Everyone is so darned nice.
It’s so darned quiet!
Cantankerous Old Coots don’t usually struggle to find something to complain about. These days there is always something wrong. Most everywhere you go people mess up, take shortcuts, don’t care about doing things right or just have low standards. Your only problem is where to start. Sometimes it is just different standards. There are places where crappy is considered just fine. I’m not going to name names here but you know what I mean. There are others where people make apologies and give excuses but still refuse to do things right when all it would take is a little extra effort. It is really hard in my experience to find a place where doing things right is not only expected, it is the practice.
Everything is clean and spotless.
Alright I will name a few names. Take Rome, for example, where a toilet seat is regarded an unnecessary indulgence or take Buenos Aires where virtually every sidewalk is cracked, broken and dangerous with no attempt at repairs but I will stop there because I intend to stay positive today. I don’t want to. Those cantankerous juices are still boiling away down deep in my psyche but somehow I just can’t bring them to the surface. I’m surrounded by insufferable niceness and extreme order and tidiness. It’s like I’ve been dipped in Belgian chocolate. I’m drenched in Belgian sweetness and order and there seems to be nothing I can do about it. It’s just impossible to be negative in Brugge Belgium (or Bruges Belgium if you prefer- they don’t seem to have decided) and everything is perfect.
All the streets – even the back ones- are beautiful.
I’m sitting by a lake called Minnewasser as the sun rises and I am surrounded by red brick gothic style houses and big trees. There are no trucks, cars or even bicycles and people are scarce as well. It is quiet and soothing. I’d like to tell you that his idyllic scene is rare in Brugge but it’s not. The whole city is laid back. The biggest risk you take walking the streets is to be run down by a lady with a shopping bag barreling down the street on her bicycle.
Nobody gets excited. There is no hurry, no traffic lights and no horns even though cars are permitted on most of the streets and no police. The Market area is touristy and filled with people and yet laid back at the same time. Order and quiet is the directive here in Brugge. All services are provided quietly, efficiently and politely.
The most raucous sounds that fill the air are the bells chiming “It’s a long way to Tipperary.” It’s a British drinking song and Belgians like their beer but other than that I have no idea why they are playing that song. Belgians love their beer and there are plenty of places to drink but even the bars are polite and quiet.
Ordinarily I’d find some ammunition for a rant here but somehow I just can’t rouse the energy. I’ve been in Brugge too long
