DAY 27: BRUGES

TOURIST attractions can be hit and miss. And it doesn't matter how much you spend on entry,  you can still be disappointed.

So when you stumble on something that is not only value for money but also uniquely authentic and pertinent, you want to tell the world. 

That's how we felt after a visit to Historium this afternoon.

This is a multi-senses, interactive experience, right in the heart of Markt Square.

The attraction actually stands on what was once the city's massive Waterhalle.

With the help of an audio guide and headphones, we stepped back in time to one morning in the Middle Ages to see what Bruges and its major trading port must have been like.

In the year 1435, Bruge was considered the financial capital of Europe. Merchants and the rich and influencial did deals at the Van der Beurze family's inn, the 15th century Huis ter Beurze, that is credited with the beginnings of the European stock exchange and the associated Bourse, which derives its name from the family surname.

Bruge then was a city of 40,000 people - twice the population of today - and it was known for its availability of luxury goods. The London/Paris/New York/Milan of medieval times.

The Historium attraction is so well-researched, planned and set out through a series of seven rooms or sets, film, music and special effects, you not only can see and hear about the city and its golden era, you can smell and just about taste it, too.

The stage is set for an engaging medieval love story of apprentice artist Jacob and Anna, who will model for the painting The Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele by Jan van Eyck. 

Visitors meet the famous painter Van Eyck in his studio, see a slightly censored version of what went on behind closed doors in the many bathhouses of the time (and smell the sage soap and perfumes), head down to the quays and the tollhouse where duty was paid on luxury goods that were so in demand, and grab a digitally reconstructed bird's-eye view of the city (literally, as you follow parakeet Frederico).

In 35 minutes, we had a much better understanding of Bruge's history and which buildings we had seen in our wanderings that were from that time.

Lesson of the day: Beggars come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes are well-dressed as they accost you on the street, usually can speak four or more languages in order to ask for your loose change and often have a dog with them to raise the sympathy factor. They can be either totally silent with eyes down or bowed with cap in hand; or very talkative and persistent, able to spot a tourist at 50 paces. It can be a real culture shock if you have never lived in a big city.

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