“You are now in Flanders regions…so French is not so welcome,” announced our guide for the day. Now a resident of Paris for two years and coming from Brussels that morning, it was a bit surprising to hear this. A group of young diplomats, we had spent the last three days in Brussels on a familiarization program of the European Union. So, apart from swimming in the jargon like Council of the European Union and European Council, French was the default language as every speaker had peppered their talk with occasional French connectors…bon, alors, fin. And now, here we were in Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium. 

         A World Heritage City of UNESCO, for most Indians it came to the forefront with the shooting of the hit Bollywood film ‘PK’ (2014) in this city of love. The canvas of the city is well captured in the 10 minutes sequence – canals, bridges, cobbled streets, the city square and the abundance of color. So, as we made our way from the train station to the College of Europe, a post-graduate institute of European studies, it was like mapping memories to reality. (For some of the group members, the familiarity and awe came from the 2008 Hollywood film “In Bruges”).  

         In a city teeming with tourists (both from Europe and abroad), we found ourselves nestled in a room with 40 young diplomats representing member and candidate states of the EU. They were all here from their respective countries to train in European Union studies and add this dimension in the respective diplomatic corps. A mini-EU in the room, the diversity of language, people and culture weaved the tapestry of the union. After long sessions on the EU Foreign Policy and witnessing it in action with fellow diplomats, we had an hour to kill before our train back to Brussels. 

         My third trip to the city, I did not have any agenda – I had seen it all. Or so I thought. The picture-perfect city square with its multihued medieval buildings, by-lanes that are intoxicating with the smell of chocolate and the canals packed with tourist boats recounting the glorious past; it’s like walking through quintessential Europe postcards from the word go. For those heading to Bruges for the first time, usually for a day trip, do take the time out for a meal in the main square, a waffle or fries in the radial roads and a beer store (they are more like museums) to wind up. 

         In all my previous one-day trips, I had come as a tourist with a checklist itinerary. This time around, it was just a host city for a day conference. But I had come as a freshly minted European Union enthusiast for the first time – myriad institutions, mechanisms, consensus building and possibility of enlargement of the 27-country block – was all whirling in my head as I walked through the city. And then suddenly, Bruges became the grounds to see all of this at play. 

Deriving its name from old Dutch word for bridge “brugga”, this city epitomizes this its landscape and diversity. From shop names to signage to the city name itself (“Brugge” on the train station) – it reflects the linguistic diversity of not just Belgium, but the EU. In the main square, you can enjoy the cuisine of Europe…Italian, French, Spanish or Greek. Look around and you’ll see French-like love for pâtisserie and chocolaterie, German-like devotion to beer and Dutch-like marvel of a seabed of flowers all around. From the scars of war to the friendly banter over origin of waffles and fries, Europe has come a long way. The streams of tourists descending from different quarters of the EU are at home when it comes to the common currency, English as lingua franca and the faith in common standards as embodied in the values of the EU. And in all of this, Bruges is known for its lace – a textile technique and breweries, demonstrating its ability to preserve its identity while fitting in beautifully in the mosaic of EU. 

A canal tour is highly recommended not only for embarking on the journey of the city through the ages, but for the diversity captured in a 20 seater and the perspective of the city that it offers – one very different from the onlookers on the bridges and the cyclists on the streets…it’s like experiencing the EU from within.