Bruges is Beautiful Even in the Rain

We made it to Belgium on Sunday, and we made it to our Airbnb in Ghent though it took us longer than expected. Our flight was diverted from the BRU airport to the CRL airport south of Brussels due to the terrorist attacks at BRU a month ago. Thus we had an extra leg of travel added to our journey. As the bus from the airport to the train station ran only every hour and security was high, we waited nearly an hour for its arrival. From there we caught a variety of trains and then walked about a mile to our Airbnb. We were happy that any rain or hail fell only when we were on public transit, not while we were waiting for it. Our hosts greeted us and helped us settle in before returning to their studying marathon. They're dental students and exams are this week. 

That evening we wandered a bit around Ghent (or Gent) and our neighborhood. We found a grocery store and a place to eat some delicious kebabs overflowing with ingredients. When we returned to our Airbnb we enjoyed watching TV in English again. In Belgium, all the American programs are still in English and there are Dutch or French subtitles. 

The next morning we easily found a train and rode to Bruges (or Brugge), north of Ghent. Bruges is a touristy, but idyllic town full of picturesque buildings and canals. Despite on and off rain all day long Bruges proved to be beautiful. 

Nate on the train to Bruges

One of our first sights upon entering Bruges center

Canal with swans

There were a lot of horse and carriage rides around town

Another lovely view of the canal from a bridge 

Flowered grounds of a monastery

Town Hall building on the canal filled with tour boats

Church of Our Lady. We were able to enter the foyer for free which had some historical displays

There was no way to get the church all in one photo

Bruges is also known for beer. At one time there were over 60 breweries in the town, but now, due to increasingly tight laws and restrictions, there is just one remaining that actually makes its beer in the Bruges town proper. So, of course we had to visit that one, called De Halve Maan (or The Half Moon), and do their brew tour. We followed the smell of hops and grains to the brewery. Our tour guide was an Alaskan who had been living in Bruges for 2.5 years, and she was an excellent source of information. The tour not only highlighted modern brewing techniques, but also those used centuries ago at the brewery. The brewery has been in the same building in the Henri Maes family for five generations. 

Bruges is known for beer. Apparently they have a sense of humor as well. 

A batch of beer in process at De Halve Maan

The shiny mash tons. The pub area is beyond those windows. 

They use a high pressure system to add hop pellets to the beer

The grains are moved in and out of these containers with air vacuums

Old beer crates original to the brewery

Old bottling line original to the brewery

More old brewing equipment collected by De Halve Maan from breweries that closed to keep a historical record and representation

Giant, but inefficient furnace where grains used to be roasted on the floor. Now the brewery buys its grain pre-roasted from a company who delivers them by tanker. 

Two beer fermenters with glycol jackets to keep temperatures consistent are stored on the roof. We got to go up several steep staircases to the roof to see the fermenters. 

We also got a great view of Bruges from the roof

A view of the canal which we walked past previously. The canal allowed the brewery access to materials and distribution of beer in the past. Now only tourist boats are permitted on the canal. 

On the way back down from the roof we got to see the original fermenters. They are still functional, but not used today because of the open tops. The brewery wants to make beer with a consistent taste bottle to bottle and open tops allow yeast in the environment to enter and change the beer. 

The beer was drained from the tanks shown in the previous container to these storage containers. The spout was used to collect the beer. The open hatch you can see near Nate's knees was for men to crawl through to clean the tanks. It looks like you'd have to stay pretty fit and trim to fit in. There had to be a "lifeguard" standing outside while the men cleaned just in case they had to be dragged out due to high CO2 levels. 

The admission to the brew tour also included a glass of their Brugse Zot Blond beer. Fun fact: Apparently, Brugse Zot essentially means idiot/crazy person of Bruge. After the tour we sipped the tasty brew by a fireplace in the pub area. It was one of those quintessentially relaxing moments, surrounded by good friends and the ambient bustle of the brew pub, while watching rain fall into the canal outside. 

Nate and I with the Brugse Zot Blond  

Brandon enjoyed the Brugse Zot Blonde

Beer in front of a warm fire. Ahhh. 

Next was finding the Bruges Cathedral and then lunch which we determined would be easy to find around the Markt Square. The restaurants on the square looked expensive, but just off the square we found a promising looking restaurant called Soup. It was run by one friendly woman who was hand-making amazing smelling soups. The lunch special was just 8.50 euros and included a huge bowl of soup with cheese and croutons, bread and butter, a half panini, and fruit. I had the carrot soup, which was spectacular. 

Bruges Sint-Salvatorskathedraal

Fancy stained glass windows

Sanctuary and organ which someone was playing

Highly decorated organ pipe area

After lunch we wandered the square taking in the architecture of the buildings. Off the square we located a shop famous for hand-made chocolates. We made some purchases and were treated to a free sample. 

Fancy buildings and horse-drawn carriages in the sqaure

Clock tower with a model of the clock tower in the foreground

View of the clock tower from within a walled courtyard

Brandon in front of Chocolatier Dumon with a bag of chocolate-covered raisins. When you entered you were engulfed in chocolate smell. 

There were plenty more chocolate places around Bruges with window displays like this

There was plenty more to explore in Bruges. Around every corner it seemed there was something picture worthy. Eventually when the rain picked up and we were ready for a seat we located a bar called 't Brugs Beertje. 

Bird themed sculpture in front of the theater

Hardcore tourists taking a boat tour even in the rain

More lovely canal views even in the drizzle

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Fancy entrance to the basilica

Brickwork inside the basilica

Intricately painted meditative area 

We were particularly interested in 't Brugs Beertje because of its connection with New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. There's plenty of lore associated with the origins of New Belgium, and rumor has it that 't Brugs Beertje is one of the places that inspired the owner. Apparently, he arrived at the bar on a day when it normally isn't open and was able to spend a lot of time with the barkeep learning the secrets of Belgian beer and sampling to his heart's content. 

't Brugs Beertje where we had a couple drinks

We can attest that there is a lot to sample at the bar. The beer menu is enormous and is sorted by Belgian province, brewery name, and beer type. It was hard to know where to start, but we stumbled upon some great beers. Our top two favorites were Galbert van Brugge brewed by De Proefbrouwerij and Rochefort 8 brewed by Trappist Abbey Notre Dame de Saint-Remy. 
The Galbert was an oak-aged amber with a delicious smell and some sour notes. The Rochefort was a Belgian beer of red-ish color and unlike anything we had tried before with a little sweetness and a just overall delicious taste. We also enjoyed meeting and swapping stories with a couple in the bar who had recently moved from Seattle to San Diego and were enjoying a trip to Belgium and France. 

Monk's Stout, Trappist Rochefort, and Orval Trappist

Galbert van Brugge

We finished our time in Bruges by returning to the Markt Square for some Belgian frites. Essentially frites are fancy french fries with a sauce of your choice poured over them. Brandon and Nate split a huge serving of frites covered with a meat sauce. It was steaming in the cold, drizzly air. 

Frites from a little stand in the square

We returned to Ghent on the train, and Brandon still had an appetite so we located a burrito bar that he had been dying to go to since seeing a delivery motorbike for the place. Wrap Up Burrito Bar was nearly literally a hole in the wall place owned and run by one man. He made Brandon's tacos while giving us his spirited opinion on the Belgian government, recent terrorist attacks, and anything else on his mind. We also met his dog, the inspiration for his restaurant logo. It was quite an adventure. 

The inspirational dog and motorbike

Brandon couldn't wait to try his tacos and had to sample some on street corner on the way back

Spicy taco mash

The rain picked up yet again, as we made our way back to our Airbnb. But, we returned pleased with our visit to Bruges and looking forward to exploring Ghent more the next day.