In Bruges

I am writing this post from our motorhome. The doors and windows are all open, the sun has just sunk below the trees (although it is 10pm), there is a gentle breeze and we are parked next to one of the main canals surrounding the old city of Brugge. We’re in a motorhome park on an island and Brugge is just over a bridge. The park is at full capacity with 38 vehicles staying for the night. There is a huge day carpark for buses and motorhomes too which has a few overnight visitors who won’t have access to power. It is a wonderful concept and the city should be praised to have such foresight to set this land aside for our use. Particularly when we are wonderfully close to the city. With cobbled narrow streets it is not too easy to park within Brugge itself so a place like this is essential.

Brugge is exactly as the film In Bruges described it - a f***ing fairytale. Every house is cuter than the next, every lane reveals more beauty and every canal crossing is a delight. We didn’t really use a map, we just wandered around the city marvelling at its beauty. Unfortunately it’s a serious tourist trap and, with a local population of 20,000 I would be keen to know how many tourists were here today because there were people everywhere. And even more bicycles.


This many people does make for one particularly smelly problem and Matt and I have decided to rechristen the town Pugge due to the particularly nasty odour in some parts of the town.

We climbed the 366 steps of the Belfry (bell tower) situated in the centre of town which is, for lovers of the film, where Mad Eye Moody commits suicide. The views are simply breathtaking. We managed to be in the bell tower for the ringing at 1:30 which, although we knew it was coming, still scared the bajeebas out of us. We also saw the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ at the Basilica of the Holy Blood - which the church claims is the actual blood of Jesus. It’s a glass vile with smeared congealed blood on a rag. Quite creepy really.

We ate lunch in the market square out the front of the Belfry and after ordering a large coke each (sorry Paul and Julie, a coke seemed like the perfect option in the heat), we were greeted with a GIANT stein each full of coke. It really gave a new meaning to the word large.

The native language here is Belgian Dutch but all the waiters, shop staff and ticket sellers speak English to you straight away assuming you’re a tourist.

All in all, it has been a wonderful introduction to Europe. We're now off to see Brugge at night and try some of their wonderful chocolate. It's a tough life. Tomorrow's adventure will be driving to Calais, via the battlefields at Ypres, to cross the channel on the Eurochannel train.