Whatever the case, this Flemish town, set near the English Channel, is the jewel of Belgium. Just an hour's train ride from Brussels, one steps off the platform and into an alternate universe, where both language and culture have changed, and all this within a country so small it can be driven across in two hours.
There's a hesitation for a visitor who speaks both French and English such as myself. French is one of the two official languages of Belgium, but the language spoken here is Dutch, and due to decades of cultural clashes -- both real and invented --French speakers are often frowned upon. But I also hesitated to use English, the default language of the international traveller. Regardless, this is a tourist town, and most shop owners are more or less trilingual, and the international language of spending money doesn't offend anyone.
Below is the imposing Belfry, set in the town's main square, adding to the definite Medieval feel.
Several canals snake through the town, running alongside homes with noble brick façades, offering the meandering tourist several beautiful strolls. The town is intimate enough that all its streets can be covered in a day's time.
Like many days in this part of the world, it rained and shone ten times within the course of my afternoon in Bruges, the whole spectrum of light and ambiance...
The canals and brick façades are reminiscent of Amsterdam, though Bruges is more human in size and feel. Its streets are filled with chocolate shops and restaurants, kiosks tout the best fries in the world, the same for their waffles.
I rented a bicycle for the afternoon and my only dissapointment was that I didn't have a map: my pedalling took me along a canal to the quaint town of Damme (thankfully not named after Jean Claude), and then onward on narrow cycle paths bordered by rows of trees and an endless system of canals. Bicycle signs and paths everywhere in the countryside... Spectacular...
A look at Bruges from the perspective of its canals...
