In Bruges

Roger tries to personalize his tours to be meaningful to his guests, so once he learned that my husband and I are First Nations, he took us to a memorial to Alex Decoteau, a Cree soldier killed at Passchendale. He was an Olympic Athlete, Canada’s first Indigenous police officer, and a member of Red Pheasant First Nation in Saskatchewan. (Our First Nation is also in Saskatchewan.) We talked about how a greater proportion of Indigenous people volunteered in both world wars than any other group, despite the fact that they were not even considered Canadian citizens at the time (and, thus, were not subject to conscription). We also discussed the shameful way they were treated following the wars. Anyway, we really appreciated the trouble Roger takes to customize his tours whenever possible.

We visited Tyne Cot cemetery where my husband and I took note of how there were many, many tombstones etched with maple leafs. We saw a couple of German “pillbox” bunkers there, too. We also stopped at the Passchendale New British cemetery, where Alex Decoteau is buried, and DH and I visited his grave. We visited a German cemetery, also, as well as the “Brooding Soldier” Saint Julien memorial, which towers 11 metres over the battlefield site where 18000 Canadian soldiers were gassed in the first German gas attacks and 2000 of them perished (and many of the others had long-term health problems as a result of the gassing). I signed the visitor book there and noticed that several maple-leaf mementos of various types had been tucked inside. I had a little maple leaf charm attached to my purse, so I removed it and hooked it to the binder ring next to my note. Finally, we stopped at “The Long Road to Passchendale” monument, with its Celtic Cross and silhouettes of Scottish, British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and South African soldiers, as well as a signpost showing how far they had been from their homes.

Roger dropped us off in central Ypres (our choice), and we stopped for lunch beside the large, Saint Maarten’s Cathedral cathedral which was undergoing restoration.

After lunch, we visited the Menin Gate, at Roger’s suggestion, and, again, saw memorials to Canadian and other Commonwealth soldiers and the wreaths of poppies that lined the staircases. The sweetest was a wreath made by young children, with poppies fashioned from pieces of egg cartons.

We then thought we’d try to make our way to the farm where “In Flanders Fields” was penned. We stopped into the TI in the cathedral to ask about this. The only way seemed to be to rent bicycles, which we could do from the train station. We spent some time trying to download the app, and when we finally succeeded, we headed for the station. However, by the time we got there, we were very hot, and our energy was flagging, so we decided to just head back to Bruges.

Ypres photos: https://www.amazon.ca/photos/share/6tdxCNmFkpY4q39ecHBrdSPCza8PUybO1jRsOZ3uZz1

We took a different route from the Bruges train station towards our B&B, and stopped for dinner at Restaurant Malpertuus, where I had fish and Belgian fries, and DH had mussels. I told the server that I always wanted a man who was full of mussels. DH also tried a local beer, Brugse Zot (“crazy beer”). Again, both the food and service were good.

Continued....

After we got back to our room, we were hot, sweaty, tired, and still getting used to the time difference, so we showered and were relaxing, mostly undressed, in our robes when, suddenly, we heard clomping on the stairs, and then we were shocked to see that there were people right outside our window. We quickly closed the curtains, as they could easily see right into our room. This was upsetting to me, as I am a very shy person who values my privacy, and we had not been told that there could be other people using the terrace. I had no idea if the people were supposed to be there or had just decided to use our terrace, so I decided to ask about it in the morning to see if we had understood the situation correctly before saying anything further.

So, the next morning, at breakfast, I asked Ana if our terrace was private or shared. I asked politely and not in a demanding way or anything. As I said, I’m shy, and it’s hard for me to speak up, so I’m always careful to broach questions or concerns with extreme politeness. However, right away, Ana got into a huge huff and started going on about how of course the terrace is shared and we should have known that because it’s a big terrace. She went on and on about it, in a tone suggested that we were stupid and entitled to think that the terrace could be just for our room, so we felt obliged to explain ourselves. I stammered out that I thought I’d remembered reading something about “private terrace” not “shared terrace,” so that’s where I got the idea. Ana started demanding, “Where??!!! Where did you see that??!!! Show me??!!” I said I didn’t remember, but I thought I had seen it. Then, Ana disappeared for about 20 minutes. A delivery person came by asking where she was, but we didn’t know. When she returned, she said that she had looked at every place the B&B was listed, and she didn’t see anything about private terrace. So, apparently, she had gone off somewhere to search on a computer to prove me wrong. She kept on and on about it, and said that we would just have to keep the curtains closed. My husband said it was dark in the room with the curtains closed, so he asked if there was any possibility of switching rooms. Ana said that she would see if it was possible, but then said it would be a lot of extra trouble and work for her. So, of course we said to please not go to any trouble and that we would stay in the room, as it was only one more night, anyway. For the remainder of our time there, Ana was coldly polite to us. She didn’t smile and spoke to us only in brief, clipped sentences. It was made VERY clear that we had delivered a terrible insult to her by merely asking whether or not the terrace was private. As a shy person who suffers from anxiety, I really felt as if I had done something wrong, and this put a damper on my view of the B&B, which was mostly lovely otherwise.

BTW, it turns out that it’s the B&B’s own website where “private terrace” is listed, although not in relation to a specific unit. However, it does state: “Every suite has its own salon but some suites have an open fireplace or wood stove, others have a terrace along the canal.” Reading it again, I still interpret it to mean that not all suites have access to the terrace. Anyway, clearly I misunderstood, and if Ana hadn’t made such a huge deal about it and had simply stated, “No. The terrace is shared,” that would have been that, and I wouldn’t have been left feeling like a needy idiot. We're used to staying in quirky places, after all.

Continued...

Anyway, our last morning in Bruges, we decided to take a canal boat tour. We walked to one of the stops, where we had just missed a boat, so we needed to wait. Two others were already waiting, and two others came afterward, but that was it. There were only 6 on our boat, whereas every other boat that passed us was full.The tour was lovely, and, when it was done, we decided to walk to have a closer look at some of the sights we’d passed, especially the statue of the patron saint of bridges on the Nepomucenus Bridge. After that, we went in search of the windmills and found them. One was operating and the other was not. We climbed to the top of the small hills that sported each windmill. At this point, I started feeling dizzy due to the heat and lack of sleep, so we began walking slowly back to the B&B.

We had reservations at Restaurant Diligence that evening for dinner for my husband’s birthday. So, after a rest, we headed out in the heat to the restaurant. We arrived a bit early and had to wait for it to open, but were glad that it was cooler inside once we were seated. I had Flemish Stew and DH had Vol-au-vent. Both were delicious. Afterward, for his birthday, the server brought DH a Profiterole with a—“sparkler”—in it. I question “sparkler,” because really it was more of a flare! Anyway, that was a lot of fun.

After dinner we headed back to the B&B to pack and sleep. I was really hoping to catch up on my sleep that evening, but, alas, it was not to be. I wore earplugs, but I was still awakened 3 times by someone clomping loudly on the stairs, going to the terrace. I fell back asleep fairly quickly the first two times, but the third time, which was after 11:30 pm, I had trouble getting to sleep again.

As a result, after we took the train back to Brussels the next day and waited to check into our room at the Hilton Garden Inn Brussels Airport, we were too tired to do a bit of sightseeing in Brussels as we’d planned, so we just stayed in the room and rested up for our trip to Rwanda.

We liked Bruges a lot, and we didn’t find the crowds too overwhelming there, fortunately, but we will stay elsewhere if we ever return. And visiting Ypres was a deeply touching and meaningful day trip.

Bruges photos: https://www.amazon.ca/photos/share/1wBxe9SFTWCfiFgV9qcN9enCK14TiSF8luQ0UeNvR8o

I appreciate your trip details so much, BB! I am planning to add a few cities in Belgium & then France at the end of my RS Portugal tour next year. I like to stay in small hotels or B&B’s, and your experience would be very unsettling to me! I’m fine with quirky rooms. I do like light in a room, and the thought of low ceilings & being forced to have the curtains closed would not be a pleasant experience. And whew, that was an over-the-top reaction to your justified clarifying question.

I agree - the reaction from the owner/ employee was a bit over the top. But next time you will have the chance to try somewhere new. There seem to be so many lovely places to stay in Bruges that I am sure you will fall on your feet next time!

Lavandula

what a shame... not your fault that you inadvertently hit a nerve - no way you would or could have known.

Thanks for the bravery to write the report. I hope that Rwanda is everything you want. Fill us in on the next episode, OK?

I am so sorry that you had this experience at your B&B in Bruges. We stayed there as well and loved it but were not in the same circumstances as you. We were in a second floor room and our bathroom was in the basement……finding our way down a circular stair at 2 in the morning and in the dark was hard….we wished we had asked for a room on the same floor as our toilet! Lovely place to stay but i learned to ask questions FIRST before taking a room.

And visiting Ypres was a deeply touching and meaningful day trip.

We visited Bruges in October last year and also did a WW1 tour and it was a meaningful day for me as well. We also added a weekend in Arras, France to visit Vimy Ridge and Hill 70, and I still talk about the WW1 days more than any other vacation day from last year.

BB, thanks for sharing your trip reports. Bruges is a lovely city. And you really found a gem of a tour guide for your WWI tour.

Sorry your B&B host soured your stay. Based on both your experience and Jane's (toilet several floors away!) we won't be staying at the Canal Deluxe B&B. No amount of services or location make up for a host making a guest uncomfortable.

Thanks, everyone. It really is a very nice B&B, but I won't be recommending it based on my experience. I went back and looked at the reviews on Trip Advisor, and I noted two things:

-Most people who stayed in that suite also thought the terrace was for their exclusive use, although a few did know it was communal. The B&B should be clearer about that when people check into that suite, so there are no surprises. That would have made a difference for us, as we would have been more careful about our dress when the curtains were open.

-The B&B hosts don't handle any concerns, questions, or criticisms well. Instead of learning from them, apologizing, or taking steps to solve the problems, they lash out. I noticed this in their responses to any reviews that weren't overwhelmingly positive, and that should have been a red flag for me before I booked.

Nigel, our trip to Rwanda is done, and it was amazing! I will be doing a trip report, but I will probably post it at the Safari Talk forums and link to it here. Actually, I might copy it here, but I like that the ST forums allow one to embed photos into the report.

BB,
We stayed in Bruges this past April and enjoyed our room and time at Canal Deluxe. However, I can completely understand why that experience with Ana would taint your time at the B&B. We were very fortunate to have our room on the main floor, right next to the breakfast room. It did offer a private portion to a terrace that was walled in and no view of the canal. We were told when we arrived that it was private and all to ourselves. I'm so sorry you had a less-than-ideal time at CD.

We also ate at Republiek and enjoyed it! We adored the Zot beer! I wish I could find it in the states! Duval and other brands I saw on our trip are readily available at the World Market, but Zot is such a small production, we'll probably not find it without a mail order.
Thanks for your report!

~Mitzi

I really appreciated your description of your visit to Ypres. I am family genealogist and enjoy going out on limbs of my trees to find relatives that moved to the PNW of USA and Canada and visit their graves if possible. I found some cousins in Lynden WA on my Dad's side that came out West. They were building the railroads, and one was a Log Rider for a lumber company who retired to a farm where he died. A Young Mom died of the Spanish Flu in 1918, some claim that it was brought back by soldiers home from WWI. Her 2 babies that had died previously were reburied next to her. I cried. I felt the connection,

Came back to say I appreciate that you posted photos and looking forward to your Rwanda report. I especially liked the one of who I assume is your hubby. Was it just luck that the photo is as dramatic as it looks or are you an amateur photographer? And you aren't kidding, that sparkler looks like a jet engine. Too bad there's no photo of both of you, I always enjoy putting a face to the OP. Who knows, maybe we've passed each other at YYC on our travels.

You always have lovely photos with such interesting views. I loved seeing some of the places I was at in April, but also glimpses of details I totally missed! Thank you!

Sorry for your experience at Canal Deluxe B&B. I can understand why you were unhappy.
We have stayed there twice, and loved it, and would return. We had only positive experiences with the staff, and I believe that Tine is the owner, who lives in the front section of the building. As with many buildings in Bruges, it is a quirky structure, but charming. We had a wood burning fireplace, and the daily sweet treats were exceptional. I have stayed in the three-floor unit, ("Cottage Euphrasie") with the bathroom downstairs. The "basement bathroom" includes a claw-footed tub, brick accents, and is newly refurbished and spotless. It is, however, a trek in the middle of the night.
The gal I was traveling with had a bday, and the staff overheard, and left her a small, chilled bottle of champagne with a card. It was a delightful touch.
My favorite is the two floor unit, with the beautiful front garden, fireplace, and canal view from the back. (I didn't write down its name.)
All of the units are different, and a few are on one floor. I believe the property is six units total.
Glad you still enjoyed Bruges.

Great report. It’s a shame about the B&B, people can just be crazy. You did a lot with a little bit of time. Booking that tour was such a smart way to enhance your experience. Hope you got some sleep on the plane, best of luck the rest of the way.

Thanks everyone.

Kathleen, your genealogical studies sound fascinating.

Allan, yes, that's my husband (not the most flattering pic, though), and you can catch a glimpse of me sitting in the window bench of the Provincial Court building.

I'm definitely a very amateur photographer, but I find that taking photos is how I like to interact with new places, and it helps me to focus on details I might overlook otherwise.

Now, off to start on my Rwanda report. There is a LOT to tell.

I'm sorry about your experience at the B&B but glad so much of your sightseeing went well. We were only there for a few hours so I appreciatie reading about a longer visit.