Ryanair took us to Charleroi, a town around 50 km from Brussels proper. In Belgium distances are measured in kilometers, but in England they are listed in miles. Anyway, we took a bus that cost 13.50 euros and had to elbow our way on it. Rather than lining up, people just pushed their way aboard. The bus deposited us at the Gare du Midi and we could have continued on directly to Bruges but in planning this leg of the trip decided to remain overnight in Brussels, near the train station and get up early the next morning. But we could have kept going and in hindsight it might have been a good idea to do so.
We got a hotel just across the street from the Gare du Midi and the area was typically seedy. We hurried with our bags to the brightly lighted Hotel de France, dodging cars whipping past us. Inside the lobby several arabic men stared at us as we checked in. The room was worn a painting on the wall had been torn off leaving strips of paint missing in its place. We got on the internet and starting reading about the area and found lots of complaints about trouble and attacks. One entry said he was held up with a machete.
We slept in our clothes and did not leave our room until morning. As we slept we dreamed of Belgian beer....so dangerously close.
We may have overreacted, but the trip to Bruges was absolutely wonderful. We got on a sleek, quiet train well marked with our destination in two languages. Brussels is a bi-lingual city and both French and Flemish are used, though most of the south of the country is populated by Walloons with their heritage linked to France. Bruges is Flemish and it's the prevalent language there. Both French and Flemish is listed everywhere. Flemish is really Dutch with a nicer accent, say the citizens of Bruges.
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In Bruges we hopped on a bus for about 1.2 Euros each and it rambled through the still quiet streets and eventually drove through the jaw dropping views of the Grote Markt. Commerce of some sort has been going on in the square since the 11th Century. Ringed by cafes and flagpoles and a statue commemorating the battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302, the Markt is the center of this medieval city that survived untouched by the two world wars that raged nearby in Ypres. Looming over one end of the Markt is the Belort that figured prominently in that film "In Bruges". Another side of the square is the beautiful neo-gothic Provincial Court. We craned our heads as we passed through the Markt and sighed. Our plan was to get off here and then weave our way through the streets to the Hotel Asiris that is in the very quiet north quarter of the city, but decided to ride the bus for awhile longer. We had no real idea how to get there or where to go actually. When we eventually got off at a random stop near one of the many canals and the bus rambled off, we were lost but enthralled with the serenity and beauty we were standing amid. A biker would flit past, a woman strolling with her dog, but largely we were alone. The canal shimmered in the morning light. We sighed at our fortune and headed off, the clattering of our luggage wheels the only noise as we passed beautiful storybook views with every step. Consulting the map we picked up at the train station as well as the beer map Janet printed out with all the bars we wanted to hit color coded as well as our hotel, we finally made the hotel. See the earlier entry in our blog, “Preparations” for the beer maps for both Bruges and Brussels.
The Hotel Asiris is right across the narrow cobblestoned street from the 15th Century St Gillis Church. Our room was above the entrance way with two large windows that opened onto the street. We could lie in bed and watch the rare bicyclist and rarer pedestrian pick their way along. Hourly the bells of St. Gilles reverberated through the room and we shuddered with delight at the clamoring. We had, or should I say, Janet had picked out a great place. An expansive breakfast was included with the clean, comfortable room and the total price for our two nights was 147 Euros.
Yes! It was all working out splendidly. Bruges was beautiful and historical, and we were so happy to be here, but we at Vacations From Home central were here for the beer. We had willowed down our destinations in the country to Bruges and Brussels and after we got over our initial shock and awe of where serendipity had landed us, we decided to put our thirsty research to the test. After all we had read about and tasted as much Belgium beer as possible in the United States. We had elicited the expert advice of a couple of reknowned beer travelers, Chuck Cook from America and Danny Van Tricht from Antwerp. Google them and you're gain much more knowledge about such travels than through this website! We were raring to go and drink, and it was just 10:30 in the morning.
We got a hotel just across the street from the Gare du Midi and the area was typically seedy. We hurried with our bags to the brightly lighted Hotel de France, dodging cars whipping past us. Inside the lobby several arabic men stared at us as we checked in. The room was worn a painting on the wall had been torn off leaving strips of paint missing in its place. We got on the internet and starting reading about the area and found lots of complaints about trouble and attacks. One entry said he was held up with a machete.
We slept in our clothes and did not leave our room until morning. As we slept we dreamed of Belgian beer....so dangerously close.
We may have overreacted, but the trip to Bruges was absolutely wonderful. We got on a sleek, quiet train well marked with our destination in two languages. Brussels is a bi-lingual city and both French and Flemish are used, though most of the south of the country is populated by Walloons with their heritage linked to France. Bruges is Flemish and it's the prevalent language there. Both French and Flemish is listed everywhere. Flemish is really Dutch with a nicer accent, say the citizens of Bruges.
The Hotel Asiris is right across the narrow cobblestoned street from the 15th Century St Gillis Church. Our room was above the entrance way with two large windows that opened onto the street. We could lie in bed and watch the rare bicyclist and rarer pedestrian pick their way along. Hourly the bells of St. Gilles reverberated through the room and we shuddered with delight at the clamoring. We had, or should I say, Janet had picked out a great place. An expansive breakfast was included with the clean, comfortable room and the total price for our two nights was 147 Euros.
Yes! It was all working out splendidly. Bruges was beautiful and historical, and we were so happy to be here, but we at Vacations From Home central were here for the beer. We had willowed down our destinations in the country to Bruges and Brussels and after we got over our initial shock and awe of where serendipity had landed us, we decided to put our thirsty research to the test. After all we had read about and tasted as much Belgium beer as possible in the United States. We had elicited the expert advice of a couple of reknowned beer travelers, Chuck Cook from America and Danny Van Tricht from Antwerp. Google them and you're gain much more knowledge about such travels than through this website! We were raring to go and drink, and it was just 10:30 in the morning.
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| Bruges, Belgium |
Armed with our printed map of the bars and the map we got at the hotel but guided by our thirst we tried to negotiate the narrow streets and bridges of the town, laboring over the Flemish names. They twisted and turned, but even the smallest thoroughfare was labeled. Thankfully Bruges is a small town and even if you make a wrong turn, you can easily correct your travels.
Our first destination was Cafe Herberg Vlissinghe. From our research we gathered they did not offer an overwhelming selection of beer, but it has been continually operating since 1515! It was worth the visit just for the historic value. Café Vlissinghe is located across the canal from us we thought it would be a long walk, but it just five minutes away on Blekersstraat 2, an impossibly narrow street that ended at the canal. Sadly it was still closed,so we moved on to the next place and resolved to visit the place later or the next day.
http://www.cafevlissinghe.be/
Philipstockstraat proved to be the most incredible street. Of all the hundreds of similar streets in Bruges lined with shops and restaurants and historic buildings, this one had two beer destinations. One was Bierbrasserie Cambrinus. With well over 400 favorable reviews and offering as many beers, it was the first place we put on our beer list. It too was closed! Again we had to return.
http://www.cambrinus.eu/
The second establishment was Bier Tempel. It is a store that sells all the Belgium beers, including all the Trappist brews as well as all the appropriate glasses. The unique part about the approach to beer in this country is that apart from the alcohol content and taste, each beer is sold in the appropriate glass. Later when we finally got a beer at Cambrinus we watched the bartender first look for the glass and then fetched the beer. Another interesting aspect of beer in Belgium; bottled beer is acceptable and sometimes it is the only way it is served. Relatively very few beers are served on tap. The beer is poured into the proper glass and both the glass label and bottle label are placed so you can read both. After we had a quick breakfast of pain du chocolat in an organic pastry shop on Philipstockstraat, we stumbled upon their next door neighbor, Cambrinus and just a few stores away and closer to the Markt was Bier Tempel.
On a lark I asked the owner of the cramped temple if he had any Westvletern 12, which is consistently voted as the best beer in the world. Readers of this blog will remember the many steps the monks of St Sixtus Trappist monastery require for one to purchase their Westies. Here is the link: http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/brouwerij.htm
He apologized that he only had half a case of the 12. Janet and I nearly hugged him. We purchased two asked him to hold the precious cargo until we returned later that day and told him about our search and the people we’ve spoken to about beer. He mentioned a couple of bars not on our list and even wrote the names down and marked them on our little beer map. Sadly, we said we were unable to ship beers through him, claiming there was too much difficulty. We talked at length about Geuze and Lambic beers as well and he told us of one we should try, Geuze Giradin. Helpful, cheerful, he sent us on our way, still thirsty.
http://www.biertempel.be/
Janet wanted to take a canal boat ride through Bruges. It is a popular tourist excursion with several different tours operating on the narrow canal. The guide spoke in several languages, French, Flemish and English and he pointed out buildings, details and historic details of the town. It was pleasant, lasted roughly half an hour and cost 6.9 Euros each.
We finally had our first beer at the lone brewery in Bruges. De Have Maan… or half moon. It is near a canal, of course, and just outside the brewery there is a tree lined plaza with several outdoor restaurants. We were going to take a tour, but opted to just drink a beer. We got the dark and the blond and we shared them with each other, 3 Euros for the blond and 3.50 for the brown. Afterwards we got a take away order of frites (French Fries) and weaved down the streets towards Cambrinus. We were already tipsy on one beer and we still had a lot of imbibing to do in Bruges!
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http://www.halvemaan.be/index.php?id=13&L=2
Our first destination was Cafe Herberg Vlissinghe. From our research we gathered they did not offer an overwhelming selection of beer, but it has been continually operating since 1515! It was worth the visit just for the historic value. Café Vlissinghe is located across the canal from us we thought it would be a long walk, but it just five minutes away on Blekersstraat 2, an impossibly narrow street that ended at the canal. Sadly it was still closed,so we moved on to the next place and resolved to visit the place later or the next day.
http://www.cafevlissinghe.be/
Philipstockstraat proved to be the most incredible street. Of all the hundreds of similar streets in Bruges lined with shops and restaurants and historic buildings, this one had two beer destinations. One was Bierbrasserie Cambrinus. With well over 400 favorable reviews and offering as many beers, it was the first place we put on our beer list. It too was closed! Again we had to return.
http://www.cambrinus.eu/
The second establishment was Bier Tempel. It is a store that sells all the Belgium beers, including all the Trappist brews as well as all the appropriate glasses. The unique part about the approach to beer in this country is that apart from the alcohol content and taste, each beer is sold in the appropriate glass. Later when we finally got a beer at Cambrinus we watched the bartender first look for the glass and then fetched the beer. Another interesting aspect of beer in Belgium; bottled beer is acceptable and sometimes it is the only way it is served. Relatively very few beers are served on tap. The beer is poured into the proper glass and both the glass label and bottle label are placed so you can read both. After we had a quick breakfast of pain du chocolat in an organic pastry shop on Philipstockstraat, we stumbled upon their next door neighbor, Cambrinus and just a few stores away and closer to the Markt was Bier Tempel.
On a lark I asked the owner of the cramped temple if he had any Westvletern 12, which is consistently voted as the best beer in the world. Readers of this blog will remember the many steps the monks of St Sixtus Trappist monastery require for one to purchase their Westies. Here is the link: http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/brouwerij.htm
He apologized that he only had half a case of the 12. Janet and I nearly hugged him. We purchased two asked him to hold the precious cargo until we returned later that day and told him about our search and the people we’ve spoken to about beer. He mentioned a couple of bars not on our list and even wrote the names down and marked them on our little beer map. Sadly, we said we were unable to ship beers through him, claiming there was too much difficulty. We talked at length about Geuze and Lambic beers as well and he told us of one we should try, Geuze Giradin. Helpful, cheerful, he sent us on our way, still thirsty.
http://www.biertempel.be/
Janet wanted to take a canal boat ride through Bruges. It is a popular tourist excursion with several different tours operating on the narrow canal. The guide spoke in several languages, French, Flemish and English and he pointed out buildings, details and historic details of the town. It was pleasant, lasted roughly half an hour and cost 6.9 Euros each.
We finally had our first beer at the lone brewery in Bruges. De Have Maan… or half moon. It is near a canal, of course, and just outside the brewery there is a tree lined plaza with several outdoor restaurants. We were going to take a tour, but opted to just drink a beer. We got the dark and the blond and we shared them with each other, 3 Euros for the blond and 3.50 for the brown. Afterwards we got a take away order of frites (French Fries) and weaved down the streets towards Cambrinus. We were already tipsy on one beer and we still had a lot of imbibing to do in Bruges!
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