“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust
What beautiful countries and cities lie beyond the oceans that separate us. In Belgium, we visited another astounding city. Bruges, in northwest Belgium, is the capital of West Flanders and home of one of the most important centers for fishing and European trade, Zeebrugge Port. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage city. Dating back to the 2nd century AD, Bruges is a spectacular city ornate with cobblestone streets, medieval and gothic style buildings, secret gardens and winding canals that will take you back in time. Roaming through the streets of Bruges one can’t help but wonder who roamed these streets? What mysteries occurred here? If walls could talk, what stories would these tell us? There is so much to discover in Bruges.
Hotel
We stayed at the Novotel Bruges Central, a modern hotel nestled among the old gothic style buildings on Katelijnestraat 65. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The service was very good. I have to say it had the best and largest breakfast bar of all the hotels I’ve been to so far. And everything I had for breakfast was tasty and seemed fresh. The hotel was well situated, just about a 10-minute walk to the Belfry and marketplace.
Restaurant
Dinner was at the Maximiliaan Van Oostenrijk Restaurant on Wijngaardplein 16-17. The restaurant is in a nice park area and seemed warm and inviting. It had a charming medieval-style décor and the atmosphere was pleasing. The service was good, I can’t complain about that. However, I cannot say the same for the meal. Everyone sitting at our table was unsatisfied with the quality or taste of our food. We all agreed it was bland, but let me give it the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was the choice of meal. However, after our tour guide kept raving about the food all day, I expected more.
Sightseeing
Bruges Grand Place houses the XPO Salvador Dali Museum, the Belfort Van Bruges, Provincial Court, Bruges St. Jacobstraat, shops, restaurants, hotels and so much more. There are many ways to explore Bruges. One can take a boat tour through the canals, or ride a horse-drawn carriage, bicycle, bus tour or even an electric Segway. We decided to walk since we would be on a tour bus towards Paris for various hours.
We spend some time at Bruges Grand Place venturing through the shops and quaint streets while taking photos of the splendid views and architecture. It was a cold gloomy day with a bit of drizzle here and there, but that did not make it any less appealing. I liked how there were many satellite shops and vendors all around Bruges Grand Place selling anything from produce, meals, handcrafts, oh and fruits! We bought the biggest, sweetest and juiciest strawberries I had ever seen!
Yes indeed, Bruges is such a beautiful, enchanted city – like from a movie scene. I will definitely put Bruges on my list of places to revisit.
