There were really only 2 things I wanted to do in Bruges and we saved them for last: a climb to the top of the bell tower and a boat cruise of the canal.
The bell tower is so freaking cool! I’m sure it wasn’t designed with crazy tourists in mind but there are periodic rest stops available. The first is a treasure room and the second held all sorts of clock parts.
My favorite rest stop was the drum room. I had read that the bells chime not only on the hour and half hour but also the quarter and eighth hour. I REALLY wanted to see the drum turn and so I patiently waited in the drum room for the quarter hour to come and go. While I waited there was the rhythmic ticking one would expect when sitting in or near a giant clock. When the quarter hour arrived the drum did not spin as I had hoped. In fact I wasn’t able to see any change. I heard a whirling noise much like the creepy clockwork figures in a particular Doctor Who episode but nothing else. I honestly didn’t realize that was it until I finished the climb and Chris informed me that the bells did in fact ring.
The view from the top and the experience of hearing the bells chime the half hour were well worth the climb! On the way back down, I saw a previously overlooked room that housed various computer equipment which makes me suspect the drum is not as functional as I would have hoped. Ah well. Still incredible!
Taking a canal tour
The driver of our canal boat ride greeted us in English and pointed out our seats to us. In fact, he greeted every guest in their language and gave the tour in four (!!!) languages: Dutch, French, English and German. He is my linguist hero.
He gave us quite an overview of the city and its history. My favorite joke occurred at a low bridge that we couldn’t pass under. He referred to it’s the tunnel of love: go through it with the love of your life ? and if it turns out that it wasn’t true love, just keep going. The train station is just past the tunnel on your left ?
My other favorite tidbit is in regards to the precursor to email. Ever hear of p-mail? No? Yeah me neither. It was a silly joke about how pigeons were used to carry messages back and forth back in the day. The cool thing is that you can still see the pigeon doors at the top of many of the houses. I doubt they’re currently in use but how fun would it be to live in one of these houses and start that backup again? Kids, this is a WAY cooler idea than that tin can and string thing… Just saying ?
