In Bruges

New country, new post! After briefly stopping into Tilburg for a conference, we said goodbye to the Netherlands and made our way to Bruges, Belgium: a romantic, medieval town that is known for being highly instagrammable.

Years ago, James introduced me to the movie “In Bruges”, which is about two hitmen who find themselves in Bruges. They were sent there by their mob boss, Harry, who is planning to have one of the men killed (Ray) for a hit job gone wrong. Since Ray has to die, this is meant to be a sendoff of sorts. A last kindness from Harry to Ray, that he may spend his final days in Bruges.

But the problem is that Ray hates Bruges.

Harry, offended that Ray is not impressed, rants that Bruges is a “fucking fairytale” and how can someone not like it? Naturally, we couldn’t miss our chance to go to Bruges and arbitrate the fictional debate for ourselves.

Having now spent a couple of days in Bruges, I can say that I see both Harry and Ray’s points. With its narrow cobblestone walkways, beautiful canals, and well-preserved architecture, Bruges is indeed a “fucking fairytale.”

It’s a surprisingly large town, with countless little alleys to get lost in. (In my case, literally lost). And although it is bustling, it’s not nearly as crowded as Amsterdam. My first few hours in this town had me totally enamored.

But, to Ray’s point, it’s also a very touristy place, which is reflected in the shops and restaurants. And once you get done taking photos and sampling chocolate and waffles, there isn’t a ton else to do.

So I probably wouldn’t plan a longer visit here, but it makes a very cute weekend getaway. Thanks for the memories, Bruges!