A Canal ride, the Town Hall and birding in Bruges – Belgium & Netherlands, Part 7

This post is a continuation of a series documenting our travel to the countries of Belgium & Netherlands in the Spring of 2023. We were based in Bruges for the first half of our vacation and thoroughly enjoyed our first 3 days here. We had also done day trips to the beautiful city of Ghent ( A Day trip to Ghent – Belgium & Netherlands Part 4 ) and a return to Antwerp after 4 decades for my father who had stayed there in the late 70s ( A Day trip to Antwerp – Belgium & Netherlands, Part 6 ).

The busy first three days of sightseeing meant that my mother’s knees required a relatively light day to recover before we shifted bases to Haarlem. So I planned a light day which just included a visit to the Town Hall which was just behind our Hotel followed by a canal boat tour after which my parents could rest while the better half and me went roaming around to see what else we could find. 

In the beautiful breakfast room of the Duc de Bourgogne

We started the day with a delicious breakfast at our hotel Duc de Bourgogne ( I had obviously gone out earlier in the morning and you can read and see photos of that in – Bruges at Dawn & Dusk – A tranquil beauty – Belgium & Netherlands, Part 2 ). After breakfast we walked to the Town Hall or Stadhuis as soon as it had opened and bought our tickets to see the interiors.

The Town Hall in the background on one of our early morning walks

The main attraction of this 700 year old building is a gothic styled hall with arched gilded ceilings and 19th century murals that extend almost from the ceiling to the wooden panels above the floor. We climbed the stairs and went into the hall where the friendly attendant gave us an English information pamphlet which told us about the hall and the murals in detail. We went around looking at the murals and reading about the history of Bruges throughout the ages. Even if you have zero interest in history it is still a brilliantly decorated hall that is a treat for the eyes.

The vaulted ceiling and colourful murals at the Gothic hall of the Stadhuis, Bruges

We almost had the hall to ourselves for most of the time except for a brief visit by a school field trip. Even my mother who is rarely into such things had fun reading about the murals and finding them in the hall all the while resting her legs on the comfortable chairs provided.

A brief visit by a school field trip

The largest murals showing the victorious crusaders 

The ornate mantlepiece with murals related to the handing over of the vial of the Holy Blood

Amma enjoying her time at the City Hall without straining her legs

There is also an adjoining room which has an interactive map of the region with headphones describing how the fortunes of Bruges rose and fell with time and tide. It was very interesting to see how man tried to changes waterways to suit his benefits and nature always managed to throw a curve ball every now and then making men look stupid. We have a well preserved Bruges to visit today because it was left ignored once it could be no longer used as a big trade port due to the ever changing waterways. After listening to the entire presentation (which I rarely do!) we left the Town Hall.

A great start to the day visiting the Town Hall of Bruges

We then walked back towards our hotel just behind which was the pier where one of the numerous canal boat tours in Bruges start. The canal boat tours were a different way to experience this pretty little town from a different angle. We were the first in line as these tours tend to start late when the day trippers start arriving in their numbers. We bought our tickets and waited on the bench at the pier till the boat had enough people for a tour to start. We were in no hurry and we had a place to sit so we were not complaining. 

The pier near our hotel waiting for our boat trip 

The requisite quorum was reached soon enough and our boat arrived and we got our seats at the back of the boat. 

Finally on the boat for a canal ride through Bruges

The boat ride took us to all the places we had visited on foot on the previous 3 days in Bruges. The multilingual live narration by the boat driver cum guide was geared towards being more entertaining than informative, it was the right tone for a casual ride through the canals. The next hour and 15 mins was spent on the canals in Bruges, narrow and wide; going under bridges of all sizes and heights and enjoying the sunny morning. I won’t go through the places again and just let the photos do the talking.

The Blinde Ezelburg bridge that we crossed every day to go to the Town Hall square

The Meestrat bridge in the distance with the quaint houses lining the canal

The wider canals which were the main trade route and had bridges that opened for ships in the olden days

The Jan van Eyckplein a dead end to the canals 

Doubling back to Rosary Quay – Our hotel Duc de Bourgogne is the white building

The Bonifacius bridge from another angle 

The narrower canals from the Bonaficius bridge  towards the St Jans hospital

The swans enjoying a siesta near Begijnhof

The Maria bridge with the St Janshospitaal seen just beyond

Back to where we started – the view from our hotel window from another angle

The Bell tower in the distance as the boat tour nears it’s end

The boat tour was a fun hour spent cruising around the canals and it was the perfect way to end the morning after a hectic 2 days of day trips. I had already decided that I would do a canal cruise in Haarlem too as it was a great way to see the city. (More on that in a later post!)

A mandatory selfie of the 4 of us on the canal cruise in Bruges

It was our last day in Bruges and we hadn’t bought any Belgian Chocolates to carry with us back home. So we rectified that by visiting a couple of the famous chocolate shops and buying the famous Belgian chocolates that I’m relishing even as I’m writing this post a couple of months later.

Buying Belgian Chocolates as edible souvenirs – Highly recommended!!

With that agenda sorted we let the parents rest their legs in the hotel room while we went and visited the St Salvatore Cathedral. You can read and see photos about our time in the Churches of Bruges here –  The Churches and Belfry of Bruges – Belgium & Netherlands, Part 5 . We returned to find the parents ready to go and have lunch and we didn’t go far as we had a decent experience at the restaurant just across the square from our hotel. We enjoyed yet another delicious meal where I had the meatball stew while the vegetarians had their lasagna and spaghetti. No meal in Bruges would be complete without beers for me and dad and hot chocolates for the ladies. 

Enjoying a delicious lunch at the Mozarthuys in Bruges

Post lunch we let the parents enjoy their afternoon siesta while the better half and me set off to see the Minnewater park that the canal cruise had shown us a glimpse of. It was perfect opportunity for me to put on the 300 mm and take some photos of the birds and some of the interesting sculptures where the opportunity presented itself. Again we were walking the same route from our hotel to Minnewater so I will just let the photos do the heavy lifting.

A mother and child statue at the back side of the Church of Our Lady

The steeple of the tower of the Church of Our Lady shows the weathervane and gargoyles for drainage

Two of the 4 horsemen of Apocalypse statues in the park just before Bonifacius Bridge

The Gargoyle statues used for channeling water away from the walls has always fascinated me

A bust of Juan Luis Vives – the father of modern psychology near Bonifacius Bridge

A female Blackbird poses for the camera 

A wood pigeon poses for the 300mm 

A bust of a clergyman above the gateway of the garden behind the Church of our lady

An impromptu stop to buy macarons 

More interesting unnamed sculptures in Bruges 

We finally reached Minnewater park where there were plenty of Mallards, Coots and Swans for the 300 mm to have some fun. I even found another nesting Great Crested Grebe, a common moorhen and the garden birds like green backed tits, robins & blackbirds to make it worthwhile. I even got my first sighting of a Eurasian Blackcap , and sighting a new bird always makes me happy!

Sunbathing Mallards in Minnewater Park

A nesting Great Crested Grebe in Minnewater Park

The Mallard is a photogenic bird

Swans looking all regal in the canals near Begijnhof

A common moorhen poses for the 300mm 

A Mallard dries it’s wings 

A green backed tit poses for the 300mm 

Mrs & Mr Eurasian Blackbird in Minnewater park

A European robin poses for the 300mm making my day

My first sighting of the Eurasian Blackcap

The visit to Minnewater park had been worth it and we used the better half’s pixel phone to take a few photos of the beautiful park we had enjoyed some time in.

The beautiful “Lake of Love” Bruges

Spring in full effect at Bruges

Happy us after a visit to Minnewater park

We returned to the hotel where the parents and finished their siesta and we made some coffee for ourselves in the superb espresso maker provided in the room and polished off the macarons and truffles we had bought.

Anna had spotted a nest of Common Coots visible from the room window and I spent some time watching and photographing the young coot swimming around and being fed by their parents.

Some photos of a Common Coot nest with chicks from the comfort of our room

We then chose to rest some time before opting for a light dinner consisting of fries for the vegetarians and fried meatballs for me on the Grote Markt square as we were still full from the sweets consumed with the coffee.

A light dinner for a change at Grote Markt

We then dropped the ladies to the hotel & me and Anna returned to visit a great local bar called “De Garre”. This local favourite is located in a narrow alley just off the Main Street connecting the City hall and Grote Markt Square. It is so confident in it’s product that there are no signs on the road that there is a bar located there!! It took me some time to find it inspite of having google maps assisting me! Inspite of that it was full with mostly locals and some tourists who had done their homework. The effort was certainly worth it as me and Anna enjoyed the beer (different each day and we trusted the judgement of the helpful bartenders there to help us choose) and the complimentary cheese bowl on two nights here sitting on a mezzanine wooden floor with a metal barrel as a table! 

De Garre – A highly recommended bar if you enjoy a beer and are in Bruges

That would be the end of our 4 days in Bruges. It had been a great 4 days and I was glad that I had chosen to stay for all 4 nights in this pretty town rather than change bases. We would leave for Haarlem the next morning and spend 4 nights there.

But that is the topic for future posts , hopefully soon! I hope you enjoyed reading & seeing photos of our time in Belgium and it made you put Bruges on your places to visit, it is certainly worth it!

Till then,

Bye