Brugge - Part 3

The word cold could not describe the nighttime temperature we faced once we were off the train. There was zero chance for a usual evening walk, instead, we sprinted to the closest Chinese takeaway shop, grabbed our dinner and rushed to our flat to stay under the warm duvet till the morning.

Luckily the sun didn't let us down the next day and it was warm enough to get on with our plans.

Brugge is a different world. Magnificent, wonderful, a real time capsule and of course a very romantic city often referred to as Venice of the North.

We walked through the St John's Hospital, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, dating back to the mid 12th century, the Church of our Lady all the way up to the Market Square where for our most pleasant surprise they built a temporary ice ring as part of the Christmas market. We had such an amazing time there, was a bit clumsy on the ice but it didn't matter. The hot dogs and mulled wine were delicious, just what we needed.

Opposite the ice ring we passed by the Belfry of Brugge and headed straight to the local Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres to have a lovely cherry flavoured beer.

My alcohol level then was high enough to agree to a spontaneous boat trip down the canals, to see the city from a different perspective and have some romantic time.

For half an hour, the captain took us on a tour of the most beautiful spots on the water between Jan van Eyck Square and the Beguinage. The canals have for centuries been the veins of the city, winding through Bruges and treating everyone to another magnificent view around every bend. Veiled in mist, a family of swans floating past: time stands still on the canals.

Minnewater park is one of my favourite spot in Brugge. It's just gorgeous all year round. A legend tells the story of a young and pretty girl named Minna who was in love with Stromberg, a warrior of a neighbouring tribe. Her father did not agree with her love and arranged her to marry a man of his choice. Minna escaped and ran into the forest. When Stromberg finally found her, she died in his arms of exhaustion. The lake was named after Minna and the bridge by the lake was considered the bridge of love, in her honour.

The day has passed so fast, it was almost time to find the train station again.

In what time we have left we visited the must see Begijnhof too.

The 'Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde' with its white-coloured house fronts and tranquil convent garden was founded in 1245. This little piece of world heritage was once the home of the beguines, emancipated lay-women who nevertheless led a pious and celibate life. Today the beguinage is inhabited by nuns of the Order of St. Benedict and several Bruges women who have decided to remain unmarried.

A day in Brugge couldn't have been completed without a massive dose of calories in the shape of a waffle before catching our train to Gent, to our last destination.

Check out part 4