Bruges

We hopped on the train out of Luxembourg, and for at least an hour, our eyes were glued to the window watching the landscape fly by en route to our next stop: Bruges. We still have no idea how we found ourselves here… but we’re glad it did!

Why Bruges? Honestly, we have no idea... but it leapt off the map at us, and that was enough for us given the current disarray that is our travel planning. We knew we had two transfers en route to Bruges and had briefly talked about spending a few days in Brussels but preferred a longer stay in Bruges rather than breaking it up (did I mention we’re starving for a slower pace and more time exploring in one place?).

What we didn't know was that our first transfer was at the Liège-Guillemins terminal. To be fair... I'm not sure the name alone would have jumped out at me, but as we rushed to grab our bags and depart the train and race to find the next one during our 7-minute layover, I immediately knew where we were.

This train station was designed by one of my favorite architects/engineers back in school, and seeing this iconic structure from the inside with my own eyes was a huge bonus (despite the fact I had to see it while sprinting on and off escalators before boarding the next train). More on this later... but we have now learned to NOT delay when boarding/onboarding these trains!

We got off in Bruges, tired from the trip but excited for our stay. We were immediately struck by the gorgeous historic structures, as our taxi tried to weave through the immense crowds in this town. It seemed like we were driving through Times Square on New Year’s Eve... there were SO MANY people that they were walking on both sidewalks and streets and still shoulder-to-shoulder on just about every street. Oh boy... what have we done?

We once again dragged our suitcases along cobblestone streets and yet another near-impossible spiral staircase to reach our temporary accommodation.

We hid away for the evening in our Airbnb and then decided to brave the crowds the next day. To say that we've had our fill of densely packed crowds is an understatement - but we still weren’t going to let the chaos keep us from seeing what all the fuss was about.

The historic center of Bruges is simply incredible, which is no minor statement given the crowds I just described (and how desperately we are seeking open spaces and fewer people these days). The city has the constant delicious aroma of waffles and beer—which somehow works—and the historic buildings are stunning. It's also a pretty small (though dense) city, which makes it very walkable, though no doubt you'll be often tempted by the horse-drawn carriages constantly passing by as you navigate through the maze of streets lined with beautiful buildings.

The canal that winds through the city serves as a nice locator/landmark to help you find your way, and it also makes for incredible views of those same buildings. Were it not for the near-impossible crowds, this could easily be the perfect-sized historic European city.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent exploring the city... though in hindsight, I don't believe we stumbled upon a single taco during our stay. We did indulge in the waffles (though opted out of the mountain of sweets we saw stacked upon everyone else's order) and one of the famous Belgian beers before turning back to wine.

Better still (at least for our palates) were the Belgian fries—for which we did NOT turn down the mountain of toppings. Probably worth noting here... that whenever we finally get out of Europe, a diet/health reset is going to be much needed.

The city itself is lovely on all fronts — a full sensory feast. The sweet aromas drift through the air, mingling with the rhythmic clatter of horse-drawn carriages and the hum of conversation in a dozen different languages. And yet, if you wander far enough, you’ll also find pockets of stillness where it feels like time has slipped — quiet moments alone with a swan who looks like it’s been gliding along those canals for centuries, carrying stories older than the cobblestones beneath our feet.

The cute little coffee shop on the ground floor (the Novel) of our Airbnb not only provided delicious espressos, matchas and ginger shots but also inspiration. We spent a bit of time trying to set up a camera and figure out how to capture us on all levels of this cute historic structure at once. We also attracted a small crowd as people tried to figure out what in the world the crazy couple was doing running up and down the stairs. ;)

While enjoying an art gallery the next morning (drawn in by the life-sized shark sculpture, no doubt), we learned that a large event was unfolding around us. Apparently, we had stumbled into Bruges just in time for its “Procession of the Holy Blood,” which has apparently been going on since 1304.

We were warned that we should not plan on getting around the city during the event and quickly got to work sourcing a bottle of wine and some food.

Suddenly, a few puzzle pieces began to connect for us (the stadium seating erected in the main square, the medieval-looking banners around town... and potentially even the crowds—though we don't know, that might just be normal). Back at our place, we hopped online to check out the route and were very pleasantly surprised to find out that it ran down the street/through the intersection closest to our Airbnb.

I wouldn’t say this was “prime viewing” like many of the hotels with balconies overlooking the street, but for us, it was a bit quiet and tucked away, allowed us to watch without the crowds, and was perfect. We also could have easily entered the foray for a better look if we wanted... but suffice to say, we did not.

Dating back to the 14th century, the procession is centered around a relic believed to contain the actual blood of Christ, which somehow found its way to the church here. The event/spectacle itself, is hard to describe—but I imagine it to be a combination of a massive parade and a Christmas pageant. It has literally hundreds of people (and hundreds of animals including horses, donkeys, sheep, and yes, even camels!), intricate costumes, floats, armies, marching bands—and as best we can tell, is essentially a rolling 69-act play that tells the entire story of the Bible (or, at least the bits that focus on Jesus' suffering) over the course of about two hours.

Honestly, it was riveting, and we were glued to the third-story windows that allowed us to watch without leaving the comfort of our abode. This one goes on the list of highly memorable experiences that you wouldn't have planned, but also wouldn't change a thing.