Venice of the North

Brugge

I spent a day in Brugge not so long ago, also known as the Venice of the North. These are the places I chose to visit:

• Markt & Belfry

• Burg Square & Basilica of the Holy Blood

• Rozenhoedkaai

• Church of Our Lady

• Historic Centre streets → just wandering is magical

The Rozenhoedkaai has a splendid view—I get why people spend some time taking pictures there.

I wish I had done a boat ride, but I didn’t. I was so captivated with the scenery of the city that I forgot. If you go, make sure to do the boat ride—I think it’s magical in itself. Then again, I’m partially biased since I like being on a boat.

If you love churches, definitely go to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The entry is free, though I think there’s one part you need to pay for. But the church and its stained glass windows are worth seeing.

Food
One thing I don’t recommend is eating waffles near Rozenhoedkaai. Belgium has two main waffles: one called gaufre de Liège and the other called gaufre de Bruxelles (Brussels waffle).

The Liège waffle is made of dough with sugar crystals, and if you eat one, just have it plain—that’s how we mostly eat it. You usually find them in metro stations or markets.

The Brussels waffle you can’t find as easily as the Liège one. If you want one, you’ll find it mostly in tourist places or ice cream/dessert shops. In other words, the Liège waffle is more common. (In Dutch: Luikse wafel and Brusselse wafel.) The Brussels waffle is usually eaten with whipped cream and powdered sugar. We don’t add all the toppings like in tourist places—not to say that it’s bad, but I recommend eating them plain first, or the traditional way with whipped cream and powdered sugar.

As for restaurants, there is plenty of choice. I admit, when I went, I ended up at McDonald’s—I just wanted to cheat badly and eat something other than chicken and salad for a change. But I probably should have had fries with mussels or a Flemish stew.

Final Thoughts
I also noticed that there are a lot of candy shops in Brugge. Not sure why—maybe because of the city’s rich candy-making history. I went mainly for the scenery and because I had never been to Brugge before. I loved getting lost in the city, and in good fashion, I went off the beaten path, away from the crowds, and was able to take some pictures I liked.

Even if my pictures weren’t perfect, Brugge gave me what I needed: a day to breathe, wander, and recharge.