A WEEKEND IN BRUGES
FAMILY FUN & NORTHERN EUROPEAN CHARM
The Adams family had a bank holiday weekend getaway planned well before my trip and they graciously invited me to tag along! Megan and Rupert and Genevieve had been once before and I’m almost positive I went when studying in France in college, but I need to verify that on an old passport when I get home.
The ease of European travel was part of the allure of moving back to London for the Adams, and COVID put a pretty serious damper on that. Easy it was indeed: We hopped in Lars (the family Volvo) with T & G in their car seats and me folded neatly into the third row. We drove through South London and to Folkestone to drive aboard the ferry to France. The car-carrying train takes just 35 minutes and we were in Calais, France by mid-morning.
The first stop was to appeal to Rupert’s fascination with the French hypermarché, a sort of Costco of Europe where you can find everything from motor oil and clothes to pharmacy items and fresh cheeses breads, along with a wide variety of frozen and packaged foods. We chose one called Auchan en route to Bruges. We packed a cart full of rosé, water, kids snacks, baguettes and a few other sundry items and continued onward.
We arrived to the quaint, cobblestoned canal city of Bruges an hour later and checked into the Jan Brito, a charming, slightly rustic hotel just outside of the ville’s main plazas. What the Jan Brito lacked in modernity, it more than made up for in hospitality and service, even going so far as to give us Euro coins to satisfy a tooth fairy emergency.
Bruges with a 5- and 2-year on the narrow streets is not exactly easy, but those two were absolute troopers, given the early start to the day and non-kid friendly touring. Naturally, we had a Belgian waffle; Rupert made the executive decision to go plain with just raspberries and those bright Northern European berries popped with flavor on the caramelized waffle.
Happy hour was done camp style at the local playground, where we let the playground do the parenting and we enjoyed cocktails on the bench. I think Megs and Rupert could create a guidebook on the best playgrounds of Europe in the near future!
We had an early dinner that night near the plaza, where both the beef and chicken stew were the stars. Megan and I put the kids (and Rups) to bed and went in search of a cocktail bar. Our hotel directed us to Bar Ran and the recommendation was a fabulous one. Two manhattans later and Megan and I were fast friends with Ran himself, along with a few of the regulars.
Day two in Bruges brought the highlight of the trip. We rented bikes and endeavored upon the 20 kilo canal path to Sluis, Holland. T was strapped in a seat on Megan’s bike and Rupert and G rode tandem. Those little 5-year old legs did 40 kilos of riding that day! The day started out chilly, but warmed up as we approached Holland and found lunch, some beverages, ice cream and a great little day outing. If you asked me what Sluis was known for, my reply would probably be soft serve ice cream and a heavy population of sex shops.
We headed back for an early dinner and Megan and I discovered a little courtyard in our hotel to descend upon for post-dinner wine.
The next morning we packed up and hit the road early for the return journey to London, stopping in the seaside town of Knokke, the northeastern most seaside town of Belgium. While it was still low season there, it was sunny enough for a jaunt on the beach and an alfresco lunch along the boardwalk. Full of ritzy shops, boutique hotels and oceanfront properties, it could easily be compared to the Hamptons of Northern Europe. I hope the Adams make it back there for another family holiday.
For anyone looking for short weekend or day trips from England or France, Bruges and Belgium, in general, are a charming destination for families and friends.
