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.
Meet Cornelia. Cornelia who works for Hotel Heritage, a Brugge boutique hotel, was asked by Jaunted where a Brugge Diegan like herself might go when they weren't stuck at work.
Apparently, locals like to walk or cycle along the "green zone" which is the park like area that encircles the outside of the city. After that most locals get hungry--turns out Brugge Diegans are just like us! When hunger strikes, Cornelia and her friends often head to De Media Tea Room, which she describes as a "most excellent" lunch spot.
We then cut the small talk, and dropped the hard hitting questions on Cornelia, like where does she hang during the all too brief Brugge summer season. Her response? De Republiek Cafe, which is a bar slash restaurant slash cinema. The topper? According to Cornelia, De Republiek comes equipped with one of the nicest outdoor terrace settings in all of Brugge.
Belgium is big into chocolate, and Brugge is the epitome of Belgian chocolatedom.
There are plenty of chocolate shops all over town, but those in the know head to Dumon Chocolatier. Dumon is one of the many family run chocolate shops in town. Despite the fact that only a half dozen Keebler elves can fit in this tiny shop, Madame Dumon and her children, who run the place, are busy from open to close. We went back three times, hoping to hit the shop when crowds were thin, to no avail.
Despite the constant lines, the chocolate here is damn good.
With the help of a bit of "Jaunted Luck" we ended up spending the weekend in Antwerp during the seventh annual Bierpassie.
Under the tent we were able to quickly and efficiently suss out the tastiest Belgian beers, of course what follows is just our opinion, well, except for the Michael Jackson thing, that is a fact.
Click "More" for Jaunted's top Belgian beers list...
Meet Cot. Cot is a cool ass bartender who pours drinks at Cafe Bartilia. If you order a Jack & Ginger Cot will look at you like you are insane, which is the appropriate response when someone orders such an American drink in Antwerp.
Cafe Bartilia would be a nice enough bar, however it happens to sit at the head of Antwerp's red light district, which means it has a bit of a seedy side. Truth be told this is just the way we like it. Cot is not at all seedy, he is a normal dude living and working in Antwerp. He tried living in Brussels, but it was just too damn big and ugly, so he found himself back in Antwerp--where he knew his way.
We were on our way to Cafe d'Anvers, mostly because of what we read in the Guardian:
Antwerp can claim to be the birthplace of techno - at least that is what everyone dances to at the ultimate rave club to end a night out, the wild Cafe d'Anvers.
We asked Cot where he would go clubbing and without hesitation he said:
"Petrol. This is not a spot for tourists. This is where we go--it is not in the center of town."
Wanting more info we asked Cot:
"So, did you guys invent techno?"
Cot laughed saying,
"No, I hope not, I hate techno."
We couldn't agree with you more Cot. So to recap, Cafe d'Anvers is a club in the midst of Antwerp's red light district where they blast smoke and techno. The smaller the hours, the more sweaty club rats you will bump into. However, while the kids and tourists are hitting up Cafe d'Anvers, Cot and his posse are rolling off to Petrol, where the real live action takes place.
Antwerp cuisine involves a myriad of choices. Sure, as far as Belgian food goes, you can go frites all day long, but one popular eclectic cafe is Mata Mata & Pili Pili.
Just off Grote Markt, this semi-swank diner serves Congolese chicken and Nigerian beef--yup, it is a African restaurant. If you aren't down with sampling the African dishes you can kick back and down a bevy of exotic cocktails until you convince someone in your group to hit a more traditional cafe.
The Rough Guide to Brussels was our weapon of choice, during our June 2006 jaunt through Belgium. Sometimes these guide books get it right, and sometimes they are off. In this feature, we will tell you what the guide pros said about a place and then give you our take.
Drinking at De Herk Bar in Antwerp:
Rough Guides Says:
Tiny bar in ancient premises--down and alley and set around a courtyard. Twentysomething, modish clientele. Good range of beers and alles--including an excellent Lindemans Gueuze.
Jaunted Says:
Courtyard yes, tiny, sort of, as for the crowd, way off. Now we know crowds can change from night to night, but to us, the night we were there this looked like a place older couples headed to have a drink before a swank dinner. The crowd was thin, dressed to the nines, and almost completely coupled up. Alas, we ducked out before we could dig in to the beer selection.
Antwerp, Belgium's second city, is a fourty minute train ride from Brussels.
Once at Antwerp Centraal Station you will need to take a tram--#15 or #2--downtown to Groen Plaats.
From here you are ready to explore all of Antwerp's boutiques, street art, cafes, bars, nightclubs, cartooneries, and the Schelde River.
What can't be explored easily on foot can be seen via rental bike.
Antwerp and Brussels are definitely rival cities. The Antwerpians we spoke with see themselves as the antithesis to Brussels. Think New York/LA, or Sydney/Melbourne, on a lesser scale of course, after all, this is Belgium.
0 Comments - Add Yours
by markj
