Pulling back the curtains this morning revealed…… Zeebrugge port…… not the prettiest surroundings but a very huge commercial port and beyond it….. flatness…..
We had a quick breakfast and set off for our day in Bruges. Because this is a commercial port, you cannot just walk around, so the port authorities had laid on free shuttle buses to take us to the terminal building at the gateway. From there we had seen we could get a local tram to Blankenburg railway station – 20 minutes away – and then a train to Bruges in 15 minutes.
The only problem was that there was only one train per hour at quarter past the hour and we were not going to make the 915 and it was a long wait till the 1015. However just outside the terminal there was a private company offering coach transfer to Bruges for 15 euro each one way. Quite expensive but it was leaving immediately so we jumped aboard.
It took about 30 minutes to get to Bruges and the coach dropped us just outside the old city (not allowed inside). From there it was a very pleasant 15 minute walk to Market Square. The day was a beautiful autumn day,quite warm and the trees with their golden leaves made the beautiful old city even lovelier. The market was actually underway in the market square – fruit, flowers, cheese, sausages etc. We perched down at a cafe on the square and had hot chocolate drinks and watched the world go by.
Of course the square is famous for the clock tower that appears in the Colin Farrell film, In Bruges. It’s definitely got a lean on, backwards and to the left. There are 366 steps to the top. We decided not to climb them!
Then we did what Bruges is perfect for: we wandered. All around the market, around the square. We went to other squares, small streets, wider streets…. eventually we found ourselves at the old fishmarket which is still in use today.
It was built by Napoleon Bonaparte and you can definitely see his love of all things Roman on display again here. These days it also sells arts and crafts as well as fish.
Just around the corner from it we found a hut selling tickets for a canal trip around Bruges for 15 euro each. It sounded just the job and we jumped aboard one of the very smart little electric launches. They hold about 40 people but there was only about 20 in ours. You can pick up a tour in these from a number of places. The tour was worth every penny and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The driver/guide was amusing and alternated his commentary between German and English. Bruges was so beautiful from the waterways and you could see the architecture of the houses and churches from a unique angle.
The bridges were sometimes very low and you had to duck down to get under them. Just a really lovely trip. He pointed out the hotel featured in the film in which the Colin Farrell character stayed, and where he jumped out of the window.
After the boat trip it was time for lunch. We wanted a big bucket of mussels and we found them in a restaurant just around the corner from the fish market. t’ Lammetje https://en.tablebooker.com/restaurant/bruges/8000-bruges/497491-bistro-t-lammetje/ a real family place. We were welcomed by the owner and his son served us. Mussels were very much on the menu although there was lots of other things and you could have them in about 7 different ways/sauces. We both chose white wine sauce and the huge bucket came with bread, butter, fries and mayo. Before that though, they brought us some cold sausage, olives and pickled garlic along with our drinks. Bob had a glass of local Bruges beer and I had a 1/4l carafe of white wine. It was a hearty lunch and we really enjoyed it and would certainly go back if we were in Bruges again. It was leisurely and relaxing. My only caveat was there was a lot of chopped celery in my mussels sauce and it’s a flavour I don’t like. I’d choose a different sauce next time if that was what chef normally did.
Suitably refreshed, we wandered a lot more and visited The Church of Our Lady where there is a Michelangelo sculpture of the Madonna and Child amongst a huge number of other exquisite pieces of art. We lit a candle there to mothers of all ages and indeed to other dear ones we have known and lost.
Bruges is famous for chocolate and with Christmas approaching, we visited quite a few chocolate shops and bought some, having tasted along the way.
Of course Belgium is justly famous for beer and we went to see the famous beer wall showcasing them all .
By about 3 we were really flagging so we walked 20 minutes or so… maybe more than that cos we weren’t walking fast by then, to the railway station and got tickets back to Blankenberg for about 2.50 euro each. The train was really fast. Got the tram from outside the station to get back to the ship and then had a bit of a disaster and mistook our stop and got off about 1.5km too early. I can tell you that the final trudge to the terminal was not a pleasant one…. we are definitely feeling the ache of walking unused-to miles over the last few days. Must get fitter.
Got back to the ship about 4ish and collapsed in our cabin till dinner time. Couldn’t even summon up the energy to go to the show. What crocks!!!!
