Bruges _ Venice of the North

My fortune with Bruges

The first time I knew about Bruges was through "In Bruges". A violent and dramatic drama that I have watched for a long time, to the content is not remembered clearly. The second time I saw Bruges was thanks to my favorite TV show "Amazing Grace", as the teams went through the race there. This time I have a clearer view of Bruges. I saw the city with old, peaceful colors. I saw small canyons running around the place and I saw the waffle stalls - one of the famous Belgian dishes. And so not long after, in the midst of a beautiful sunny day, I stood in the middle of Bruges, seeing Bruges for the third time, this time very real.

A little bit about Belgium

Before talking about Bruges, let's talk about Belgium. Belgium is close to France in the north. The capital of Belgium is Brussels, a beautiful city that I will reserve for the next time. For me, Belgium is a strange country where the people don't have the same voice in both literal and figurative. Some Belgians speak French, others speak Flemish (Dutch) and others speak German. Belgium has three different governments, a French-speaking government, a Flemish-speaking government and a general government. The Flemish language of the Belgian community has long since ceased to separate into an independent state. In general, the situation is quite chaotic in a tiny country.

In terms of travel, in my personal opinion, Belgium seems to be in the minority with two well-known French and Dutch neighbors. When talking about European travel, everyone thinks of France, Italy, and Spain, which are dream destinations and few people choose Belgium. I planned to go to Bruges partly because of this location; it's so easy to go than it is because of the name itself.

Why should we visit Bruges?

Bruges is beautiful, what is the description? Small stone streets ply around the city square and small wooden bridges over the mossy green canals. The ancient churches, which, when entering, are so magnificent and solemn in appearance.

Bruges - a UNESCO world heritage site

Bruges used to be a thriving trading port from the 12th to 15th centuries where merchant ships from all over Europe brought pepper, cinnamon, chili... and agricultural produce in exchange for cotton and woolen products of Flanders, north-west of Belgium. The canals linking the Zeebrugge port to the interior of Bruges are the main traffic arteries of this town in its heyday and also the cause of Bruges becoming a "floating city" with its architectural populations. It is a well-preserved ancient monument, a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000.

My train from Brussels to Bruges

Get up early, I packed my backpack to Brussels Midi Station and bought a train ticket to Bruges. Have to say this party goes to the real train. The train goes to Bruges every 30 minutes with one trip; I buy a summer return ticket of 15 euros and follow the directions in my station on the train waiting for the train. True, the train was on the ticket; the train took me to Brussel and headed for Bruges.

Out of Brussels, the speed train passing through the cornfields, the meandering meadows, the golden paddy fields intermingled as if to take me into fairy tales in the past or young read. Sometimes the dairy herds, the herd of horses dotted on the green grass like the film is streaming in front of my eyes... Less than an hour for the distance more than 100 kilometers, the train slows down... so that's how I arrived to Bruges.

The weather in Bruges is in favor of my trip

It is said that the weather in Belgium is hard to measure. At Brussels, it picked me up with a heavy rain shower that came to sunshine in Bruges. So different from the heavy rain with the wind began to blow me cold in Brussels... may have a ready jacket thin & hat should I wear on feel warmer.

I was fortunate to see beautiful lighting in Bruges.

Bruges is not too big for you to get lost, not too small to go yet... so Bruges is just right for a day trip from Brussels. Bruges is just very peaceful & beautiful. Small stone streets, red brick houses with ancient architecture preserved for many years have fascinated many visitors when arriving in Belgium.

Bruges - Everything that we want to see

I saw Bruges have all that visitors want to explore. Catholics are delighted to visit countless churches with ancient architecture built of sandstone dating back to the ancient times but retaining the original with restored statues to satisfy for visitors who visit... those who love to take pictures, have the power to shoot the streets of piggy mouth attracted enchanted, people who love to drink beer, they can enjoy the famous Belgian beers here, the cafes have a great view to sip a cup of coffee in the beautiful dream scene in a peaceful place...

Bruges - the home of Open museum

Bruges is home to the most unique museums in Belgium: the Museum of French Fries, the Chocolate Museum, the De Halve Maan Brewery Museum, the Diamond Museum, the Greoninge Museum which owns a collection of paintings by living painters and painters from the 14th to the 20th century... In fact, Bruges is actually an open-air museum, displaying magnificent architecture and landscapes. It is an architectural complex with hundreds of magnificent Gothic-style mansions and typical Flanders-style houses of red brick, with highlights such as the Beguinage Castle, the Sacred Blood Cathedral, Mariastraat Chapel, Charles the Bold Chapel, Bruges Town Hall in Burg Square, St. John's Hospital, Begijnhof Monastery... and countless ancient bridges cross the hundreds of years old canal.

My journey to Bruges began on a motor boat with dozens of visitors from all over the world. The boatman was also our guide along the Groenerei canal, the main waterway to explore Bruges. The boat wanders between the buildings that play with the edge of the water, crawls through rocky concrete bridges, and sometimes curls into narrow canals where there are hidden attic lofts under the shade. It' quietly shining down the blue canal. With a 30 minute journey, the boatman took us through typical Bruges architecture, telling us about the golden history and degradation of Bruges, about the miraculous resurgence from the second half of the 20th century to the present of the architecture that we have just admired along with the interesting findings associated with it. Like a movie from the narrator's memories, Bruges of the past and the present appeared to me in awe and incredible grace.

My first impression of Bruges

I left the boat at a boat dock filled with flowers at the other end of town. There is Our Basilica of Our Lady, which houses the sculpture masterpiece Madonna and the son of the Italian artist Michelangelo, his only surviving composition brought from Italy. It seems that the old streets in central Bruges lead to this place. And from here, I come back to visit the architectural masterpieces of Bruges, where on the gates of the fairy-tale time stamp there is the symbol of The Blue Shield, branded by UNESCO to protect human cultural heritages against the dangers of armed conflict under the 1959 Hague Convention.

With visitors walking down narrow and deep streets, I step through the curving bridges leading to the ruins of Bruges with the expectation of discovering all the wonders of Bruges' charm in the afternoon sun. Each time it becomes dark red.

Frietmuseum - The potato museum

It's the place to show the whole history, from the origins of potatoes to the first fries. Visitors can view an interesting collection of machines used for farming, harvesting, peeling, sorting and making chips.

I also had the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of potatoes originating in Peru more than 10, 000 years ago; Discover the history of French fries and how they travel to Belgium. Over the years, French fries have become famous worldwide with the joy of adults and children and the fact Belgians are so proud of the fact that fries come from Belgium. After visiting the museum, do not forget to enjoy authentic Belgian fries, with delicious sauce and all meat products, in the medieval basement.

The land of chocolate, fries and beer

But no one came to Bruges that forgets to visit the ancient architecture, because there are many things that cannot be ignored. Topping the table is probably chocolate, chips and beer. Belgium is the kingdom of chocolate and Bruges is the heart of that kingdom. The chocolate shops around Bruges bring this ancient city a sweet scent, anytime, anywhere. In those stores, the best chocolate in Belgium, also the best chocolate in the world, is present in all sorts, shapes, colors and sizes that no one can turn away from. Enjoy a sweet chunk of chocolate. I visited Chocolate Story, a chocolate specialty museum, where everything related to chocolate: cacao beans, chocolate making tools, Mayan figurines - the first to find cocoa, chocolate sculptures, chocolate goddess lore, chocolate making history of mankind... So when I stepped out of the museum, I seemed to have all the knowledge related to chocolate together with the obsession of sweetness in mind.

What Belgians can be proud of

Belgians are proud of what they stand for, such as comics, beer and chocolates. If chocolate is the symbol of love then surely the city of Brugge is considered the sweetest place in the world. Because this is the chocolate center of Belgium, the country is globally famous with candy fat cocoa powder. Belgian chocolate is of world class quality, which is not controversial.

In honor of this symbol of love, a chocolate museum has been built. Choco story - the name of the chocolate museum - is the most famous museum, attracting the most visitors of many museums in Brugge

Choco Story Museum

I recommend you come here, you will have the opportunity to learn all about the chocolate: Cocoa Beads, Chocolate Chunks, Maya Aboriginals (the first to find cocoa), chocolate sculptures, the legend of chocolate goddess...

Besides, I can even learn by myself and make chocolates as instructed by museum staff. Like many other museums in the city, the museum is also housed in an old-fashioned house with wooden floors, wooden stairs, narrow spaces and clear indications.

I bought the ticket and it's distributed immediately three white chocolate and brown with the guidebook. Right at the bottom of the first floor staircase is a large egg in chocolate, which makes me wonder if the whole year is not over. The museum presents the history of chocolates since it was a "holy" beverage and was a kind of American aboriginal currency.

I went to each room which has a model and elaborate how to make chocolate. Belgian chocolate is best known for its praline - a "human" brand invented by Neuhaus nearly 200 years ago. Praline outside is a layer of milk chocolate or white chocolate, inside is hazelnut kernel, a roasted peanut seed mashed with cocoa butter. Here we can also see the beautiful shop, decorated with eye candy boxes filled with colorful chocolates to cling visitors visit.

Other interesting things of Bruges

Bruges is a place where people always catch up on the old streets, in the hands of a bag of hot potato chips with a variety of mayonnaise, sophisticated and fragrant, just go eat until the nose touches the door of the Museum of French Fries to stop the discovery of this unique museum.

But to me, the most attractive thing in Bruges is beer. This is the home of the famous Belgian beer brands such as Brugge Tripel, Brugge Blond, Brugse Babbelaar, Straffe Hendrik... but my favorite beer is golden beer like honey in oak barrel shaped drum produced by the churches of the Flanders region.

To sum up, here I would like to list down some most famous places to visit in Bruges apart from museums.

• The Church of Our Lady

  From a distance I saw the skyline of the highest tower in the city with a length of 122. 3m built of stone since 1089. The space is quiet, with beautiful artwork.

  The highlight here is the Michelangelo Italian sculptor Michelangelo's sculpture of Madonna and Child, which dates from 1501 to 1504 and is the only sculpture of Michelangelo after leaving Italy.

• Bell tower Belfort

  

  If I have a lot of time, I should have queued up to visit this bell tower and take a panoramic view of Bruges from above. The tower was built between 1248 and 1300, with a height of 83m. Must go up 366 steps, you get to the top tower with a bell tower of 47 large bell weighs nearly 27 tons and is vibrating each day.

  However, due to the lack of time that day, I could not climb up this time, but I will do it If I have another chance to climb up Belfort when I return to Bruges the second time.

• Grote Markt Square

  

  I visit the Grote Markt, which is a place where many tourists come to take pictures. In the center of the square are two statues of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck.

  These are two famous Belgian historical leaders who participated in the 1302 uprising of the Flemish region, one of the three main regions of Belgium, against the occupation of the then French king. On the left is the City Hall Square and behind the dining quarters are colorful log houses.

  

More information that I thought would be useful for first- visit Bruges travellers

Located northwest of the country, Bruges is the largest city, capital of West Flanders province in the Kingdom of Belgium. The historic center of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From Ho Chi Minh City fly to Belgium on the flight of Air France. From the center of Brussels, take the train to Brugge.

Brugge is a paradise of chocolate shops, most notably Dumon. There are three famous shops: 11 Simon Stevinplein; 6 Eiermarkt and 6 Walstraat.

There are countless restaurants for you to enjoy Belgian cuisine.

You should visit Tom's Diner, In't Nieuw Museum, at an affordable price.

Come to Brugge you can not help but enjoy the beer produced here. Brugse Zot is the pride of the traditional breweries. It is a beer made from high fermentation with malt, hops and yeast. If you want to learn more about the production process and history of the brewery, you can take part in this tour and try the beer.

Another famous cheese is Passendale, Runens, Maredsous, which areproduced in ancient monasteries and is still made of traditional methods, keeping the smell very long.

Hotels and guest houses are everywhere, very easy to find. Average price is around 60-100 Euro / night.

Tickets to visit the chocolate museum is 6. 5 Euro.

I like Bruges not only the beautiful but the hidden soul in it. I find in Bruges something peaceful. Bruges, like the wonderland, I go every step of the way, never to miss my feet, to discover all over this lovely little city.

The small streets, the alleys of Bruges keep pulling me step by step... I immerse in the clear sunshine of Bruges to hear the horseshoe that drove visitors to the city, Of those who sing somewhere far away from the winds of the other winding river blew into the whisper.

Bruges dearly in every street, it is cute like Hoi An style. It is not comparable to Hoi An in terms of architecture & age in Europe, but in my opinion all of them have the same attraction from the invisible within it that uses the word hometown as my " soul of the street ". Not a place for bars, clubs or singings to perform anything... but just have the power of fierce, crazy.

I realize that often when I like something, the time I spend with it is always felt quickly and I did the same thing with my "love story" in Bruges too. I couldn find anything to say goodbye before the trip back to Brussels.

It's time to say goodbye

Leaving Bruges, I miss this place so much, remembering the beautiful houses that are next to each other in the alleys, remembering the small river bending around the buildings, the majestic churches that gently remember... The street corner I sit in the evening watching Bruges drift slightly... I remember the horse carriage on the road and remember the bike ride to find the wind blower in the river far away.

Get on the train! I come back to Brussels. Next place to visit in Belgium should be Tintin adventure! :v

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