{City break} Bruges see ... and make 1 million photos in 48 hours. At least. With Plezierchen, tips and a city tour.
A ls my (spontaneously amazingly difficult) travel bag from the train station to walk right hotel, I know one thing immediately: Bruges, I like you. Is not it amazing that you develop a feeling for cities pretty quickly - is that just me? You immediately know if a city is just beautiful or impressive, or if you just feel right at home. This is somehow in the air.
In front of me is definitely a very auspicious feel-good-and-discovery weekend with the two lovely bloggers fairy of fairy is my name and Nic of Luzia Pimpinella. Together we want to get to know the friendly Belgian city in the province of Flanders right down to the last corner. Incidentally, Bruges became quite famous a few years ago by a very specific film. We remember.
And the first 10 minutes walk to the Old Town of Bruges is very promising. I feel like I have to fumble my camera out of my pocket 100 times to snap all sorts of incredibly adorable little houses and facades.
In front of me Nic resolutely pulls her old battered aluminum case over the super-narrow cobblestone sidewalks and pull out at least as often as I do her camera. Speaking of cobblestones, girls: Bruges is definitely a flat shoe area. Anyone wearing heels here has clearly lost. Honestly. And you should therefore take a taxi for yourself and your luggage from the train station to the hotel - even if the city map of Bruges easily fits on a DIN A4 sheet.
I'll take Nic to her hotel, in which also Fairy stayed overnight. I have to carry my heavy bag (I've packed Wackersteine seriously in a flash of mental annoyance ?!) a few blocks away - I'm staying in another house.
The three of us spend the evening in the restaurant Zeno, but I'll talk about that in detail in the next post. First there is a lot to tell about the city:
We meet at 9 o'clock in the morning on the Grote Markt, the center of old Bruges. Unfortunately, my hotel breakfast was pretty bad, but the bright blue sky, the fluttering flags and the impressive colorful and great feet still gave me a good mood.
We Blogeretten are once again well equipped and have plenty of technology on the frolleins. Short comparison of lenses and then Fee and Nic want to climb the Belfry of Bruges.
If you want to climb the Beldried in Bruges, you should arrive either very early or very late. At rush hour, the waiting time can easily extend to an hour. Only a certain number of people can stay in the age-old staircase that winds up like a shell.This is clearly not for me. For reasons. So I'll happily forego the ascent and instead make it comfortable in one of the cafés in the colorful cottages on the Grote Markt .
I would recommend that to anyone who does not like that Crazy for a continental breakfast with square cheese, square sausage and muesli with canned peaches: just do not bunk the breakfast at the hotel and instead opt for a croissant and coffee or tea in one of the Grote's cafes Market. There is already a lot going on in the morning and you can watch the oncoming crowd on the square, admire the belfry (from below) and enjoy the sun. My tip: The lemon tea from black tea and fresh lemon slices is totally delicious.
If you've had enough of tower ascents and lemon tea, it's best to just go. Bruges offers such an unbelievable variety of old, elaborately designed facades and buildings, and then you are well busy with it. The medieval city was never destroyed by fires or wars, so you can revel in an unbelievable historical and, above all, real cityscape.
For example, if you turn left into Belstre in the Breidelstraat turns to the oldest square in Bruges, the castle . In the 13th century, the first settlement was mentioned here. Today, it houses the Town Hall and the famous Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed (Holy Blood Basilica ). The chapel dates from the 12th century and is largely preserved in its original condition. It houses an interesting sacred art treasure, several relics of saints and the so-called Holy Blood relic , which is said to come directly from Jerusalem. On the day of Ascension Day, the Holy Blood relic will be carried through Bruges in a grand and solemn procession with 50,000 participants.
We just stand for a few minutes looking at facades with their figures, ornaments and beautiful windows. And of course take 1,000 photos. It is a special feeling to be in a place where 700 years ago, people were standing just like us, looking at the chapel.
If you like, you can jump into the free Town Hall and admire the huge oil paintings hanging in the entrance hall.
Incidentally, the buildings in the center of Bruges have been considered World Heritage Sites since 2000 and 300 of them are classified as monuments. Not far from the castle, on a façade, you will find a commemorative plaque for the elaborate restoration work that preserves these ancient facades in their condition.
Funny detail: In addition to the traditional trades, if you take a closer look, you will also find a cordless drill between a hammer and a chisel and spatula.
What makes Bruges so incredibly likeable is the fact that people live here quite normally.They live in their city. Of course, a lot of tourists are on the way and you will find countless shops with souvenirs, lace, chocolate and knickknacks. But also supermarkets, H & M, drugstores and shoemakers.
And if you look closely, you will find in the streets also a lot of curious little signs that you can deal with the burden of the great cityscape quite loose , Tourists are welcome and are treated very politely - but it's not all about them.
When going from the castle to the Blind Ezelstraat and cross the small bridge towards the fish market, you will come to one of the many starting points for a boat tour in Bruges. The drive through the city's creek is clearly a must and takes only about 30 minutes. If you have the Bruges-Card , you can travel with you for free (and, by the way, you also have free admission to many museums and enjoy further discounts).
Since we are traveling early, we must We do not wait long and climb into the amazingly flat barge. But he does not (trepidably) tilt, but keeps us and our 40 fellow passengers loose. Then we chug just over the water level through the waterways of Bruges. If you like, just keep the camera out of the boat and snap at regular intervals - I put my hand in the fire for every shot to be a hit.
Some of the houses you pass by are for sale , And actually, all the time you just think about which of these romantic little things you would most like to have now.
After the boat tour you can go for a spin over the fish market By the way, at the weekend, there are only very few fish available, but many small stands with jewelery, handicrafts and earthenware lt. After that, you're absolutely ripe for a refreshment.
The Huidenvettersplein will take you to the Rozenhoedkaii . There you have a fantastic view of the surrounding medieval buildings. In addition, there is a small Café on the corner where you can drink a dark red Belgian cherry beer (I'm in love with Kirsch beer!) Or a coffee. The tourists breeze past one while sitting in the middle of the action and enjoying a bit of sun. city tips #travel # bruges "itemprop =" image "> 
From Rozenhoedkaai, continue straight onto the Dijver . In the adjacent green area is at the weekend flea market .The great raspberry pie plate from Nic you can, for example, marvel at the waffle recipe here. I already have a 10-kilo ceramic work from the 70s under my arm when I fell in love with a coffee pot with a sugar bowl. Only the weight restriction of hand luggage keeps me very close to buying even more. Oh, alas! Unfortunately I am still very disappointed that the poor little coffee pot had to be left alone and abandoned at the flea market! At some point I come back with an empty suitcase and save her ... you know. As a consolation for this loss, incidentally, I later bought a gigantic bottle of Kirsch beer at the airport. And dragged me terribly.
the way, at the end of Dijver you can admire a stunning top city map . Stretched into a frame, you can find every lodge and little house down to the smallest detail.
Just a stone's throw away there is already another landmark of Bruges: the church Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Brugge (Liebfrauenkirche) . With its brick tower, which is the second highest in Belgium, the church significantly shapes the cityscape. It is built in a slightly wild mix of Romanesque and Gothic and houses the artwork Madonna and Child by Michelangelo . Since the church is currently being renovated, unfortunately we could not visit the Michelangelo. But the little garden behind the church with the picturesque trellis fruit and the wonderful view of medieval lanes and bridges has compensated us. Selfietime!
Blogger-Äkschön-Fuilm : Fee wants to tap on the top of the tower in the photo - Nic makes it possible with full physical effort and I'll stand as a spectator. Yes, this is not just pure Plezierchen here, it is working hard.
A short walk from the Liebfrauenkirche you will find the lake Minnewater and the Minnewaterpark . An old custom is that newlywed couples still come to the lake today to ask for a long and happy life together. In the evening at dusk, it must be so wildly romantic that you probably fall in love immediately - no matter who stands next to you.The monastery was founded in the 13th century and initially offered a home to the Beguine community and then, for many centuries, educated, unmarried daughters a relatively self-sufficient life even without a husband. The principle of the Beguines was the apostolic poverty, but one lived quite comfortably in small separate houses and not in tiny little monastery cells. In 1930, the last Beguine of Bruges died - since then the monastery is run by Benedictine nuns and still houses a small number of nuns today.
Famous is the wide, green courtyard of the Beginehofs in the spring in an incredibly huge and magnificent Narcissus meadow transformed. By the way, you can always visit the Beguinage, but you are asked to wear appropriate clothing and respectful behavior.
A nice end to all those who have become a bit tired in the late afternoon, is a carriage ride , which again through nice streets and lanes and leads to the most beautiful points of Bruges. The carriages start from the Grote Markt, the fare is shown on the carriages and costs about 30, - Euro. The coachman or coachman gladly explains the sights and little anecdotes in different languages. We loved the ride very much.
Big Rapture Alert: On One the coach drives the little dog of the coachman. Very distinguished, he sits enthroned on the coach and can not be disturbed either by us or by Japanese tourists in colorful presentation.
Who cares a bit about the horses at this point: they are very well groomed and take a break at every ride begijnhof . First there is a decent gulp from the horse well, then a bucket of oats is served and finally there are a few cuddles from the driver.
And then suddenly it will be night in Bruges. The houses and facades are beautifully illuminated and are picturesquely reflected in the water. That's so overwhelming that it's hard to believe. Since you just want to walk and look. Especially the Rozenhoedkaii has the feeling of being in the middle of an old painting.
It's best to choose one of the many small brasseries or a restaurant and leave the evening with Flemish Finish off specialties and delicious beers.
The two girls in the lobby of Nic and Fee's hotel bravely hold their positions against the wall as we fall into our beds, dead tired.
Good night, Bruges! We like you very much.90 minutes to Bruges. Tickets for the train can be purchased in German directly at a vending machine in the hall with the luggage belts or at the transition to the tracks in the ticket hall. Incidentally, the uniforms of the Belgian railway staff are quite remarkable.
You can walk from the Bruges train station into the city center. In warm weather, with trolleys or a little more luggage you should treat yourself to a taxi . The cobblestones - we remember.
Care! There are also trains to Bruges that stop at every milk can. Nic and I almost missed our flight on the return journey, because we were just gaily mumbling on a train where airport was standing. Shortly before departure, we noticed that there were an astonishing number of stations on the train and were able to save us from a two and a half hour train ride. So check out the timetable or check out the ticket counter.
Tips on Weather: Since Bruges is close to the sea, weather can change quite fast. In addition, there is often a pretty cool wind. Therefore, it is best to dress according to the onion principle in order to react flexibly to bright sunshine and clouds with cool wind.
Info: Many thanks to the Flanders Tourist Board for inviting you to this great weekend!
