In Bruges

We watched a pretty good dark comedy before we came on this trip titled “In Bruges.” Starring Colin Ferrell, the film was about two hit men hiding out in the charming old Belgian city, and it was filmed on location. This movie gave us an idea what to expect yesterday, but we were still impressed with the winding streets and old buildings. The town is surrounded, and bisected, by canals that come right up to the foundations of the buildings and that are traversed by bridges that look like something out of Venice (if Venice was a cold, overcast, and chilly place.) We had lunch at a tavern that was recommended in a guidebook that promised “only the locals know about it.” Well, only the locals and anyone who read that book, but we were pleasantly surprised when we entered the place and found it as old fashioned as you could possibly want. It was built in 1515 and had a very warm wood burning stove in the dark, wood paneled dining room. A resident dog, possibly a Jack Russell variety, wandered around the tables but we were strictly charged not to feed him. That was a difficult directive since the little fellow took a special liking to me and was cute as hell. The train ride from Brussels to Bruges was really short, and the return trip was brightened by the sun peeking out of the southwest horizon. The countryside is green and very, very muddy, but the houses seem tidy and prosperous. We got back to our palatial apartment before dark, and today we will venture out to see more of this city. I am especially interested in locating the venue for my conference tomorrow morning, and we will likely begin walking in that direction.