“Somewhere within the dingy casing lay the ancient city like a notorious jewel, too stared at, talked of, and trafficked over.” Graham Greene.“Sorry, I thought the room was on the garden?”“I don’t want any trouble. If you don’t like the room you can go. Just go, I don’t want any trouble.”Whoa! I had not realised I had been so offensive, but I did realise I had met the one person in Bruges, Belgium who should not be in tourism the hostess at the B&B I had booked.I didn’t want to stay, but I knew how dangerous it was to arrive in Bruges without a place to rest my head. When I tried to visit in 1999, I was told by the Tourism Office all of the rooms were full!Unlike Antwerp (where we were last week in the Rock Fever column), Bruges with its canals and medieval vibe, is built into every travel agency’s European package.And, though I hate to do this for the Rock Fever column ... we’re going to join them (OK, not really on a tour, but tourist mecca) and we are going to book ahead!Am I getting old? Perhaps. I usually plan my trips along the way, ie; with two days’ notice and I usually try to stay away from the tourist traps.Unfortunately Bruges, evil hostess aside, is not a place to show up unprepared and it is definitely a town everyone should visit.Luckily, with the booked B&B not an option and with a bit more money than my college years’ visit 12 years before, the tourism office (which is near the centre) could book me and my travel buddy a place.And just for future reference, the Bruges tourism office is also available online to book rooms for you, so even with bustling Bruges you can find somewhere to stay before arriving!Why is this place so busy? Well that’s all history. After Bruges witnessed its economic peak in the 1300s, anyone could understand if the town lost some of its medieval lustre.Instead, as the Zwin channel, which had provided Bruges access to the sea started silting up and the economy turned to Antwerp, people left the city. Without people to mess with the architecture, Bruges maintained its medieval looks, is now home to about 120,000 people and could easily win a European city beauty contest.Which really brings me to the crux of this week’s column:Bruges is a destination for couples. Honestly, without the pomp of Paris (or the price tag), Bruges is just so darn cuddly with its tiny cobblestones, canals, brick bridges and shops that’s all you will want to do there.How long should you stay?Well after extricating ourselves from the poor introduction to Bruges, me and my travel buddy decided to stay for three nights. Honestly, Bruges can be “done” in a day or three (like us), but it just depends on your travel style. Me? I prefer to travel slower, take in the city, get some shopping done and truly enjoy all of the gastronomic benefits on offer, ie; be able to have dinner in that cute, candlelit restaurant I kept passing all day.Other benefits to travelling slower? How about chocolate? Yes, Belgium is filled with it, but Bruges seems to take it to a new level. Here, chocolate shops are like Starbucks anywhere else in the world; one on every corner and if you travel slower.....well you get to eat more.Bruges is also home to a chocolate museum! The choco story is more than a room where they charge you €8 to enter and offer you a piece of chocolate. The four-storey building offers a guided tour of the beginning of chocolate both historically and manufacturing wise. And then of course a free chocolate at the end after you watch the chocolatier make it! How cool?If that is not cool and salty as, have no fear! Bruges is also the home of The Friet Museum (French Fries of course!) If it’s not chocolate or fries, then waffles are a must-have and Bruges, like other Belgium cities, has no shortage of any of these indulgent choices. The best place to enjoy them is the markt (market) square with its stadhuis (town hall) and milling crowds.After my travel buddy indulged in a waffle and me in chocolate, we decided a tour of the Belfry Tower which also overlooks the markt square was needed for the exercise agenda. With 366 steps to the top, a checkered past that included the tower burning down and then being hit by lightning, the Belfry also offered us a chance for an amazing view of the entire town.Afterwards we found our dizzy way down the stairs and ourselves looking at the equivalently confusing constructions by Salvador Dali in the random, little, museum/gallery XPO below the tower.After Dali, we had to find the next interesting spot in Bruges, the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Originally the chapel was built for the residence of the Count of Flanders and now it houses a relic of the Holy Blood. Whatever your religious leanings, it was definitely a different type of visit in a slightly spooky setting.Which brings me to the beauty of visiting Bruges: beyond the enchanting cobblestones, hidden alleys and eating chocolate, the town also provides canals, which invoke the sense of Venice, Italy and further enforcing why Bruges should be visited.Of course if you don’t have time to visit Belgium’s next door neighbour, then Bruges also offers windmills right on its edge.About a ten-minute walk from the centre will bring you to these symbols of the Netherlands. Peaceful lying outside of the tourist trap, the Coelweymolen windmill sits next to the St Janshuismolen windmill and both are across from a pub aptly named Windmill! This old pub was also the perfect way to watch the sunset on Bruges before traipsing back to the centre for yet another gourmet dinner at another of Bruges ubiquitous, ten-table eateries.Honestly if we had not headed back to the hotel (evil hostess forgotten) I would not have moved on to next week’s Rock Fever column: Amsterdam! It’s more than just coffee houses ... I promise.