A Birthday in Bruges, Belgium

Where in Europe does one take his wife who is celebrating her birthday?  Paris? Rome? 

Let me suggest you forgo those old reliables and head to Bruges, Belgium instead. This medieval city is a relatively small but very charming city.

In fact, its small size is the very thing that adds to its appeal. Everything is within walking distance resulting in a close and comfortable feeling while being surrounded by splendid architecture, inviting plazas, and picturesque canals.

Fortunately, all of this has survived the ravages of past wars and upheavals. The story goes that the German general who was garrisoned here during World War II disobeyed orders from Hitler to destroy the city when leaving in advance of its impending liberation by the Allies. “It’s just too beautiful to destroy,” he was purported to have said.

The birthday girl enjoyed all of this and more. While the sites were indeed splendid, she also enjoyed many of the stories as well as legends of the city.

There’s the one told by our guide who led us in a morning walking tour of the city. His grandmother, who was a child here during the war, remembers the lack of food and other essentials during those dark years. When the Allies arrived, a Canadian soldier lifted her into his arms and, after offering her a pair of socks he was carrying in one hand, she pointed and asked if she could instead have the loaf of bread he was carrying in the other hand.

Many of the buildings have small statues of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus placed into their facades. Back in the day, local authorities, in trying to beautify the city, made a deal with building owners. If the owners were to add a statue of Mary to their buildings then, in exchange, the city would install a gas light to illuminate their building and the street in front of it. It must have been a great deal for these statues can be seen everywhere.

The Virgin Mary and baby Jesus is seen on many building facades.

As for legends, there’s the one of the man wrongfully convicted of murder. In his cell, the night before his scheduled execution, he had a dream where the Virgin Mary, with baby Jesus in one hand and an ink well in the other, wrote a letter using a quill dipped in the ink asking that the warden pardon the prisoner. When the prisoner woke, he at first felt despondent after realizing that he had only been dreaming. But then, he reached down and on his chest was the very letter he had dreamed about. He handed the letter to the warden and the man’s life was spared. A statue in honor of this legend is found in one of the town’s squares.  

Note the ink pot in Mary's right hand. 

Or how about the one of a young girl so poor that no one would marry her. She dreamt one night of a spider that weaved an intricate web across her body. When she woke, the dream inspired her to make the intricate patterns of the delicate lace that is seen everywhere do this day in Bruges. Her work made her wealthy and, as a result, was able to marry.

Lace shops are everywhere.

Speaking of poor, parts of Bruges were once devoted to the tanning of leather. To aid in the process. the tanneries were known to use urine, a proven product that helped to soften the leather. Those who had no other means to earn a living would sell to the tanneries their urine. From that, we get the term “piss poor.”

The tanneries and other manufacturing process fouled not only the air, but also the streams, canals, and lakes. So much so, that the water was no longer drinkable. As a result, the populace had to turn to beer as the main means to stay hydrated. The man who cornered the market on beer and, presumably, the only source of potable water in the city, became very wealthy. His likeness is seen in statues and pictures here and there. And beer, with its infinite varieties, is now one of Belgium’s principal products.

A remnant marking the days of stinky air due to the tanneries. 

A picture of the beer baron, held by our walking tour guide. 

Of course, I had to sample some of Belgian's finest beers. Finding a place to do so wasn't hard at all. 

But, as one knows, a lot of beer brings on the urge to find a bathroom. I tried to use one in the swank hotel down the street, one that Colin Farrell stayed in while filming the 2008 movie In Bruges, perhaps using the very urinal he may have used. No luck though. All was locked down to prevent use by anyone other than hotel guests. Fortunately for me, an outdoors urinal, against the wall of a nearby church, was available for all to use (and, apparently, for all to see as well).

MK checks out this outdoor urinal located against the wall of a church before giving me the A-OK to use it. 

Another product, seen everywhere you turn, is chocolate. There are chocolate shops on every street, on every corner, and in every neighborhood. We learned that there is a guild, an association of sorts, that labels your shop as an authentic Belgian chocolatier. Until then, we couldn’t tell one shop, which sold lesser-grade chocolate from, say, the Czech Republic, from another shop that sold real, Belgian chocolate with the right mixture and percentage of cocoa butter and cocoa powder. 

One of scores of chocolate shops.

Shops with of these on their front wall indicates official Belgian chocolate. 

Our first full day in Bruges ended with visits to the inside of some churches, some beer and a meal of Flemish stew and chips, and a lovely walk back to our hotel. “This is not too bad of a way to end a birthday,” Mary Kay said as we turned our final corner.  

Our final day in Bruges was largely spent on two wheels. We rented bikes and pedaled north along the canal to the town of Dammes and then further across the border with the Netherlands where the highly touristic town of Sluis can be found. I believe this was the first time we have ever biked across the border of two countries.

When we told the lady at the rental shop what our plans were, she looked me up and down and said, “You know, that route out and back is around 25 miles, don’t you?” Oh, ye of little faith, I said to myself as we pedaled away.

By following a canal, the route was pleasingly flat. Bridges and a hand cranked ferry took us from one side to the other as we made our way north. Strong headwinds on the way back made for a tough ride, but ride we did. Overall, we had a very enjoyable outing.

 

This barge stopped all traffic at the bridges waiting for water levels in the lock to change.

Abandoned church in Dammes.

Snack break in Dammes. 

Three big piles of these root vegetables where next to the canal trail. We had no idea what they were. 

Sluis, Netherlands main street. 

Before turning in for the evening, we attended a free concert led by a man who played the harp, several other stringed instruments, and other devices from around the world and from throughout the centuries. It was a wonderful way to finish our stay in Bruges.