Lonely Planet India - August 2016

EASY EUROPE FLANDERS

B

RUGES is the new Venice.

A UNESCO World Heritage

city it offers idyllic bridges

spanning canals that reek

(unlike Venice) only

of romance not summer

small doses of architecture and history

and large helpings of chocolate –

by the most unusual way possible.

Begin then in Burg Square where

a 360° tour of architectural styles awaits.

A cathedral stood on one side framed by

Bruges’s typical linden trees – till the French

destroyed it in 1799 during the Revolution.

Other important buildings still stand.

Look first for the Basilica of the Holy Blood

a Gothic-Romanesque structure in one corner

of the square that is said to house that

relic of Christ. Enter the City

Hall built in the Gothic

style with tall windows to

receive the warmth

of God and painted

with scenes from the

Old Testament depictions

of seasons and of great

victories. This was where

Jaggu (played by Anushka

Sharma) was to marry the

handsome Sarfaraz (Sushant

Singh Rajput) in PK and lost love

by agreeing to hold a little dog for

another bride. The hall

is popular among the Flemish –

and for some reason the Japanese

• as a civil marriage venue.
  Back in the sunlight again look
  to the Old Recorder’s House – it has
  a chimney pot – and the Provost’s House
  in the Baroque style. The Palace of Justice
  with its skylight windows is built in the
  Classical style and now houses offices.
  Then walk on towards Markt Square.
  In Breidelstraat the street between the two
  squares look for Peter Quijes’s gold lace
  jewellery and buy yourself a waffle on a stick
  (200); it’s easier to get your hands on than anything at the Delvaux store where handbags seem to start at nearly 3 lakh.
  But who are we to say what arm candy you
  should pick up? Still we can say this about
  that waffle-on-a-stick: don’t think you’re
  eating anything close to the famous Belgium
  waffle – that foodgasm is yet to come.

Bruges

On Markt Square gape skywards at

the belfry. This one’s a watchtower with

the lower portion built in the 13th century

and the upper tower in the 15th century.

It was erected so sentries could watch for

fires and enemies – and then send all the

town peeps around with buckets to put

them out (the fires not the enemies) –

and important announcements were cried

out from the terrace. It is a UNESCO World

Heritage site and you can climb a heart-

stopping 366 steps to the top.

Then exit the square skipping the Godiva

and Leonidas outlets on Steenstraat to hit

the flagship store of Dominique Persoone’s

The Chocolate Line. The chocolate shooter kit

• said to have been created for Mick
  Jagger to celebrate his 60th birthday
  
  
  • sends the good stuff straight to
    your brain. There’s also chocolate
    in unusual flavours – wasabi
    and tobacco leaf dipped in rum
    or cannabis – to take home.
    Stroll onwards to the Gothic
    Church of Our Lady which has
    the second tallest brick tower in
    the world. Inside admire
    Michelangelo’s Madonna
    and Child. Made of Carrara
    marble she is known for
    her serene face one hand
    holding the child Jesus
    the other letting him
    go on to his fate. It has been
    stolen twice by
    the French then the Nazis but was
    finally discovered in a salt mine alongside
    other great works of art. Look also at the
    double pulpit in Rococo style statues from the
    17th century and a dramatic triumphal cross.
    Walk down Mariastraat peering over
    Bruges’s famous canals past Walplein
    Square with its cafés to the UNESCO World
    Heritage-listed Begijnhof where from the
    13th to the 18th centuries married women
    lived with nuns while their husbands went
    to fight the Crusades. They spent this time
    in prayer and contemplation doing social
    work and nursing. The custom died out
    in the 18th century and Benedictine nuns
    took over the beautiful quarters. Today
    older Catholic women live here alongside
    the religious. Late morning is a good time
    to stroll under the trees and contemplate
  
  
  
  

9th century – 11th century

Flemish counts begin to establish

quasi-independent domains

between the borders of the

French and German kingdoms

stretching across the Scheldt

River to Ghent and Antwerp

12th century

The Flemish cloth trade thrives

growing steadily as the counts

unite a linguistically diverse

population throwing out

the feudal system in favour

of central administrative

and judicial governance

13th century

The seaport of Bruges becomes

a hub of world commerce.

Flanders grows weak

and resentful as French

influence increases

14th century

The turbulent relationship with

France continues as the Flemish

side with the French and English

in the Hundred Years War.

The Low Countries are unified

under the Dukes of Burgundy

(continued...)

• The Brugge City Card offers free admissions
  or discounts on city attractions a round-trip canal
  ride and more
  (www.bruggecitycard.be; buy at the Historium
  in Markt or the railway station; 3590/ 48 hours 4045/ 72 hours).


• Bruges was once known for its lace but now that
  machine-made is almost the norm hand-worked lace
  is very rare and expensive.


• Christmas markets are held at Markt Square
  each year-end.


• More information: https://bezoekers.brugge.be/en

Good to Know

PHOTOGRAPHS: © ARTHUR GEBUYS/ STOCKIMO/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (CUT-OUT) GETTY IMAGES (1 3 6) © DAVID BAGNALL/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (3)

© EFRAIN PADRO/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (4) PREVIOUS PAGES: GETTY IMAGES

76 July 2016