Bruges - a rare gem

Described in said guidebook as “Touristy, overcrowded and a tad fake”, Robin and I arrived determined to find out for ourselves what this place was all about. The “useful” bus transfer information between the station and hostel provided no information regarding the stop we needed. After we got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to the hostel, we were not at all surprised to note that there was a bus stop directly out the front of the hostel. THAT INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT IN A GUIDEBOOK!! CRITICAL IN FACT AS MOST PEOPLE USING THAT INFORMATION ARE MORE THAN LIKELY TO BE CARRYING ALL OF THEIR STUFF WITH THEM!!!!!!
Right, where was I? The quirky hostel welcomed us warmly and we ascended the stairs to the room. Ah….the stairs. The staircase was a small, spiral staircase and after reaching the top (only accessible by leaning forward as you walked so your bag wouldn’t get stuck) neither cherished the thought of going down them the following day with our bags, particularly with the dodgy 6th step. Despite the risk to life and limb provided by the stairs, we were buoyed by the fact that our fire escape was easily accessible.



Correct me if I am wrong but in a fire, don’t they tell you to avoid electrical things since they tend NOT TO WORK.
After leaving the confines of our fire trap, I mean hostel, to wander the cobble-stoned streets of Bruges it quickly became apparent that Bruges was a gem. With canals separating some of the streets and a noticeable lack of rubbish, it was difficult to imagine why the guidebook gave it such a bad wrap.
The old market square was the same set up as Brussels, although without the marathon stage. Settled on top of a large box was a DJ pumping out some decent techno tracks to the square….random!



The narrow streets led us eventually to the monastery. After multiple attempts to find the bridge leading to the front door, we finally realised that there was only one way to get to it and that it was on the other side of the canal. Finally, whilst standing on the elusive bridge, excitement rose as the main gate started to open. Expectations of seeing some nuns in traditional outfits were clearly too high as a man and woman, both smoking, stepped out of the gates. Clearly their applications to join the nunnery were denied!!
On weary legs, we eventually returned to the hostel, hoping that our night’s sleep would not be disturbed by the need to rely on a functioning electrical system in case of a fire.