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Snatches from a romantic past
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Bruges, a quaint town with canals, cobbled streets and centuries-old churches, is more reminiscent of Italy than Belgium
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A WELL PRESERVED PAST Bruges is often feted as the Venice of the north but tourists do it as a daytrip. They're missing a lot. It's one of the most scenic places in Europe and well worth a good three days or so
Bruges is one of those little places that people strongly recommend as a "charming, romantic city", but add in the same breath "as there isn't much to do, a daytrip 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 a 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-side 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 vastly amused to note the sack-like receptacle 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 for 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 is 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 coachman spiced the tour with some fascinating trivia, it seemed well worth it. Besides, it was a good way to quickly shortlist the sights that we wanted to see up close.
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 in 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.
After that sobering visit, we felt in need of some cheering, and opted for a boat tour. Given Bruges's 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, its heavy, overhanging branches swaying in time to the wind, while nearby, 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 and see. Is it any surprise that three days proved too short?
A chocoholic's delight
While in Bruges, it's impossible to walk 50 metres without bumping into a person 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 run by a chocolatier, every first is a lace shop — handmade 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.
APARNA KARTHIKEYAN
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