If you are wondering, yes we did include Bruges in our trip because of the 2008 Martin McDonagh movie.
Jordan and I already had Belgium in our plans because I have a love for good beer. However, I would have been fine with Brussels had it not been for that amazing dark comedy. As they said in the movie, Bruges is like a fairytale. We got there and dang, they were right!
We arrived to Bruges (or, Brugge as it is known in Dutch) by train. We took a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Brussels and it made us wish we had more trains in the US. Our ride was comfortable and boarding was easy. We had plush seats with a table we could spread out at. We ate Lotus cookies for breakfast and I did my makeup. We had free wi-fi on board so we were able to plan out our morning during our trip. The train also provided great views of the European countryside. In Brussels, we transferred to a train bound for Bruges. This one wasn’t quite as nice, but still got us where we were going quickly.
On our walk from the train station to our AirBnb, we stopped in a restaurant to grab breakfast. We stopped in a place called B-In. It was adjacent to the Old St. John Hospital and park. In the park, I saw some funky trees I had never seen before.
Of course, the first thing Jordan and I wanted to eat in Belgium was a waffle. We got ourselves a delicious waffle covered in powdered sugar to share. It was so good, we already knew that wasn’t going to be the only waffle we ate in Bruges. To wash the waffle down, we ordered beers. Yes, it was roughly 9 AM but also we were in beer heaven so we couldn’t help ourselves.
The face of a woman wishing she didn’t have to share that waffle.
Our AirBnb was right around the corner from the town square. We checked in and dropped off our bags and set out for our Belgian adventure. We made a beeline for the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This was my first time seeing a holy relic.
This 12th century church is classically medieval. Entrance to the Basilica is free and entrance to the small museum is about two euros. We arrived just in time for veneration. One at a time, we approached the altar where a priest presented a large vial containing a cloth believed to be stained with Christ’s blood. Whether or not the relic is legitimate, it is still an object that people have made pilgrimages to see for hundreds of years.
We then went to the Belfry of Bruges where many jokes about the movie were made. The stairs to the top were narrow and steep. The way up was strenuous, but it was descending the winding stairs that made me really nervous. The stairs were worth it though for that view from the top.
A fence was up around the top of the tower to prevent falling/jumping off. Very different from the movie.
We walked through the cobblestone streets of Bruges and admired how preserved this medieval city is.
There wasn’t a single corner in Bruges that wasn’t beautiful.
We really enjoyed the beers we had at breakfast, so we hunted for more. That led us to the brewery that made them, Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres. Jordan and I drank our beers on the back patio of the brewery, overlooking the river. We then went on a brewery tour. Their tour was self-guided with audio. At the end, visitors are offered a chance to ask a question of the head brewer. We got extra lucky and ended up chatting with him and another brewer and learned about Belgian culture. He told us how they sell their spent yeast to pigeon racers that believe yeast makes their birds fly faster. It was a very worthwhile tour!
Dinner was a classic Flemish meal of beef stew. After dinner we found an amazing bar called t’ Poatersgat (Dutch for The Monk’s Hole). It took us a while to find the place, as it is a half door leading to stairs that take you underground. This cozy bar serves trappist beers, which we enjoyed by candlelight.
A glass of Rochefort and a glass of Orval.
In the morning we walked into the main square to find a large market. Jordan and I walked through colorful rows of vegetables, fruits, and meats.
For breakfast we had waffles again, since we liked them so much the day before. We walked through more of the small medieval city.
Jan van Eyckplein
On recommendation from our AirBnb host, we went to Pur Chocolat. We bought some chocolate to eat right then, and some to take home to friends and family. I still think about how good those chocolates were.
Our next stop was another brewery tour. We went to the revered Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan for a guided tour.
The view from the top of the brewery was fantastic.
We stopped at some small museums and took in the beauty of Bruges.
That night we went to another bar called Le Trappiste. Live music played in this dark cozy bar. I spotted on the beer list the Westvleteren 12, known as the best beer in the world. It is incredibly difficult to find, even in Belgium. The 14 euros for the glass I ordered was well worth it for the famous beer brewed by monks at Saint Sixtus Abbey.
After we went to ‘t Poatersgat again because I really liked that place, and because I just hadn’t had enough of trappist beers yet. We drank one more there, then grabbed some fries to go. I ate them on the walk to our room and we got ourselves to bed so we could get up for our 6 AM train.