On Saturday 1^st December, I made my annual pilgrimage to a Continental Christmas market. After a nice time in Lille last year, I headed into Belgium to the city of Bruges for my only day of the year spent away from this island.

Travel Diary - Bruges

The day started at stupid o’clock as I had to be at the rendezvous point in Sevenoaks Kent for the departure time of 8am. The conditions were foggy on the journey but thankfully it was possible to see cars several hundred metres away, although this didn’t stop some fools from activating their fog lights. Unlike weekdays, the journey took about 55 minutes so managed to get there for before 0710. This seemed really early but the decision was wise as the coach turned up 10 minutes later and I was able to get my preferred seat right at the front on the top deck.

There were aspects of long distance coach journeys that I had forgotten about such as the slightly embarrassed smile that people do when they shuffle down the aisle on their way to the rather cramped toilet. It is always amusing to see them return to their seat, seemingly doing a face that tells everyone “honest, it wasn’t a number 2”. Another aspect of the journey is that there is always the travel bore who has been everywhere and he will delight in telling you about the number of times that he has previously visited the city. He also does a good job of never looking impressed at just about anything, its just as well that Judith Chalmers didn't adopt the same tactic on the old ITV show Wish You Were Here. The only thing more certain than death and taxes is that travel bore will at some point be sitting next to you, advising on the best places to eat in Bruges and name dropping of other places he has visited.

One of the best inventions of the last 20 years is the channel tunnel. The next stage of the journey took place from the Eurotunnel terminal aboard Le Shuttle. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that this is like a normal train, it is essentially a big car park with a small toilet block that so happens to have an electric locomotive at either end.  The journey from Folkestone to just outside Calais takes around 30-35 minutes. The French Eurotunnel terminal is plugged into the motorway network, making it quick and easy to get on the journey. The landscape around Calais is full of retail estates and large warehouses packed with cheap alcohol, the latter of which is to service the “booze cruise” industry.

The coach took the main A16/E40 route which is a good fast motorway although is mainly has two lanes on either side and a rather threatening looking concrete partition to separate the carriageways. The frontier between the two countries is interesting as the French have a sign with the name “Belgique” surrounded by the European flag and “3000m” written beneath, an almost identical sign is then placed at the border, this time with “Belgie” written in the middle then a further two Flemish signs welcoming motorists to Belgium. Inspite of being a dual language nation, it is immediately obvious that French is not as welcome in this part of the country.

As you enter the city limits of Bruges, there is a degree of poignancy as you travel on the Expressway and see the imposing Sint Jan hospital that was used to treat victims of the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster back in 1987.  Beyond this point it is also possible to see some of the spires of the cities cathedrals as the historic cityscape looms into view.

As we made our way into the city, we were greeted by Sinterklaas on the back of a tandem powered by his helper Zwarte Piet. Ah yes, the controversial Black Pete is an integral part of the Christmas season in Continental Europe. He is considered to be the servant of Sinterklaas and revellers have been known to “blacken up”and wear an afro wig, jewellery and lipstick in honour of the character. It’s not like he is Santa’s dodgy black mate who rolls up with his crew to steal the presents that the blessed bearded one has just brought down the chimney. Surely it’s time to give Zwarte Piet a break and see him for the good work that he does, giving sweets to kids and generally preparing the way for Sinterklaas, a bit like John the Baptist from the real Christmas story.

Another aspect of the continental Christmas narrative that is different, is the act of placing a shoe near the fireplace to receive presents. This is fine if you have asked for a mobile phone or something but it is more problematic if you really want a Scalextric.

The main Christmas Market was in the Markt, dominated by the imposing Belfry and the Provincial Court building. The market stalls were right in the heart of the pedestrianised part of the square. There were many stalls selling Gluhwein and crepes, although they do prefer to refer to the latter of these as wafels in this part of Belgium. The crepes/wafels are always excellent when filled with Nutella. Another popular filling is cream, or slagroom, as it is gloriously known in the Flemish speaking world.         

 

                                                        

Beyond the commercially oriented Markt, there is Burg, a square that is the administrative heart of the city dominated by the Gothic town hall. There is also the old Civil Registry in this area. The city is connected by a number of canals, which explains why it is known as the Venice of the north. There are many wonderful architectural jewels around the city such as Sint Salvator Cathedral, the largest church in the city. There was a second smaller Christmas market located not far from the Cathedral. In addition, the Church of Our Lady with its large brickwork tower is also a major landmark in the Bruges skyline. Near to this church is the site of Oud Sint Jan’s hospital is a fascinating medieval hospital that was designed to care for sick pilgrims and travellers, this was an active hospital until 1978.

 

 

 

 

 

It is compulsory to purchase some of the wonderful chocolates that are made in the city and I made sure that I purchase a 500g box to take home as well as a couple of smaller confections. Bruges is certainly a city that has been close to my heart since I first visited back in 1993 and worthy of a visit, as is the nearby city of Ghent which share much of the beauty of its’ more celebrated neighbour. Over the last 15 years, I have found that the European Christmas market is always a good way to start the Christmas season and it is a tradition that I hope to continue for many years.