Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Bruges and beautiful
|
A quaint town with canals, cobbled streets and centuries-old churches, says APARNA KARTHIKEYAN
|
A WELL PRESERVED PAST Some of the attractive buildings in Bruges
Bruges is one of those little places that people strongly recommend as a `charming, romantic city', but add in the same breath, `since there isn't much to do, a day-trip should do very well.' Had we listened to them, we might have just lost out on a fine opportunity to explore one of Europe's real gems.
For `gem' it certainly was — with its old-city centre, criss-crossing canals, narrow cobble-stoned streets, tall churches dating back several centuries, reminiscent more of northern Italy than northern Belgium. Not surprisingly, Bruges is often feted as the Venice of the North.
The city (well actually, it pretends to be a village, and almost gets away with it!) worked its charm on us from the word go. We had, even before we reached our hotel from the railway-station — a journey lasting all of five minutes — `ooohed' at three different scenic spots along the canals, and set out immediately on a long `recce' walk.
Bruges evidently takes great pride in its well-preserved past (it made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000). Not a single street in the old centre has an ounce of tar on it. The neat rows of street-houses, some centuries old, with their slanting red-tiled roofs and smart step-gables, showed no sign of decrepitude; in fact, there was nothing to mar the touristy experience, not even a single mound of horse poo. Which was rather puzzling, given that stately horse-drawn carriages were constantly doing the rounds, taking visibly delighted tourists for a little, if expensive, spin around the city. (Later, we were amused to note the large sac-like contraption discreetly placed below the horses' tail, to collect the muck before it could sully the streets!)
The `square' or `market place' of Bruges is, as with most old European cities, the real centre, with the imposing Belfry dramatically towering over it. For a small fee, you can climb 366 steps to the top and enjoy a breathtaking view of the city. Then again, like us, you can choose to skip the view and save your breath.
The other end of the square was made up of a row of eateries, housed in attractively gabled buildings, while in the market square, visitors queued up patiently for the horse-drawn cabs. At 30 Euros a pop, it did initially seem a bit steep — but once we got used to the idea of clip-clopping around town, (like royalty!) and our coach-man spiced the tour with some fascinating trivia, it seemed well worth it. Besides, it was a good way to quickly short-list the sights that we wanted to see up-close.
Art and architecture
The first among them was the Church of Our Lady, with its remarkable 122-m brick tower, quite literally, a cut above the rest. The church boasts a rich art collection, the highlight of which is the magnificent "Madonna with Child" carved in white Carrara marble by Michelangelo himself! The museum inside the church houses the mausoleums of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold, in `Gothic' style. Interestingly, just beneath the striking bronze and gilt figures lay exposed (of course, beneath glass) brick burial vaults, dating back to the 13th Century, decorated with hand-painted religious symbols.
Not far from the church is the St. John's Hospital Museum, housing the works of the famous Flemish painter, Hans Memling. But it wasn't the paintings, spectacular though they were, that caught our eye; rather it was the worryingly large surgical instruments dating back a couple of centuries — chunky metallic thingies, presumably wrought out of iron, to draw out teeth or saw open the skull... even the ophthalmic instruments were anything but delicate.
A boat ride
After that sobering visit, we felt in need of some cheering, and opted for a boat tour. Given Bruges' splendid network of canals, the boat ride afforded a different perspective of the city, made all the more interesting by our guide's informed narrative. But oddly, every time the boat went past a structure that didn't appear suitably Gothic, or wasn't over 100 years old, he would go into a sulk, and apologetically mumble something about it `marring the character' of his city!
Among the places he recommended was the Beguinage, overlooking one of the most picturesque parts of the canals.
Currently inhabited by Benedictine nuns, the cluster of buildings, surrounded by a carpet of autumn leaves, was so peaceful, it was moving. Just outside, swans glided past the weeping willow, busy swaying its heavy, over-hanging branches in time to the wind, while near by, the `Lake of Love' (a rather cheesy name for that picture perfect stretch of water) inspired tourists to whip out their cameras and click away furiously.
These were just the `highlights' of Bruges; we still had many things left to do, to see. Is it any surprise that three days proved too short?
Shopper's delight
While in Bruges, it's impossible to walk 50 yards without bumping into a person not holding a map or camera. During weekends, make that five!
Bruges is a chocoholic's paradise. Every second store sells sinfully delicious homemade chocolates.
If every second store is a chocolaterie, every first is a lace-shop — hand-made lace, lace-fringed linen, Flemish tapestries, all ranging from a few Euros to a many hundreds.
There are several bike-rentals about town, which also offer guided tours in and around the city.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
|
