This post was last updated on 2024 April 21
Ever visited a place that you had such high hopes for, only to find that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be?
After watching the movie In Bruges, I fully expected to love this Belgian town. I envisioned it being a picturesque, quintessential European village with a canal – which I suppose technically it is. Perhaps my lackluster feelings toward Bruges have something to do with the awful weather that day, or the fact that I got severely lost getting from the train station to the town center (hint: GO UPHILL). But could those setbacks account for the complete lack of charm Bruges exuded the day I visited? I’m not so sure. Throw in the uber-touristy vibe around the town center and I’m about ready to write off Bruges completely. I much preferred Brussels when I went to Belgium in 2010.