Jaunted

Tags: Belgium Field Trip / Brugge / → All Tags

Brugge Hearts Shakira

Yes, Brugge is a beautiful medieval city, but there is an odd custom there that makes walking around the streets much like shopping at the Cambridgeside Galleria: They play music everywhere. Not atmopspheric live music in the streets, either. The town, or the shopkeepers, or some combination of the two, pipe in an incredibly odd mix of music using a series of strategically placed loudspeakers that blare throughout the town.

We know this seems really odd. We kept thinking of was that scene in Escape from Sobibor where the unsuspecting prisoners arrive at Treblinka to calming classical music wafting from a variety of outdoor speakers. An inappropriate analogy, yes, as Brugge has absolutely nothing in common with the horrific Treblinka.

And yet...the more time you spend in Brugge, the more comfortable you get walking past centuries old churches to the sound of Wyclef Jean saying "No Fightin'" and Shakira wailing "Oh baby, when you talk like that".

Somewhere nearby, the 9th century Vikings who settled by de Reie are no doubt rolling over in their graves, but there is 21st century feel to eating frites in the Markt to the sound of Human League's "Don't You Want Me"--kind of like a communal iPod. Or maybe we finally had enough Belgian beer to appreciate the Brugge radio remix.

Has anyone else experienced this type of musical town in their travels?  Can anyone shed some light on who controls, or sponsors, the music you hear in the streets of Brugge or elsewhere?  If so, leave a comment below or send a tip.

Related Stories:
· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]