Sex, chocolate and beer in Bruges

Hi,

A deliberate attempt to entice people here from search engines, with an outrageous claim about one item in the title that is easily available (more than likely not) in Belgium? Us? Surely not. It has been mentioned (by others) that a good time can be had from one or more of the title items, or even better all three. We could not possibly comment, due to not remembering what 'downstairs' is for, apart from frequent toilet breaks.

What is probably true is that most people will turn their nose up at a holiday in one of the EU's founding countries, as it is seen to be 'boring'. We beg to differ, if you like medieval cities and avoiding an overcrowded airport for a change, then Belgium is ideal for a short break.

If money is an issue to make this trip over a few days, then we are going to suggest something that will probably have us carted off in a straight jacket. We suggest instead of a short break, going for a (very long, admittedly) day trip. Before you reach for the smelling salts to stop the fainting, not using a hotel should give you a saving of roughly £40- £50. That should pay for your lunch and dinner on the day trip, and no breakfast,  lunch or dinner bill for missing out day two or three as well.

From (we shall assume) Guildford, drive in roughly two hours to Dover Eastern Docks. (Via M25 & M2) You are aiming for the 08.00 departure, so leave at roughly 05.30. At least the M25 traffic will be a lot calmer at this early hour. Ok, most folk will probably be in bed, like most sane people at this time. June/July are the best months for this earlybird day trip, as you will avoid driving in the dark. (yay!). The ferry takes two hours, so plenty of time to have a light breakfast if you wish

We will use DFDS from Dover to Dunkirk, as they have an offer for a 24 hour return for £19 (plus credit or debit card fee of £4 approx) Book up to 19th July, last date of travel 20th July, as shown here;

http://www.norfolkline.com/EN/Ferries_to_France/Fares_and_offers/Day_trip_offer/

DFDS also do a destination guide to Brugge;

http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/travel-guides/belgium/bruges/#.ThBZMVv4hJE


Our preferred return is the 21.00 sailing. Fortunately, there is no worrying about headlight converters at this time of year with the late evening sunset. To catch this ferry we would leave Brugge no later than 19.00, remember that check-in closes half an hour before the ship is due to leave. To ease any worries about getting caught out and driving in semi-darkness, here is a list of sunrise/sunset times for Brugge in July;

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=1249&month=7&year=2011&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1


With the one hour ahead time difference in France, your arrival in Dunkirk will be at 11am local time. According to the driving directions, the journey to Bruges should take just under an hour, so your arrival in Bruges will be around noon. Just input  Dunkirk Port and Marie Popelinplanstenn 4 Brugge 8000 in the viamichelin website below. This is the address for the Etap Hotel Brugge Centrum. You do not want to go to this hotel, just using the address for the station car park next door, which is only 2.5 Euros for 24 hours, bargain. Look at the map and directions on the hotels own website. According to Tripadvisor reviews there is a free shuttle bus to the city centre from the car park or a ten - fifteen minute stroll.

http://www.viamichelin.com/


http://www.etaphotel.com/gb/hotel-5046-etap-hotel-brugge-centrum-station/location.shtml

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g188671-d1771034-Reviews-Etap_Hotel_Brugge_Centrum_Station-Bruges_West_Flanders

You could do the walking tour recommended by the Brugge tourist office, with a stop along the way for a canal tour.  Just scroll a long way down to 'Minnewater Park' (just after 'Beguinage'), and follow the directions from the train station. Minnewater is a quiet place compared to the city centre.

http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/toerisme/sightseeing/wandelroutes/wandeling_monumentaal_brugge.htm

If you don't fancy the brewery tour but still fancy trying the beer, then most bars have a pretty good selection of different styles of beer. Watch out for the alcohol content, as Belgians like their beers stronger than most, especially Abbey ales of between 6 and 10%. (very nice too) Mr G used to drink 'Kriek', which is a sourish beer with cherries added to the brew (especially 'Mort Subite' which translates as 'Sudden Death'), until he was mocked by a Belgian for drinking a 'womans drink', bah. Lonely planet has a very useful guide to all the styles of beer, and where to drink them, here;

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/belgium/flanders/bruges/travel-tips-and-articles/40932

The chocolate shops are great too, Mrs G loves the Leonidas chain for their cream filled pralines. The price is based on weight with a nice box for your not so cheap purchase. Leonidas has a branch in some UK towns and cities if you prefer to save a little money on the currency exchange, although the Belgian original has the better chocs in Mrs G's humble opinion.

There is also a chocolate museum to indulge in Brugge;

http://www.choco-story.be/ENG/


This website suggests cheaper alternatives to the chocolate shops and specialist beer shops; (scroll down to Bruges souvenirs and shopping)

http://www.traveltips24.com/Bruges.htm


During your walk, if you see a boat tour landing stage and the queue is not too bad, then go for a trip on the canals. Brugge (not Bruges, the Flemmish locals don't like anyone using the French prounciation, except the tourist office it seems) from the canal on a trip, is seen from what we call the 'backyard view'. Just click on the second bullet point 'Bruges by boat' at the top.

http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/toerisme/sightseeing/geleidebezoeken.htm

 Don't forget to wave, either on the the canalside or the boat itself. Everyone waves and smiles, must be on 'uppers' then.


While on your stroll try a 'Frituur' chip van for your lunch. These chips bear no relation to the poor soggy offerings from UK fast food joints. Fried twice to be crispy and with a helping of  mayo or tomato ketchup on top. Some places have a few more sauces on offer. 'French fries' will never seem the same again.

There is a newly opened chip museum in Brugge. We are waiting for a similar museum to open in it's natural home - Greece. (groan)

http://www.frietmuseum.be/en/index.htm

As a sweeter alternative to chips why not try what we would consider a Belgian 'national dish', waffles. As explained in this article, waffles are the Belgian equivalent of a British afternoon tea. Eaten with sweet and savoury toppings, to stave off hunger pangs from mid afternoon.

http://www.europeupclose.com/article/when-in-belgium-eat-waffles/


A lunch of chips, and then a couple of hours later a dessert of waffles. Include a beer somewhere as well and you will have tried fairly typical Belgian food and drink. And at a much more reasonable cost than a restaurant. I would wait until you get back on the ferry for dinner, Brugge restaurants know they are in one of Europe's most popular cities, and as such are expensive. Purchase some cheap chocolate from a supermarket (as mentioned on the europeupclose website), after all you will need plenty of fuel for the walking tour around Brugge. (that's how we justify buying chocolate to ourselves). Mrs G's favourite saying is that a balanced diet is a box of chocolates in each hand. Mr G's version replaces chocolate with a Belgian Trappist beer in each hand. Naughty, but oh so nice in both cases.

If you have the funds to stay a while and sample the pleasures of Brugge at a more leisurely pace, then the aforementioned Etap Hotel Brugge Centrum Station is our hotel of choice. Clean, good location, reasonably priced and a cheap car park, that will do for us. If you do stay, try and go to Ghent for a day trip too, another fantastic medieval city in Belgium. Ghent has a fraction of the hoards of tourists that invade Brugge every year. But Brugge is quiet in the evenings when the day trippers have gone back to Brussels, etc. Just right for a romantic stroll along the empty canals to view the floodlit buildings. So quiet, that if you have a need for 'buzzing' nightlife you will have to go to Brussels or Lille to find it.

To wrap up this unusual Brugge blog. Ignore the buffoons who will tell you to avoid Belgium as it is 'boring', they are wrong. This day trip is best done with a day off after it, as it is a very long and tiring day out. The reward for walking around Brugge is to see one of the best medieval cities in Europe, if not the World.


Tips and general stuff you probably already know;


11. Avoid eating in the main square (Markt in Brugge) or near popular tourist haunts. Even just nipping down a side street off a main square or area will save a few euros. The further away from from the tourist centre, the cheaper the eatery should be. If in doubt ask a local for some recommendations.

12. When driving in Europe it is compulsory to have your own driving licence, insurance certificate & schedule. There are more items that are a legal requirement to carry as well. Bear in mind each country has has it's own traffic laws, which are covered in more detail in these websites;

http://www.rac.co.uk/driving-abroad/belgium/

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html?mySelect=%2Fmotoring_advice%2Ftouring_tips%2Fbelgium.pdf&go.x=61&go.y=15

And another thing.........

If you like museums and galleries don't visit Brugge on a Monday, many if not all of these places are closed. This is good news for architecture fans who are just interested in the exterior of the buildings, as there will be far fewer people to contend with at the popular attractions. Take care by the canalsides and on the cobble stones in Brugge (especially when wet), there are some who are quite aggressive in trying to jostle their way through the crowds. We have had personal experience of being elbowed and pushed  towards a canal bath by these idiots. Funny how they tried to plead their innocence when we told them exactly what we thought of their loutish behavior. I get really fed up with people who are so arrogant that they think they have right of way over everyone. Especially groups who use all the pavement by walking side by side, leaving you no room to go past either side, then look daggers at you when you dare break their line and walk though it. Show some intelligence for a change and consider the needs of others, you selfish ignorant people! Sadly this appalling behaviour is becomming more and more common everywhere.

Thanks for reading,

Mr & Mrs G