For our last full day in Belgium we decided to return to Bruges for the day and experience a little more of Ghent in the evening. After a quick breakfast we headed to the train station for the 30 minute ride to Bruges.
At the Ghent train station we were once again amazed at the number of bicycles. Belgium is known for its fantastic bike lanes and trails since cycling is a very popular mode of transportation, but you cannot imagine the number of bicycles parked at the train station. Take a look at my video and see where you would park your bike if you needed to find it again.
We arrived in Bruges early enough to walk through the Wednesday morning outdoor market. The market was filled with beautiful produce and a large variety of meat. These markets continued to amaze us.
With our earlier arrival in Bruges we noticed the streets were quite busy with more people than our visit the previous afternoon. There were many tour groups from different riverboat cruises. On this Wednesday we experienced the Bruges tourism at a peak. We found a little outdoor cafe for lunch and then headed off for one of Bruges iconic canal boat cruises. These 30 minute boat rides run constantly along the canals in Bruges. It was super touristy for sure, but a fun way to see the city from a different perspective and to hear a little more about its history.
By early afternoon we were ready for some refreshments so we headed to the Brouwerij de Halve Maan (Half Moon Brewery). This brewery offers an extensive tour sharing the history of how six generations of the family has helped the business adapt since 1856. An added bonus on the tour are the views from the brewery rooftop. A unique feature of this brewery is its pipeline. In 2016 the business needed more space so they opened a new, very modern, bottling center about 2 miles away. Wanting to keep the brewing in Bruges, it launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to build an underground pipeline that carries beer from the brewery to the bottling plant. At the brewery you can see a small section of this unique pipeline, which is ingeniously environmental. The system is designed to not only carry beer but it also carries wastewater to a filtration system for reuse as clean water back at the brewery.
Fun fact: The 500+ contributors who made the pipeline financially possible received free beer for life as a thank you. If only I lived closer I would have invested! We really enjoyed seeing the ins and outs of this old brewery, and then sitting in their lovely outdoor beer garden to sample a few. Of particular note is the famous “Brugse Zot” (Bruges Fool) beers. The name and logo are a nod to a story from the 15th century when people of the area asked Emperor Maximllian (who they were not too fond of) to create a madhouse. His apparent dislike for the city showed in his response: “Close the gates of Bruges and you’ll have a madhouse.” So the brewery has embraced the characterisation of the people of Bruges as fools.
On our way back to the Bruges train station we bought a few last souvenirs (delicious Belgian chocolate!) and then headed back to Ghent. We walked into town for dinner at a wonderful restaurant recommended by one of our tour guides called ‘tklok huys. We both enjoyed a traditional Flemish beef stew.
Our evening plan was to join one more free walking tour – this one showing the hidden side of Ghent. The tour shared areas of the town and a lot of history tourists generally do not see and learn. It was little more than we needed but an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours in the evening. As a bonus, we found an ice cream shop open at the end!
#HammondAdventures #LifeonPurpose #FamilyVacation
Hammond Adventures 