PlanetSKI Visits Belgium

In truth not a lot, but there are connections, and we have been sporadically posting this summer about what PlanetSKI gets up to outside of the winter ski season.

Judging by the page views the articles have received, our readers have an interest.

Earlier this month we were in Greece where we learnt much about the skiing in the country known more for sand than snow.

• PlanetSKI prepares for winter on the Greek island of Tinos

Now we are in Belgium.

Day One:

The start of the journey on the Eurostar jolted our ski memory as it reminded us how travelling by the train to the Alps is a pleasure rather than a chore.

• Arrival just an hour or so before departure
• Simple security and check in
• No weight restrictions on luggage
• An attractive building
• Comfortable seats
• Great views as the landscape rolls by

We’ll again be travelling to the Alps by train next season without doubt.

The train to Brussels stopped at Lille, where in the winter one simply changes platforms to head to the Alps.

This ski season the timetable has been extended.

• Eurostar service to the French Alps expands

Now Belgium has a few skiing connections.

It has a handful of ski areas when conditions allow and some indoor ski slopes.

We wouldn’t recommend it as a ski destination at all, but we always find it interesting to discover anywhere in the world where skiing can be found.

Baraque de Fraiture in the Ardennes region is the highest point in Belgium at 654m.

This makes it one of the best spots in Belgium for outdoor skiing – if snow falls.

It is located in Vielsalm and offers three ski slopes with three ski lifts.

There is also Val de Wanne, with two ski lifts and a 1km slope – the longest in Belgium.

There is also over 10kms of cross-country skiing when enough snow falls.

Other ski areass include Le Montry Lierneux, Montes des Brumes, Ovifat and Thier des Rexhons.

Only two ski areas allow snowboarders, due to safety issues: Baraque de Fraiture and Thiers des Rexhons.

There are indoor slopes at the Ice Mountain Adventure Park in Komen that has two slopes (210m and 85m).

There are two other indoor ski slopes – SnoWorld Antwerpenn and Snow Valley in Peer.

The Belgians love their skiing and are an important market for the alpine destinations.

The Benelux countries are in the top three overseas market for many major resorts.

Out of a total population of 12m it is estimated 11% of Belgians ski.

On this short trip to Belgium we are heading to Bruges.

Like many of the smaller and lesser-known ski resorts I visit in the winter, I am arriving in the ancient city with little knowledge of the place and an open mind.

When I visit as ski area that I do not know then I much prefer to view it without any pre-conceptions and take it for what it is.

This approach held me in good stead at the end of last season:

• Les Sybelles: the largest French ski area you have never heard of
• PlanetSKI slows down in Val d’Arly

It is the same with Bruges.

I have heard of its beautiful city centre and its wonderful restaurants, but I shall be visiting with my eyes and ears wide open and simply going with the flow.

On first impression it has more than a passing resemblance to one of our favourite cities in the Alps- Innsbruck in Austria.

Day Two:

Bruges is the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium and is the sixth largest city in the country.

It is defined by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings.

Its history stretches back to Roman times, though there are early signs of human habitation in the Bronze Age.

The centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By day it reveals itself in all its glory.

Bruges reminds me in so many ways of Innsbruck in Austria – my favourite city in the Alps.

Like Innsbruck it is steeped in history and simply oozes medieval atmosphere and charm.

Bruges is knows as ‘Venice of the North’, and has more than a passing resemblance to ‘Venice of the Alps’ – Annecy.

Bruges received its city charter on 27th July 1128, and new walls and canals were built.

It had direct access to the sea at that time and a golden era was set to begin, based in part on cloth, wool and weaving.

It became a centre of trade and it is from sea-faring trade that its boom was based and the city blossomed.

It saw unseen economic growth and it turn into one of the most influential trading cities in north-west Europe.

French Kings, Italian bankers, ruling families like the Houses of Burgundy & Habsburg all got in on the action and left their mark on the city.

It became one of the most powerful cities in medieval Europe.

However by 1500 the Zwin channel, also known as the Golden Inlet, that linked it to the sea became silted up.

Soon it was to fall behind Antwerp as the main port of the Low Countries and went into sharp decline.

In the early 16th century it was declared bankrupt as its glory days became a thing of the past.

For three centuries it was a shadow of its former self, the period is known as ‘Bruges La Morte’ (The Dead Age of Bruges).

In the second half of the 19th century, Bruges turned itself into one of the world’s first tourist destinations, attracting wealthy British and French tourists.

To this day it relies on tourism.

They come for its history and culture.

In World War 1 German forces occupied Bruges and fortunately it suffered little damage before being liberated in October 1918.

It had a similar fate in World War Two and was occupied by the Germans from 1940,  and again spared destruction.

On 12 September 1944, it was liberated by Canadian troops.

After 1965, the original medieval city experienced a ‘renaissance’.

Restorations of residential and commercial structures, historic monuments, and churches generated a surge in tourism and economic activity in the city centre.

International tourism boomed and remains so to this day.

Apart from the history and culture what do most people come for?

The Moules:

The Macaroons:

The Beer:

Bruges, Belgium. Image © PlanetSKI

And let’s not forget the chocolate, and the waffles.

Plus the odd windmill or two.

Tomorrow the sightseeing proper begins as we take to the canals, climb the 366 steps of the city’s main bell tower and visit the impressive Town Hall.

Day Three:

The first part of this Belgian blog had a small amount to do with skiing.

The posts following have absolutely nothing to do with skiing.

All the better for it, as Bruges is one of the most fascinating and picturesque cities in northern Europe, and skiers and snowboarders do have wider interests after all.

Today is set to be a full day of tourist sightseeing, so best get started with a Belgian breakfast- caffeine and cake.

More about the food in Bruges later, but suffice to say it is generally superb.

We’re going to visit the museums, the churches, the towers and take to the water on a canal cruise.

The city is steeped in history, as we discovered by chance only a few hundred yards from breakfast.

It may be a hotel now, but this building was the Royal Palace of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1656 until 1659.

Bruges, Belgium. Image © PlanetSKI

King Charles II held Court here until the restoration of the monarchy.

He loved Flanders and Bruges in particular.

“The Flemings are the most honest and true-hearted race of people I have met with,” he said in 1662.

Next stop – the City Hall.

Construction started in 1376, and it was finished in 1421.

It is one of the oldest in the Low Countries and it is from this building that the city has been governed for more than 600 years.

It sits to this day.

Inside it is an absolute treat.

On the ground floor there are larger than life paintings.

Then, on the first floor, the 14th century City Hall itself.

Murals painted in the early 20th century adorn its walls and depict the history of Bruges.

And don’t forget to appreciate the stained glass windows.

In the adjacent historic hall, there is a permanent exhibition depicting the important role played by the sea in Bruges’ prosperity.

There is an an interactive exhibition on the lost Zwin ports and it’s a truly fascinating listen.

Highly recommended by PlanetSKI.

There are some original art and archaeological objects, including a medieval map of Bruges showing the canals that surround it, and its link to the sea.

The detail of the city centre back then is strikingly similar to today.

Top right is the 83-metre high Belfort (belfry).

It is one of the three iconic towers of Bruges, together with the towers of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), and Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (St Saviour’s Cathedral).

The Belfort is one of the oldest examples of medieval urban and public architecture.

It testifies to the late medieval self-consciousness of cities and burghers.

Since 1999, the Belfort, together with 55 other surviving belfries in Belgium and France, has been recognised as a UNESCO world heritage listed building.

We are hiking in St Gervais in the French Alps later this week so a climb up the 366 stairs seemed a decent warm up.

 

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At the top are impressive views of Bruges and the surrounding area.

Bruges, Belgium. Image © PlanetSKI

On the way up you call in at the treasury where the city stamps, seals, and funds were kept in the Middle Ages.

One floor up you reach the impressive music turned out by the carillon and from the tower you see the keyboard now used for the carillon bells.

After the tower is was time to return to sea level, on the canals that intersect the city centre.

€15 for a 35-minute trip.

Bruges, Belgium. Image © PlanetSKI

There are 43 bridges and the oldest one, in the background below, is 750 years old.

Time just slips away on the water and, like a visit to The City Hall and Belfort, is a ‘must-do’ tourist activity when in Bruges.

Now we mentioned the food in Bruges earlier.

It is out of this world, and mostly at a reasonable price.

Thank you Bruges, it has been a fabulous and fascinating time.

Next stop, St Gervais in the French Alps for that autumn hiking we mentioned.

Updated:

• Shoulder season in the Alps

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