Two Days in Bruges (July 6, 7)

Okay, I admit it, we went to Bruges because we saw the movie In Bruges. Amazingly, it really is full of medieval architecture and cobbled, car free lanes, and gorgeous canals with pretty bridges, just like in the movie!

The walk from the train station to our hotel gave us instant satisfaction that we made the right choice. We walked through a very green, shady park along a beautiful canal. Medieval buildings with red sloping roofs came into view. A quick stroll through cobbled lanes (dodging horse driven carriages) and we were at the Hotel Academie, a luxurious (but not in a pretentious way) place to be based. Wandering through the intimate, winding streets you feel like you are inside a beautiful picture. Every moment is a perfect photo op.

The world's best beer (and chocolate) are a constant temptation in Bruges. My advice: abandon willpower in this town. Bars are always in the most scenic or atmospheric settings. For example, take a look at that bar right on the terrace of an old stone building alongside a charming canal. Who could blame us for yielding to temptation a few times a day? Hoppy beer with shockingly high alcohol percentage kept us in a constant state of euphoric oblivion.

We sampled a fair selection of chocolates too. Every other shop in town claimed to have the best hand made chocolates, so we obviously had to check this out. We would select a few small dark chocolates from the display cases, and munch on them throughout the day.

At the Halve Maan Brewery, famous for giving tours of the beer making process, we skipped the tour and got right down to business in their lovely patio. On a warm summer day, sitting under the shade of an umbrella and sampling the very flavorful beer made right there on the premises, you can go funny in the head. Are we really allowed to have such a great time in such a troubled world? We promised ourselves we would atone for this ...

Belfry

In the movie In Bruges, the belfry, a thirteenth century tower, featured prominently. We climbed up its 366 steps for rooftop views. Wow, it was quite a steep climb, but a pretty quick one. Seeing the carillon up close while it went off (perfect timing on our part) made it all the more rewarding.

We took a ton of photos from the top just because it was so much fun to admire the city from different angles. Afterwards, we explored the nearby Burg square with its stunning buildings.






A four course vegetarian meal at Restaurant de Buhne was definitely our highlight here in this town. This was absolutely the best restaurant meal we ever had. On our first evening I went into the restaurant to ask if we could get seated. A polite, soft spoken lady pointed to a table in the rather elegant dining room. It was a perfect summer evening and the idea of dining indoors didn't really appeal. I asked her if she had outdoor seating. She smiled and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful evening. You should go to a restaurant with a terrace. There's an Indian restaurant on the square around the corner which serves good food. Why don't you go there?"

When I reported back to Daryl, he chuckled. Why would a restaurant  - which wasn't exactly busy (there was no one in it) - actually encourage us to go somewhere else? We weren't in the mood for Indian so we sauntered over to the big central square - The Markt - and studied the menus of the many mainly Italian restaurants. The square certainly had atmosphere (lots of people and entertainers), and it had a lot of beauty (e.g. the neo-gothic courthouse and red medieval houses), but it seemed obvious that the mass-produced food would be mediocre tourist fare.

Off on a side lane we found a little Mediterranean place featuring falafels, haloumi, humus, that sort of thing. It had everything we were looking for - outside dining, atmosphere (close enough to the Markt), and the menu suggested a definite interest in catering to the vegetarian. A warm, older Flemish woman took our order in the manner that revealed she owned the place. She suggested we get fries for starters. Earlier in the day we had sampled Belgian fries at a "hole in a wall" take-out place and found it astonishingly tasty - crisp on the outside and soft inside. We quickly realized that this was a specialty of the region, so of course we said yes. The sizzling fries were served with three tasty home made sauces. We demolished them in seconds (well, I exaggerate)! Our mains - stuffed pita with salad - were really good too. An English couple sitting near us told us they came to Bruges a few times a year and always ate at this place. Aha, did this mean we had the gift of sniffing out the right restaurants?

Later, back in our hotel room, I did some more research on vegetarian restaurants in Bruges. Again and again I kept reading rave reviews of de Buhne. It seemed obvious that we had to go there for a meal. So the next day, another sunny day, we lunched at de Buhne. What better way to stay cool than in the elegant dining room of a top vegetarian restaurant? The softly spoken lady seated us by the window and then explained the four course menu to us. Unusual. Imaginative. We smiled in that satisfied way of people reassured of a truly unforgettable experience.

De Buhne Restaurant in Bruges

Soup with meringues and cheese sticks

Freshly made manicotti

Second Course - shortbread base, sauce, beets

Roasted Fennel in Pastry Cases with Battered Asparagus

Wine seemed more appropriate than beer, and we were pleased with our selections. Less pleasing though, was the lack of water. We found it quite confounding that the only way you could get water with your meal in Europe was to buy it.

An amuse bouche was served, and soon after, each exquisite course appeared in well timed succession. As each artistically presented dish was brought to us, we just stared at it for a while, discreetly getting out the camera so we could immortalize the experience.

For dessert we were served a warm, delicate apricot tart. The pastry was so light and the fresh apricots so flavorful. Wow! We ate it slowly, drawing out the experience to make it last as long as possible.

We learned from Tripadvisor that this restaurant is run by a French chef and his Italian wife (the soft spoken lady). This couple loves what they do and will not compromise their standards for anything. This restaurant may well be a reason for us to return to Bruges.

In summary, if your idea of fun is to be in a beautiful place where you can find lots and lots of great beer and chocolate, you might enjoy Bruges. We certainly did!