Brugge.

I want to share with you a few highlights of my recent trip to Bruges in Belgium. It is a small city (well, with a population of the Isle of Wight, so not so small by my standards) in West Flanders. Bruges does not have an international airport, so it's best to fly into Brussels and maybe also walk around the capital before catching a surprisingly clean and comfortable train to Bruges.

I really recommend visiting Bruges, it's such a beautiful place. You probably don't need more than a couple of days to see the main city highlights. We've spent less than 48 hours there and I feel we had a good look around, visited a few museums, churches and had far too many chocolate truffles. We also got to experience a dubious quality of service in Belgian restaurants, travelled by tram (in Ghent) and went up the tower featured in In Bruges. These were really intense two days I have to say.

Without further ado, here are my top 5 things to do and see in Bruges.

1 Canal boat tour: Yes, I know, that is really touristy, but it does allow you to see some beautiful views from a different perspective and even see some places that you might not get to otherwise. The driver provides a commentary on the main sights which is quite informative actually. I think this is €8 well spent for 30 minutes of relaxing on the water.

2 Begijnhof: Come in early morning when there are very few tourists around and the place is completely silent. It's like stepping into a different world. There are no beguines living there anymore, but the place is looked after by Benedictine nuns (some of which we've seen at Mass, they were awesome - and most of them really fragile).

Beautiful painting of the Blessed Sacrament at the back of the church in Begijnhof -
the tabernacle is on the other side of the wall!

3 Night walk around the city centre: By dinnertime, the tourists tend to disappear from Bruges, since it does not provide any particular night-time entertainment. It makes it a perfect time to walk around slowly, without bumping into people all the time. The main sights are illuminated and it's just lovely to enjoy a walk in the warm air of the evening.

4 Holy Blood Basilica: This was such a beautiful site to visit, surprisingly peaceful given that it right in the centre of Bruges and is supposed to be one of the main attractions. In any case, it is well worth a visit, you might even have a chance to see the veneration of the relics kept in the basilica. Make sure you go to the lower chapel as well, it's so different from the main church and so peaceful.

5 Local beers: I'm not a big fan of beers, but I have to objectively say that Belgian beers are delicious. There are so many varieties that everybody is bound to find something to suit their taste. There is only one beer produced in Bruges itself, the Brugse Zot, and if you are keen, you can even visit the brewery to learn more about beer production. Warning, it involves climbing up and down over 200 steps, some of them quite narrow and steep, so might not be for everyone. I found it more tiring than climbing up the Belfry Tower (366 steps).

That's it, a snapshot of a lovely trip over the long weekend (hooray for bank holiday falling on the warmest weekend since for ever). Have another picture from the top of the Belfry Tower (it's nothing like what you see in the movie in terms of interior though).