Bruges is a city used to looking in the mirror. Otherwise it is unthinkable that it has been able to preserve intact that medieval beauty that made it one of the nerve centers of commerce in old Europe.. Wherever it was possible to find fruits and wines from Greece, fabrics and spices from Alexandria, Black Sea skins, Italian silks and brocades and "oranges and lemons from Castile as fresh as if they had just been picked", a commercial vigor that surprised the Andalusian Pero Tafur in 1437. Almost six centuries later, The Flemish city maintains its attractiveness intact and its historic center is an open book that explains, just by walking it, why witches, through whose veins runs the water of its seven kilometers of canals, one day it became the Venice of the North.
Next to Brussels, It is surely the most visited city in Belgium. And that takes a toll.: The large influx of tourists is inevitable during much of the year. That's why winter, less crowded, It is a good time to visit it with the long-awaited tranquility. And, in any case, we always have the night, when Bruges seduces with the lighting of its historic buildings and those solitary corners where it seems that stone and water have been conversing for centuries.
The Flemish city maintains its attractiveness intact and its historic center is an open book
It is after sunset when the cobblestone streets echo the trot of the horses and the shadows emerge as in a Poe novel.. The atmosphere is at that time, when the dozens of saints keep their eyes on you from their street niches, more medieval than ever, and it is advisable to take advantage of it by getting lost among the unmistakable silhouettes of stairs on the facades that seem to be cut out for children., following the sound of the canals and letting yourself be swallowed up by the darkness on one of its bridges, casually watching the swans.
You can travel by horse carriage, cycling, by boat and even by motorcycle, but without a doubt the best way to try to soak up the history and soul of the city is on foot. Main square (Market) and that of Burg, the two epicenters where the life of monumental Bruges beats, They form a perfect triangle with the Jan van Eyckplein, the commercial heart of the medieval city, now a quiet enclave where the old customs buildings, the house of the dockworkers and that of the bourgeois (Burgher's lodge) -from which the statue of a bear appears (They say that the first inhabitant of the city)- They give a good account of the commercial vigor of this once bustling place through which all the goods that entered and left Bruges passed..
It is after sunset when the streets echo the trot of the horses and the shadows emerge as in a Poe novel.
In nearby, Going up the Spaniaardstraat you reach the Spaniards' Wharf (Spanish Loose Quay), the old port of Spanish merchants, from which, to the left, we can see one of the oldest bridges in Bruges, that of the Augustinians (Augustijnenbrug), one step away from the House of God's Need (God's House), on the corner of Spanish Street and Kortewinkel, where the people of Bruges say that the spirit of a priest wanders who, rejected by a nun, He murdered her and then took his own life..
Retracing our steps we meet again with the Plaza del Market, where the citizen life of Bruges beats. You have to take a breath to raise the 366 steps of its bell tower, that take us up to the most exceptional watchtower of the municipality. Below, To regain strength, there is nothing better than going to one of the two French fry stands located in front of the tower., witnesses of the history of the city since the end of the 19th century.
The people of Bruges say that in the Huis de Nood Gods the spirit of a priest wanders who, rejected by a nun, He murdered her and then took his own life.
Around the statues of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, two heroes of the Flemish resistance against France in the 14th century, Wherever you look you are captivated by the splendor of its buildings, which, judging by their shiny appearance, one would think have been preserved in a glass case, headed by the Provincial Palace, old Water House, and today headquarters, among other dependencies, from the Beer Museum.
On the way to the nearby square Burg along the Breidelstraat, the narrowest street in the city appears to our right, the alley The garret, dotted with appetizing coffees. Already in the square, The Romanesque of the church of San Basilio and the Gothic of the Town Hall compete with the baroque of the Provostdom and the classicism of the Franconate of Bruges, a privileged panoramic view that not even the persistent drizzle can spoil. Next to the Town Hall, It is worth taking a few minutes to visit the Romanesque chapel of the Basilica of the Holy Blood, to later approach the Franconato, which houses the spectacular oak and alabaster fireplace dedicated to Charles V.
The narrowest street in the city, De Garre Alley, It is dotted with appetizing coffees
To have a snack, a stop at the flirtatious The Chef and Me (Dijver, 13), an excellent place to have lunch in a relaxing atmosphere while tasting one of the local beers, Bruges fool. Just the time necessary for a minimum rest and to take advantage of the scarce light of the winter days. Leaving to our left, In a couple of minutes we arrived at the church of Our Lady, unmistakable with its tower 115 meters, where Mary of Burgundy is buried, maternal grandmother of Charles V (and also the heart of Felipe "the Beautiful") and which houses Michelangelo's exceptional sculpture The Virgin and Child.
From that temple is born the Mariastraat, a shopping street full of artisan chocolate shops (another of the prides of the people of Bruges), which at the same time allows us to get closer to one of the hallmarks of Flemish cities, the Charity Houses, Built in the Middle Ages by guilds for the needy or sick, today they are social housing with low rents., especially for older people. Turning left onto the New Ghent Road, we can enter one of them, Like the others, a succession of small houses with white facades around a large garden in which serenity and stillness are breathed..
The Church of Our Lady, with its tower 115 meters, houses Michelangelo's exceptional sculpture The Virgin and Child
Just in the opposite direction, on the other side of the Mariastraat, walking along Wijngaardstraat we arrive at the Beguinage (Beginjnhof), a miniature city formerly inhabited by a kind of nuns, called beguines (who, unlike the first, did not take a vow of poverty), today home of the Benedictine order. Walking through its gardens at sunset is like going back a few centuries in the memory of the city.. You can even enter one of the houses to learn more about the way of life of these nuns who left their mark throughout Flanders..
A boat ride (There are five docks from where different routes along the canals depart.) and a good dinner (away from the tourist center, the Refectory, in the number 2 the Molenmeers, It is a bistro very frequented by the people of Bruges.) rubric the day, that must inevitably conclude with a beer in hand. because the night, already pointed, It suits Bruges very well. And what better than seeing one of the most photographed images? As small as cozy, el 'T Little Venice, one of the most popular cafes in Bruges, It is an ideal place to enjoy the views of Rozenhoedkaai, the splendor of Bruges' medieval fascination.
