Before we ever left the States, months, in fact, before we flew over
the blue Atlantic, I decided to use the newest technology known to man in
order to make the trip easier, more relaxed, comfortable, a joy no less. I
searched and searched for the best attractions to see, the best beers to
drink, and the best places to stay, on a budget of course. I kept hearing
about a place in Bruges called the Bauhaus. One site listed it as one of the
best five in Europe, another site said it was flat out the best. So on our
way to Bruges I stopped at a roadside telephone, actually got it to work,
called the Bauhaus, made reservations, got directions, then proceeded on our
merry way.

     Bruges is said to be the most beautiful city in Belgium. It has some
stiff competition with Brussels and Antwerp but in a not so developed way,
it is lovely. It is surrounded by a canal and other canals run through the
town. It has windmills, charming homes, parks, and just because it is a
city, big old buildings with ornate architecture. We found our way to the
right bridge over the canal, drove over it, through the castle gate-like
building on the Bruges side and down the cobblestone street. After a couple
of blocks down the winding road (most of the streets in Bruges gently curve
around) we found the Bauhaus. I stopped the car and asked inside about
parking. Just up the street to the first alley make a right and there's a
lot. We got out of the car and lugged our stuff back around to the entrance.

     Just inside the door is a reception area and just beyond that the bar.
The bar was doing a pretty good business with the young crowd of travelers
that hostels attract. It took a while for the girl to break away from the
bar and check us in. This was the first hostel not affiliated with
International Youth Hostels that we had encountered as we were using the
guidebook from IYH as a guide to where to sleep. This place only had one
employee that we could see and she was taking care of everything. Getting a
break from the bar, she checked us in and showed us to the room. The halls
were not very clean but I guess she cleans them after the bar closes. The
room was spartan with a messed up but intact ceiling. She gave us a couple
of keys and left. Zeke headed right back to the bar while Tony and I
crashed.

     After a while Tony decided to check out the bar, I stayed. All this
driving tends to wipe me out. A little later I woke, decided to read for a
little so I started to rearrange the pillows to get comfortable. As I turned
over the pillow I was freaked. There were several bugs on the underside of
it. More in the pillowcase. I took off my clothes. There were a few on me.
Yaaaaaaa!.... Bedbugs. I thought I could get through my life without having
to deal with this particular vermin. But NO. The Bauhaus, the best hostel in
Europe saw to that.

     I cleaned myself of bugs and blood, went through my stuff looking for
hitchhikers, packed up and went looking for the concierge. She was busy
tending bar. Found Zeke and Tony with an Aussie and an Asian (male and
female, respectively), told my tale and they thought I was kidding.
Eventually they bought it and when everyone was served I conveyed my
displeasure to the bar maid/desk clerk/cleaning woman/complaint dept.
person, I didn't get her name. She went back to the room with me and the
group and asked to see some bugs. What? Don't I have a trusting face. The
bugs, having survived natural selection for millennia, were hip and had
split the scene. I did manage to find a couple of small fry and I showed her
my back which was bitten in a couple of places. The bloody sheets that Zeke
hadn't even touched (the last guy was a victim too) broke the back. She gave
us a 500BF refund and another room. After an inspection we moved in. And
prayed. It was too late to go looking for another place.

     Tony and Zeke and I went back to the bar. The bar does have a real
International mix of people, a good place to meet people. I had a couple and
exhausted, crashed. The next day showered (worst shower facility of the
trip), got packed and left. We went to a restaurant on the edge of a square
and had a real breakfast, eggs, meat, potatoes, coffee. It cost as much as a
nights stay, but it was worth it. After, we parked the near a park with a
statue in a free spot, I hoped, and took a walking tour of the town.

Next time - 'tBrugs Beertje (the Beers of Bruges)

Pictures - your typical corner property, bridge over canal in park