Bruges Beckons: Our Travel Guide

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As the train from Brussels pulls into the Bruges station at noontime, the weather is warm and it feels uniquely like you were back in the arms of familiar friends. In Europe, you can visit the sensationalized metropolitans of Berlin or Paris and London, but in spite of their excitement and rich histories, they sometimes lose sight of their Old World charm. But near the coast of Belgium, Old World is alive and bustling with eccentric 17th century houses and cobble-stoned streets within Bruges, once a cultural and economic hub of medieval Europe. nfThese days, it’s quiet, but it’s not hidden from sight. Tourists flocks in scores out of the station and along a single stone street towards the town’s center, finding it rather difficult to lug their rolling suitcases or travel bags. Especially in the summer, the light never seems to go away even when it’s almost midnight and a carnival is in town at the (look up old center), the youth out and laughing as they share a couple of fries laced in an orange, spicy mayo sauce. The streets intertwine and divide and unite again through the many alleys and water canals that wind through the city, and as lost as you might feel wandering down one of these streets, there’s always someone about.

Europe entices travelers for its dreamy scenes of grand history and architecture, but for all those attractions and none of the crowds, the city of Bruges awaits. It’s a fairy tale come true, all the sights and magic of an ancient world preserved happily ever after. With the bite of creamy chocolate, or to be taken back to your childhood by just seeing windows decked in memorabilia of Tintin and Asterix alike, the life of a Belgian is full of adventures, rich in history, and a place to be proud of to visit.