We Komen Aan In Bruges
Six am came quickly on Thursday as I didn’t get back to Maida Vale until half 12 the night before and Marissa and I had our usual daily de-briefing until 1. Damn you and your ice cream, Nik. Getting on the tube at 6:30am, I thought I was beating rush hour. I missed the bulk of it, but there were already plenty of people wearing suits and going to work. Sick.
The Eurostar is quite nice. The staff are exceptionally nice [even though I couldn’t take my tall, skinny latte through security – don’t they know it’s a treat since I have to walk 30 minutes, uphill both ways, barefoot to get one in St. Kitts?] The trains are nice. The ride was enjoyable and fast – 400km from London to Bruxelles in under 2 hours. They travel at about 300 km/h for most of the trip, but not in tunnels for safety reasons. The train goes through tunnels below most of London and then through a tunnel below the English Channel. It’s slightly unnerving to know there’s a huge body of water above you for 20 minutes.
I arrived in Bruxelles and transferred onto a domestic train to get to Bruges. I wandered down narrow, cobble stone streets to find the hostel. It was pretty nice. I had my own room! After I checked in, took a quick nap and bought a jacket at Zara because I was cold, I set out to explore the city. I went to the main square and to the Church of the Holy Blood where you can see Michelangelo’s Virgin and Child, [one of?] his only pieces to leave Italy.
I went on a tour of their brewery and tried their 500 year old recipe. The coolest part was the wall of beer cans where visitors send cans from their respective countries. Canada was already represented.
Cholo.
Maria.
BEER!
I ate a delicious Belgian waffle and wandered through the city as the sun slowly set. It was much nicer at dusk [10:30pm] as the sun was ALMOST set and the tourists were home in bed. I like to think of myself as a traveler, not a tourist.
The next morning, I climbed the 366 steps up the Belfry tower in the main square. It was quite the puppy surprise when the massive bells rang at 2pm, 3 feet away from my head.
I went to the museum of Flemish art and saw 'The Last Judgement' by Hieronymus Bosch. It's a really creepy triptych showing the end of the world. In Hell, you see body parts, a lot of nudity, a man being eaten by a giant rabbit, a man trapped in harp strings, a man straddling a knife. It's SO bizarre. Heaven is equally as strange. I ended my stay in Bruges by the canal and windmills with a little picnic.
Biking is so big in Bruges. There were paths everywhere and all ages of people riding. There was also a massive bike parking lot at the train station for hundreds [thousands?] of bikes. It was amazing. Why can’t Canada get it right? Keep rising, oil prices.
Bruges is just one of those ridiculously beautiful cities where everywhere you look, there’s a photo opportunity.
The Eurostar is quite nice. The staff are exceptionally nice [even though I couldn’t take my tall, skinny latte through security – don’t they know it’s a treat since I have to walk 30 minutes, uphill both ways, barefoot to get one in St. Kitts?] The trains are nice. The ride was enjoyable and fast – 400km from London to Bruxelles in under 2 hours. They travel at about 300 km/h for most of the trip, but not in tunnels for safety reasons. The train goes through tunnels below most of London and then through a tunnel below the English Channel. It’s slightly unnerving to know there’s a huge body of water above you for 20 minutes.
I arrived in Bruxelles and transferred onto a domestic train to get to Bruges. I wandered down narrow, cobble stone streets to find the hostel. It was pretty nice. I had my own room! After I checked in, took a quick nap and bought a jacket at Zara because I was cold, I set out to explore the city. I went to the main square and to the Church of the Holy Blood where you can see Michelangelo’s Virgin and Child, [one of?] his only pieces to leave Italy.
I went on a tour of their brewery and tried their 500 year old recipe. The coolest part was the wall of beer cans where visitors send cans from their respective countries. Canada was already represented.
Cholo.
Maria.
BEER!
I ate a delicious Belgian waffle and wandered through the city as the sun slowly set. It was much nicer at dusk [10:30pm] as the sun was ALMOST set and the tourists were home in bed. I like to think of myself as a traveler, not a tourist.
The next morning, I climbed the 366 steps up the Belfry tower in the main square. It was quite the puppy surprise when the massive bells rang at 2pm, 3 feet away from my head.
I went to the museum of Flemish art and saw 'The Last Judgement' by Hieronymus Bosch. It's a really creepy triptych showing the end of the world. In Hell, you see body parts, a lot of nudity, a man being eaten by a giant rabbit, a man trapped in harp strings, a man straddling a knife. It's SO bizarre. Heaven is equally as strange. I ended my stay in Bruges by the canal and windmills with a little picnic.
Biking is so big in Bruges. There were paths everywhere and all ages of people riding. There was also a massive bike parking lot at the train station for hundreds [thousands?] of bikes. It was amazing. Why can’t Canada get it right? Keep rising, oil prices.
Bruges is just one of those ridiculously beautiful cities where everywhere you look, there’s a photo opportunity.
posted by Douglas J. Stiles, BA Hons, MES! at 6/18/2008 03:58:00 p.m.
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