My wife and I, as well as three other couples visited Brugge September 7, 2009. We were on a cruise and took a taxi from Zeebrugge for the day. This was my third visit to this very beautiful city. We were there for 3 days in 1997 and again for 3 days in 2001. I saw quite a difference in some of the merchants’ attitudes. The first restaurant would not seat us because we wanted a table for eight. We understood and we stated that we would be happy to split up. He said “no that would not be possible”. I would like to say that we found a very friendly restaurant owner just a block away. We were walking in the very crowded streets and my wife “edged” into the bike bath at which time a man riding a bike came by and “hit” her on the shoulder with his fist, leaving a small bruise. He was gone before we could retaliate. I recall on our previous visits how nice the clerks and hotel owners were, but this time I felt as if they resented having to deal with all the tourists. Perhaps they forget that tourists represent almost 100% of their income. Maybe we should just send our money. I do want to be fair that most that we dealt with were “OK”, but only the above mentioned restaurant owner was really nice and appreciative.
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I%26#39;m sorry you didn%26#39;t enjoy your trip, but I cannot for the life of me see how the attitude you found is %26#39;anti-American%26#39;.
Were you wearing Stars %26amp; Stripes?
Many tourists might be rudely treated - I don%26#39;t think it has anything to do with their nationality, more the attitide of the other person.
Did that cyclist attack your wife because she was American? I doubt it.
Maybe if you had titled your post %26quot;Disappointed with Brugge experience%26quot;?.......
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Sorry you were treated rudely, but have to agree with peterscot.
After my first visit I learned to always look and listen for the bikers.
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I%26#39;m sorry you had a less-than-satisfactory experience too. We were in Bruges last month and had a very different impression. We found the majority of the people we encountered to be great. I guess part of it is probably just a matter of luck.
Since I wasn%26#39;t there with the bike incident - obviously - I don%26#39;t know exactly what happened. However, I have been known to push pedestrians while on my bike. Sometimes when they step out in front of you, it is a choice between pushing them out of the way or running them over.
Not sure how what you described was anti-American though. Sounds for the most part like rotten luck and perhaps a bit of not watching where you are going.
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I was on a solo trip to Bruges in July and people couldn%26#39;t have been friendlier. Sorry that you had a different experience.
Like the above posters, I fail to see the anti-Americanism in what happened, though. I also note that you mentioned two incidents, one by a restaurant owner and one by a bicyclist, but then complained about the clerks and hotel owners resenting the tourists, yet you were on a day trip so presumably didn%26#39;t deal with any hotel owners. So just wondered if there were some other incidents as well. I hope that everyone in Bruges isn%26#39;t being criticized because of the actions of two people.
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Let me reply to all the people that replied. I was wrong. I am sure that I misjudged the very friendly people of Brugge.
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Do I detect a bit of sarcasm in your response? Hmmm...
Perhaps you were wrong. Or rather than being entirely wrong, my guess is that you were just a little overzealous in your conclusions about the motivation behind the negative experiences you had with a few people.
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Anti American no, anti padestrian yes, there are more and more cyclists emerging each year in Europe, you have to be constantly aware of them and if you let your concentration dip just for a sec, sods law says just at that precise moment one of em comes flying round a corner, and as you found out if you get in their way they will let you know about it in no uncertain terms.
You have obvoiusly never been to %26quot;Holland%26quot;, so you see the fact is that American or not they will just treat you as an object that should not be in their way, because it is their god given right to go flying round the streets at 40 mile an hour, oh and don%26#39;t forget how eco friendly cycling is he he.
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Lovejumping, wow! 40 mi/hr ... I%26#39;m not telling that to my husband %26#39;cause he%26#39;ll be soooo jealous. He can never do 40 mi/hr (unless he%26#39;s downhilling) and he%26#39;s a pretty good cyclist. A mannered cyclist, too. He has a bell on his bikes and will never yell at people, nor hit people when they are in his way. So please, do not lump all the cyclists together.
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Well whether they are all like that or not, if people are aware of it while walking around, it will be generaly safer for padestrians and cyclists alike, unless there are loads of psycopathic cyclists in Brugge looking for American tourists to mow down he he
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I just got back from a trip to Bruges.
Have to say that the attitude of all the restaurant and bar staff i encountered was as friendly and efficient as ever.
Everyone i had dealings with was a credit to the town.
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