In Bruges

We went to Bruges with my wife's parents and my sister in law and her husband .It was to celebrate my father in law's birthday.

My sister in law and her husband both work in finance . They arranged bookings and did not skimp. For this Irishman it is a faintly alarming to stay at a four star hotel. Luxurious but alarming nonetheless .

Our image of Bruges had been crystallised in the sweary form of the film In Bruges . If you have not seen it I can recommend . Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play disgraced hitman holed up in Bruges after a bungled assignment. Ralph Fiennes is their employer in town to clean up the mess. It was written and directed by Martin McDonagh. Mr McDonagh is a successful playwright and writes funny knife like dialogue . Colin Farrell has never been better as the neophyte hitman Ray. His detestation of his hiding place raised invective to an art form. The contra was in the form of the world weary Brendan Gleeson . His character Ken loved the history and culture of the Flemish City and the grandeur of the Church of Our Lady. I was inclined to the latter viewpoint.

By way of homage we had beers in the hotel were they filmed. We found the city laid back compared to the frenzy of London . The waitress at our hotel took last orders before closing time then forgot to serve drinks in her rush to go home. The chap piloting the tour boat cheerfully quoted from Ray's less than complimentary description of his home town.

Everybody enjoyed the trip. It is a relaxing place to visit and we would return. It would be a magical locale in autumn or winter. Enough eulogy. I will give the last words to Mr Farrell's character Ray as he hovers between life and death :

"But then, like a flash, it came to me. And I realized, f*** man, maybe that's what hell is: the entire rest of eternity spent in f*****' Bruges. And I really really hoped I wouldn't die. I really really hoped I wouldn't die."