VI
EN
Travellive.jpg.jpg)
Article and photos:Nany Giang
Romantic by the canal
Brugge attracts couples with its peaceful and poetic beauty of houses reflecting on the green canals that have existed since the Middle Ages (from about the 5th to the 15th century). You can wander here all day without getting bored, walking along the canal banks, admiring the architectural works more beautiful than paintings.
Unlike the old days when merchant ships were passing back and forth, today there are only ships carrying tourists to see the scenery on both sides of the river. If you come to Brugge in the spring, there is nothing more wonderful. Go a little deeper, through the ring road, step inside the city wall and you will reach the tourist center of Brugge. In the center, the houses are white and red brick, built hundreds of years ago. Most of these houses are small shops with black wooden signs with elaborate writing. The shops are full of traditional handicrafts, the most famous are embroidery, or lace, magnets with images of the city. Riding a horse-drawn carriage through the streets, looking at the buildings, especially the countless large and small churches with beautiful exteriors, you will see how beautiful Brugge is.
World Heritage and… French fries
Coming to Brugge, what I enjoyed most was seeing Michelangelo's marble statue of Madonna and Son, one of the world's masterpieces of sculpture. The 83m high bell tower, standing out in the middle of the city in Market Square, is also a precious asset of Brugge. This bell tower was built in 1240 but was destroyed by fire 40 years later. In 1300, the tower was rebuilt and listed as a world heritage site. If you are willing to climb 366 steps up the tower, you can see the whole city and admire the 47 bells, each with a different sound and function: danger alarm bell, announcement bell from the city government, hour bell...
Everywhere you go in this chocolate country, you can see Belgians eating fries on the street, like Americans eat popcorn. It is their favorite food. Belgian fries have a special taste because they are fried twice in boiling oil, served in paper bags or trays, with a lot of mayonnaise and salt on top.
City of museums
For those who love visiting museums, Brugge is a good choice.
Frietmuseum - Potato Museum is a place that shows the whole history, from the origin of potatoes to the first fries. Visitors can see an interesting collection of machines used for growing, harvesting, peeling, sorting and making fries.
You will also have the opportunity to learn about the fascinating history of potatoes, which originated in Peru over 10,000 years ago; discover the history of fries and how they came to Belgium. Over the years, fries have become famous all over the world, to the delight of adults and children, and in fact, Belgians are very proud that fries originated in Belgium. After visiting the museum, don’t forget to enjoy real Belgian fries, with delicious sauces and all kinds of meat preparations, in the medieval cellar.
The Bruges Diamond Museum, located in the northwest of the city on Katelijnestraat – one of five diamond museums in the world – is also worth a visit. It showcases the role of gemstones in Bruges’ history and provides important and interesting information about diamonds.
And, of course: the world of chocolate
Belgians are very proud of the things they excel at, such as comic books, beer, and chocolate. If chocolate is a symbol of love, then surely the city of Brugge is considered the sweetest place in the world. Because this is the chocolate center of Belgium, a country famous worldwide for its rich, creamy candy made from cocoa powder. Belgian chocolate is of the highest quality in the world, this is beyond dispute.
|
To honor this symbol of love, people have built a chocolate museum. Choco Story - the name of the chocolate museum - is the most famous museum, attracting the most visitors among the many museums in Brugge. Coming here, you will have the opportunity to learn everything about chocolate: cocoa bean samples, chocolate making tools, statues of the Maya (the first people to discover the cocoa tree), chocolate sculptures, the legend of the chocolate goddess...
In addition, you can also learn and make chocolate yourself under the guidance of museum staff. Like many other museums in the city, this museum is also located in an old-style house with wooden floors, wooden stairs, a narrow space but very elegantly and scientifically decorated, with clear instructions. After buying a ticket, you will be given 3 white and brown chocolates and an instruction book. Right at the foot of the stairs on the first floor is a huge chocolate egg, which makes me wonder if I can eat it all year long. The museum introduces in detail the history of chocolate since it was a "divine" drink and a form of currency for Native Americans.
Each room has a model and detailed instructions on how to make chocolate. Belgian chocolate is famous for its praline - meaning "with filling" - invented by Neuhaus nearly 200 years ago. Praline is a layer of milk or white chocolate on the outside, and inside is a hazelnut, a type of roasted peanut ground with cocoa butter. Everywhere here, you can see pretty shops, eye-catchingly decorated with colorful boxes of chocolate candy to attract visitors to stop by and enjoy.
If you only explore Brugge during the day, it is not enough. You should enjoy the beauty of this poetic city in the afternoon and at night, watching the magical light shining on the buildings here. Everything becomes strangely beautiful with restaurants shining with yellow lights, fashion stores, noble women in charming and enchanting evening dresses. Then the night gradually fades, the city returns to its charm and peace like the old days.
The city was especially quiet at that moment. For me, the impression I left of this city was that the people here know how to cherish and preserve the beauty of the past, of what lasts forever. And visiting Bruges, there is more than just chocolate!
|
