Bits of Bruges

“De Garre” (Triple de Garre),

The name alone makes you dream of a long distant port of the hanseatic league, covered in fog on a winter dusk.

Its one of the best bars in Brugge (not that there are many there)

Good times! Been there less then 6 times but thats because no one knows about it!!

I found a review posted by someone at boo.com

anonymous says:

“ I wouldn’t have found it if I hadn’t seen 2 men emerge from the small arch in the stone wall, but an incredible place. It will take you back in time and Yes, that house beer is strong. That and their special peach beer are the best I’ve ever tasted. They brought small chunks of cheese and it’s a… more it’s a place to linger. I recommend going upstairs, but just know, you’ve got to get back down the steep, narrow stairway .

The eatery

Now, life in Bruges is definitely not night oriented. This is a UNESCO world heritage city, full of renaissance architecture and beautiful channels that earn it the nickname `the Venice of the North of Europe`.

Bars close at 12 o ‘clock and afterwards thats it! sleep-bound to the tourists and locals and dormitory resistance vigils to the College of Europe students. Add that to the fact that flemish and dutch have the strongest beers around and you will begin to understand the importance of notching before hitting the valley of the sheets.

Most of my nights out weren’t complete without having a medium or large pack of `frites` (fries). The fries were not invented by the french, but by the belgiums instead. Frites are a delicacy all over belgium, especially the flemish side of the border. As far as I know there was only one trailer that sold them at night in Bruges. This one was located in the Markt (the big square), against the walls of the city hall, in the corner with Wollestraat.

Many nights I went there, The specificity of these frites is the many sauces to chose from go with them. (paid individually). My favorite was sauce tartar even because the menu is almost always in flemish and I couldnt even spell or say most of the sauces names.

This trailer was cheap for most prices in Belgium and saved my from hunger many times.

Quick Hamburguers

Another saving grace when the hunger stroke in those many battles against studying in your room or simply coming back from a rugby practice at night several km away by train, was `quick`.

Quick is a fast food chain, sort of like McDonalds, but limited to a few countries in the Benelux area and this one in particular with a better view (right off the main square- how they convinced the authorities to open in such a priviledged zone, evades my comprehension).

They re not quick preparing your food, but it sure paid off.

Theres an Irish Pub, located right on the back of the Markt, that we used to go a lot. I fact one of the national college parties, those organized by groups of nationals in the college to celebrate their country’s traditions and values and present them to the colleagues, took place there.

If I remember well, it was kind of a sports bar, I have a vague recollection.. I keep two single individual pieces of photo memory from that place: one was on my way there with a greek coleague of mine, that got married recently, on our way to a study party with optional beer..The other one was on my way to the bathroom, looking up my shoulder and seeing a bunch of british tourists at one of those so typical football/rugby soirees they put together in Belgium and worldwide. Stella was the patron there.