back in 2002 Bruges start up a pilot project named ‘YOT’ at this church. They wanted to make a church building a place of spirituality for a broad spectrum of people, and seen as a modern experiment around space, man and religion, in a personal way. The statue out front of the church, I found to speak the loudest.

Bruges was peaceful and wonderful and I would do it all over again. I’ve been to a bunch of European cities and this is one of my top faves! I loved it all!

XOXO,

Melessa