Trifter

ANY chocoholic in the Belgian city of Bruges must think that they have died and gone to heaven.  This ancient city has 40 chocolateries in and around the Market Place

Bruges was founded by the Vikings during the 9th Century and its heart, almost surrounded by canals is considered by many to be the best preserved example of a medieval Flanders town.

The Chocolate Fairy tells the story of chocolate from its Mayan origins to today’s chocolate connoisseurs via the Spanish Conquistadors in the Chocolate factory.  Visitors also get a tasting session, which is just as well as chocolate can be very expensive in this city of dark delights.

However the city is not just chocolate.  The Frietmuseum is the only museum in the world that is devoted to the humble chip.  The story of chips, along with the best recipes for cooking them is contained on the three floors of a magnificent historic building..

Lovers can explore the canals which flow under arched stone wide bridges that allow a great deal of privacy.

Visitors call stroll through the quiet quarter of St Anne with its attractive streets, magnificent churches and a working 18th Century windmill.

They can relax in the al fresco cafes that surround the Market Square and listen to the regular quarterly chimes of the carillon way up in the belfry. The more energetic are invited to tackle the 386 steps that lead up to a closer view of the bells.

De Halve Manns is the city’s last working brewery and offers a three-quarter hour visitor’s tour which finishes with a complementary glass of beer in a bar that extends into a vibrant beer garden.