What to do while in Bruges

1) The Halve Maan brewery tour was undoubtedly our favorite stop. The informative, funny, English tour through their newly renovated brewery includes one free beer and a view that trumps that of the Belfort 10 times over. €7.50, tours leave hourly. Times and information here. My full tour review here.  

2) Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk) is currently under construction; however, you can still see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child up close in a separate section for a small fee. We watched Monuments Men the day before and appreciated the statue, and the sacrifices made to save it, even more. Church entrance is free, but €2 to enter the section with Madonna and Child (fee is currently reduced due to construction). Website with address here and opening times here. 

3) The food in this city is amazing. How can you pick between Belgian chocolates, waffles, beer, and French fries? Don't! Sample them all. Though our waffles were not as good as the ones we had in Brussels, they let me eat just the dough. Weird, I know, but delicious. I was validated to hear that I am not even close to the first person to enjoy the waffle this way.



4) We were lucky enough to visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood (Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed) on a day they were offering adoration of the Relic containing Jesus' blood. This meant we were actually able to walk up to it, place our hand on it and say a prayer. The blood was collected as Joseph of Arimathea washed the dead body of Christ. It made its way to Bruges in the 12th century after the King of Jerusalem gave it to the Count of Flanders for his heroism during the 2nd Crusade. If you're lucky enough to visit Bruges on a Ascension Day (May 14 in 2015),  you can catch the Procession of the Holy Blood (Heilig Bloedprocessie), during which the Relic is taken through the city as part of a large procession. Entrance to the church (including the relic) is free. Opening times available here. Adoration is offered every Wednesday from 10:00 - 11:00 and during the Week of Prayers (May 10-17 in 2015).

5) The Markt is the beautiful market square in the the center of Bruges, and home to the Belfry (bell tower), Provincial Court, great architecture, and boat loads of tourists. Try to make out there early to avoid the latter. Skip the long lines and €8 fee at the Belfry - we waited for an hour and regretted it after seeing the included view during the tour of the Halve Maan Brewery. The view from the Belfry is obstructed by caged in windows.

6) Walk around! The city couldn't be more perfect if I plucked it out of my imagination. The canals are beautiful, there is interesting architecture everywhere, and the food is amazing. Find a place to take some pictures, but don't feel pressured to do so at the locations recommended by the guidebooks. Those were filled with tourists and not worth the struggle. Minnewater Lake is a beautiful stop, or peruse one of the markets around the city.