The Venice of the North- Bruge

Lying along the northwest Flemish region of Belgium is a charming little town by the name of Bruge. Just a fifty minute train ride away from Brussels, which leaves every half hour during the daytime, makes for the perfect day trip for anyone visiting the area. Easily accessible from the train station, you area able to walk around Bruge within a day and enjoy all of the quaint and cozy attractions that this town has to offer.

Bruge is a well preserved medieval town and you definitely get that vibe when arriving. With cobblestone streets, horse drawn carriages, and the medieval architecture styled buildings, it's as if a time machine took you back to the 14th century (but with better hot chocolate) ;)

The buildings are brick with the unique style of rooftop which looks as if it were a staircase. When lined up next to each other, it makes a for a blocky, atheistically pleasing affect. There are also old midevil churches and towers still intact which are some of the oldest medieval towers still standing. The "Church Of Our Lady" is a very famous church located in the city center with winding spires reaching heights of 400 ft. Even though the climb to the top of these spires sounds exhausting, the view is worth the effort, trust me.

The City Center of Bruge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a wonderful place to sit and have lunch. With restaurants lining the buildings, it was great place to relax, have a few bites and people watch. We happened to be there when they were setting up the Christmas markets and the center was alive. Here they have everything from clothing stores to Belgian chocolate shops.I don't think you can throw a stone without hitting a chocolate shop in Belgium.

One church in particular is quite unique. Called "Heilige Bloed Basiliek" (translating to Basilica Of The Holy Blood), resides a beautiful gothic church located in the Burg square. Being named adequately, the church houses a vial of blood that is said to belong to Jesus Christ. Many come to pay homage to the vile. Be sure to get there early because many tourists flock to this church to lay eyes the vile for themselves.

Europeans call Bruge "The Venice of the North" for good reason. The town has canals running though the backyards of houses and adorable arch bridges around every corner plastered with overlapping and intertwining vines. We were lucky enough to be in Bruge during fall so all of the vines and trees were changing beautiful gold and red colors.

Now, lets talk chocolate. If you are a chocolate lover, Belgium will be your new best friend. And the mixture of wandering around Bruge's canals and narrow winding streets on a chilled fall day with a few truffles in hand and a hot coco in the other is the perfect combination for a magical afternoon. Belgian chocolate is so good, Belgian people just assume that chocolate is like this around the world and are disappointed when they taste anything other than. I can not stress to you how many times my eyes rolled into the back of my head from biting into a apple-crumble filled chocolate truffle (they have countless flavors). You will have no trouble finding a Belgian chocolate shop because they are everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Just look how colorful they are.

And the best thing about having the best chocolate in the world is that you can make the best hot chocolate in the world. Getting to choose from an assortment of rich milk and dark chocolates, you can create a concoction of flavors which will be liquified by steamed milk, stirred, and ready for enjoyment. Unmelted chunks of chocolate float to the top which you can slurp up first. The rest is just heaven. Standing alongside a back alley canal while gulping down this juice from the gods made it that much more enjoyable. Average drinking time: 6 minutes.

If you're a beer lover, Belgian beer is fantastic. One of my favorite local Belgian beers is called "Delirium". The Delirium 'Tremens' is a pale blond and goes down really smooth. The Delirium 'Tremens' has been voted best beer in Chicago for a few years in a row now. However, my favorite is the the Delirium 'Nocturnum' dark brown red. It tastes a bit like caramel and chocolate.

What makes Bruge so magical is the atmosphere. Surrounded by medieval style buildings, a glossy, calm watered canal reflecting the colorful leaves ready to fall from their branches, artists painting masterpieces by easel on the corner block- the town is simply a fairytale. The thing that makes Bruge most whimsical are the giant swans everywhere. When you first enter the town, you are met with a gaggle of swans in a wide canal either relaxing on the shore or wadding in the water. And every canal you pass, you'll find a few swimming beneath the bridges. These beautiful birds make Bruge that much more lovely.

If you've ever seen the movie "In Bruge" starring Colin Farrell, you will know why people have such an affinity for this town. The film is about a mafia hit gone horrible wrong and the hitman had to lay low in Bruge for a while. Coming from a big city, this hitman was not too impressed with the fairy tail-esque nature of the town, causing shenanigans and mischief everywhere he went. I watched this film after I had gone to Bruge and it made it more enjoyable to point out all of the spots I had walked along not 2 hours before. If you watch this film before visiting, try not to let Colin Farrell's outlook on Brug affect your experience with this place, it's better than he says.