Magic of a fairytale town
By G.S. Aujla

EUROPE abounds in small fairy tale towns. One such unmistakable city of fabled romance and beauty is Brugge — almost equidistant either way from the capital city of Brussels and the East end sea city of Oostende in Belgium.

The main central square in Brugge is an easy ten-minute walk from anywhere in the essential town.

When the walking gets a little tedious you are not very far from a horse-pulled coach often driven by a petite Belgian dame. She very honourably solicits you to get into the carriage for a guided tour of the essential downtown.

The stately, ambling horses pulling these royal carriages can be heard from behind by their very ubiquitous hoofed footfall. They gently move towards or away from you — getting lost in the maze of antique chapels and residential edifices.

While you marvel at the unique architectural features of these buildings you are never really cut off from the old world charm and appeal of the place.

Brugge is a city which does not believe in the modern day roller-pressed roads. Almost the entire city has black cobblestone passages beautifully laid in semi-circular designs gently sloping from end to end. While the buildings display a great deal of Renaissance architectural design, every building has its own distinct features of windows, doors, arches and curves.

The straight line facade co-exists with minutely carved arches and multi-stepped cantilevers. One is often struck by the frequent occurrence of centuries old buildings that have withstood the ravages of time to represent the timeless beauty of the place.

The most irresistible is the afternoon motor-boat ride through the canal. It takes you to the heart of the real Belgium. While the boat meanders through the canals you are struck by the beauty of creepers climbing up to the fifth storey of the buildings in neatly cut foliage. One can see the parapets housing the most beautiful and colourful flowers jutting out of the windows in pots of myriad shapes and sizes.

The low bridges through which motor-boat vends its way have been the gateways to millions of tourists visiting this pristine haven.

Known for its cottage industry of weaving intricate lace you may walk into any show room to pick up anything in lace — from a brassiere to the double bed spreads. You pick up a piece representing a landscape in thread always shy of using it for fear of doing violence to the art it depicts.

Unsullied by commercial onslaught, everything in the town looks hand-made. You do not see a single modern-day monstrosity in Brugge. Conservatism, with all its positive connotations, seems to be the watchword for this unique tourist spot.

Brugge is best seen on foot. After a day-long walk in the streets of Brugge, when you sit down in a corner to have an inebriating cup of coffee you marvel at the indestructible beauty of the place. Especially since this town has seen so many bloody battles fought all around it.

Its beauty belies the destruction this region sustained in World War I. Eight decades after the War, the farmers here still uncover 200 tonnes of artillery every year as they plough the fields.