In Bruges - 18th April 2026

Hallo from Bruges!!

Yo, we made it. 

Delphi went on the ferry, Jen-Jen drove her off at Dunkirk like a legend on the right-hand side of the road, and just over an hour later, we were parked up in the Bargewarg Campground that is right outside of the Brugges Ring Road.

For those who have followed this blog for a while, you would know that we love this medieval town, and this is about our fourth time here.

However, we don’t know much of the history of the place, and we didn’t have e-bikes before this trip!!

Look out, here we come.

We spent the first few days riding around these beloved streets, looking at buildings, trying to avoid running over tourists and doing things like van maintenance, laundry, meal prep, finding a public pool so that we could have a shower, etc. All things you must do when you live in your car.

We checked out some great buildings in the main square, did a walking tour where we learnt a lot about the history of the place, including the ONE battle that they won in about 1300, that they never stop talking about, why they have so many swans (and a master swan-keeper), who has reigned here, etc.

All very good stuff to know, but not that interesting if you haven’t been there.

We did check out the town hall in the main square and checked out the best political cartoons of 2025. Very poignant - check our favs below.

We also checked out a Salvador Dali exhibition, ate Stoofvles (chips with Flemish stew on top) tried a few different beers - including my old favourite - Cherry, and tried to work out apps for cycling and what certain road signs mean.

After three days, we were excited that we knew a bit more, and still, we will continue to visit this charmer in years to come.

Ciao,

Oh, all right, I’ll tell you about the swans. There used to be a town official whom they all hated called James Longneck or Swaneneck, or something. They kept him prisoner, tortured him and then kicked him out of the town. He came back with the Emperor, and the town basically surrendered straight away. As a reminder never to fuck with the establishment, the Emperor decreed that swans must have a permanent place in Bruges for eternity to remind them that:

a) The long necks were right, and

b) that because swans can turn their heads 180 degrees, someone is always watching.

Cool!