Travel: A Weekend in Bruges

My New Resolution of having a trip away each month has so far started well, as this weekend I popped over to Bruges with my sister. She was playing snooker in the World Women’s Rankings so I went with her for a few days. I went with her last year to the same competition in Malta, and must say, I really got into the snooker!

I’ve been to Bruges in the past and absolutely love it – it’s a lovely place to spend a long weekend. This time of year may be cold, but that means there were hardly any tourists. Actually, Bruges for me is better as a winter trip. I loved the quaint buildings with snow topped roofs, popping into fireplace warmed pubs to have a fruity beer, and the general atmosphere in winter.

After playing snooker on Friday, we went for a self guided walk in the afternoon. We started with the  Minnewaterpark, a very picturesque small lake on the outskirts of town. We then headed towards the central market square, via the gorgeous historic ‘alms houses’. Known as Godshuizen, these homes were social housing, mainly for the elderly. They are all whitewashed, and surround their own pretty gardens.

Walking towards the central market square, we got drawn into the adorable shops. You could definitely just spend an afternoon buying pretty lace souvenirs, or carefully selecting which beer of the hundreds you want to try.

We stopped in one of the old market square bars for a delicious cherry beer while sat by the fire to warm up.

By the time we had finished drinking beer and buying souvenirs, the sun had set and it was getting dark. We took one last walk which took us around to Jan Van Eyck square. We then followed the canal back towards the centre and out of town to train station, which is where we had to park.

Saturday was a snooker day, which worked out well as it rained the whole day. On Sunday the heavens cleared and we hired some bikes for a tour of the windmills around the edge of town.

Cycling around Bruges is so easy! There’s plenty of cycle paths and it takes about half an hour to get round the whole perimeter of the town. We had a great time exploring the windmills, then heading into the centre to pick up some beer and chocolates before heading back for the ferry.

We got back to the UK in the early evening and rushed back to London to see Frank Turner at Alexandra Palace. The perfect way to end a perfect few days. I can’t recommend a weekend in Bruges enough! It’s a great change of scene and very easy to get to.