6 Hours in Bruges

I traveled to Ghent on a Saturday and went into Bruges on a Sunday. I expected it to be pretty crowded because it was the weekend, and though it was rather bustling, I think Bruges is just a smaller town than Ghent and that's why it felt a bit more cramped. I got up before the sun (which is easy to do in winter) and took a relatively early train in. It's about an hour long journey on the same train to Ghent; you just have to take it a bit further.

The roundtrip ticket was discounted for the weekend (€15.20) in the same way that my Ghent ticket was, with the caveat that I must be on a return train prior to 19:00 or else I'd have to pay an upcharge. On a weekday, the roundtrip ticket would have been basically twice the cost of a weekend ticket.

 STATION BRUGGE

MINNEWATERPARK

MINNEWATERBRUG

SASHUIS

WIJNGAARDPLEIN

The whole town is so cute, I could've filled up an 8GB memory card in this city alone. I really had to exercise self-control and only take "necessary" photos so as not to exhaust my camera battery. It also didn't hurt that the weather was pretty perfect.

One of the worst things about Bruges is the horse-drawn carriages. I'm not a fan of these in general, mainly because the horses in NYC are treated so cruelly that I can't help but feel sadness when I see a horse-drawn carriage anywhere. I'm sure, or at least I hope, these guys are leading happy lives but they're so stinky. Honestly, the entire town smelled like horse doodie.

WALPLEIN

SINT-JANSHOSPITAAL

ONZE LIEVE VROUW BRUGGE

GODSHUIS DE MEULENAERE

DEN GOUDEN HARYNCK
This is where I would've wanted to eat lunch if it was open.

ARENTSHOF

DE DIJVER

MARKT

Markt was extra festive when I was there with a bustling Christmas market set up in the center.

STADSBESTUUR BRUGGE/DE BURG

BELFORT
You can pay to climb the tower but I was lazy and cheap and unwilling to wait in the queue.

SOUP

For lunch, I warmed up with a hearty bowl of soup and a sandwich. I got the leek soup, which was completely vegetarian but somehow super savory and rich and wonderful. And for my sandwich, I got the 'greca' which was local cheese and serrano ham. It was a lovely meal that really made me feel cozy and satisfied on a cold wintry day.

After lunch, I grabbed dessert at at the Christmas market. There were liege waffles on offer, which were decent, but they were premade so they weren't quite as good as I think they could have been.

HUISBROUWERIJ DE HALVE MAAN

I contemplated going somewhere for a cup of tea but decided beer was the more appropriate beverage to indulge in. I ended up sitting next to the fire at the Halve Maan brewery with a cup of their blonde ale. It was refreshing and delicious with a hint of sourness and a lovely way to finish off my afternoon in Bruges. I contemplated taking a brewery tour but decided sipping a beer was way more fun.

I decided to hop on the train before the sun went down; since the train ride was an hour, I wanted to get back in time to grab a decent dinner in Brussels.

Here's my video diary:

xoxo.