Our first stop is the historic city of Bruges – which has been on our list of places to go for some time, and not only because we love the film In Bruges.
We stay at the brilliant Villa Des Raisins where Geert is our welcoming host, offering tea and biscuits and an overview of the city on arrival. We head straight to bed ready for a full day of sightseeing. Breakfast is splendid with extra little treats arriving at the table freshly cooked by Geert, going beyond the already extensive breakfast buffet.
It’s then an easy 20min walk into the heart of Bruges and over the course of a very hot day we manage to take in most of the main attractions including:
- Two of the historic entrance gates
- Climb up the Belfry Tower to see the sea & impressive clock works
- Peruse the market in the Place de Bruges, full of the scent of fresh strawberries
- Burg Square with lots of horse carriages waiting for willing tourists
- A coffee on Rozenhoedkaai overlooking the weeping willows over the water
- Historic fish market
- Windmills along the canal side, one spinning in the breeze
- Seek solace in the Convent
- Minnewater Park with it’s swans
- A beer at the Halve Maan Brewery – a welcome break from the 28 degree heat of the day (having recently sold Intrepid, our own brewery, we didn’t feel the need for a tour!)
We decide against doing a boat trip as we are headed to Venice soon and will save our pennies for a gondola ride. In fact, mainly we enjoy just mooching and wandering slightly outside the historic centre where the crowds seem to just melt away but the architecture is nonetheless stunning.
We skip lunch after our huge breakfast which also helps to avoid the masses, who seem to disappear for a long lunch. As we have found elsewhere (most notably Dubrovnik) the crowds also bug out in the evening and so we return later to the city centre for excellent, although quite expensive tapas at Cookies.
We have our own slightly In Bruges moment when we ask why the bar next door, De Garre, is closed, having had a recommendation to go there. The reason, apparently, is that it is too hot to open – because of course, no-one wants to drink cold beer when it’s hot!!
Later we head to the brilliant Parazzar bar, right next door to our B&B, to enjoy a beer plus thoughtfully matched cheesy snack, and funky music – highly recommended for a visit. As we head to bed the rain starts outside, bringing some respite from the sizzling heat of the day.