Ever have those days where everything goes wrong? This was our trip to Bruges... We had waited until the last minute to buy our train tickets (not sure what I was thinking there); so instead of paying only $40 dollars, we paid $130. Lesson to be learned here is: buy your tickets as far in advance as you can and then pay for the upgrade to exchange; it will still be less that what you will pay last minute. After a rushed breakfast and goodbye to our Paris hosts, we headed for the train station. Unfortunately the train we were to catch to Gare du Nord was cancelled because there were people on the tracks. We ran frantically around the metro station trying to figure out an alternate route, when a friendly passerby noticed our distress and asked to help. He determined the easiest route for us, then walked us to the correct line and explained which stop to make the change. Unfortunately we were too late into Gare du Nord to catch our train to Bruges, so we had to go out of the station to the Thalys lounge to try and exchange our tickets for a later train. The lady at the counter took pity on us and exchanged our tickets for free. Fortunately there was another train soon departing, so we didn’t have to wait long. We were able to find a few open seats and sat down with a sigh of relief; thinking our drama for the day was over.
On arrival in Bruges, we went to the information center to get directions to the hotel; it was a 25min walk away, but with many bags we decided it would be more convenient to take the bus which stopped near our B&B. Many of the small stops are unmarked and the bus will not stop unless specifically requested and by the time we realized we had already passed our stop. The driver suggested we disembark at the next stop and catch one of the returning lines. As we waited another bus came by, though not the correct line. We must have looked the part of lost tourists as the driver waved us over and asked us where we were trying to go. We showed him our map with our hotel marked; he knew the place and wrote down on a slip of paper a famous restaurant nearby and told us to give it to the next driver. A few minutes later the correct bus came along and we showed the driver the paper and he said he would stop for us. We had only traveled one stop when Amy realized she had left her backpack at the bus stop. It was a bright and sunny day, and having gotten warm, she had set the backpack down to remover her coat, then forgotten to grab it when the bus had arrived. Frantic, she jumped off the bus to run back to the stop while I continued on to our destination with our bags. I managed to lug our 4 bags down the cobbled streets to our B&B #11 Guesthouse. I checked in and informed the hostess Carla what had happened to Amy, then returned to the station to meet her. Unfortunately in the 5-10mins we left the stop, the bag had been taken. In it contained everything of importance; her iphone, passport, camera, credit cards and money, all her boarding documents, home and car keys, and her work laptop. All gone in a 5min blunder. She had made a copy of her passport, but had kept it in the same place; a rather common mistake.
Sadly the entirety of her time in Bruges was spent filing a report at the police station, cancelling credit cards, and getting folks back home to find her passport number. Luckily she had an old passport a friend was able to scan and send to my phone, so she would have some form of identification. There was little I could do other than lend her money, so I left her with my phone and tablet and explored the city on my own.
I have travelled to many places in the world and over time that initial awe of being someplace new has mellowed to happy complacency. However, Bruges charmed me like Venice Italy had on my very first international trip. Small and cute, with cobbled streets and lazy canals, its old world charm embraces you like an intimate hug from a long lost friend. I had just arrived, and I wanted to come back already. I felt bad for Amy that such a wonderful place would be marred by her unfortunate experience. Our B&B, chic and cozy, was next to the canal, on a quiet pedestrian street, and only a few minutes to the main tourist plaza. It was a joy to get lost in the narrow alleys, filled with tearooms, chocolate shops, and waffle stands. My dinner was steamed mussels in white wine and garlic sauce and a draft of local beer in a dimly lit pub called Diligence. Both beer and mussels were delicious and I left satisfied and sated. Despite the drama in the morning, I was happy to be in Bruges.
