Day 43
Location 10: Bruges
Dec. 13, 2022
There was a very funny kid in my college improv comedy group at UConn named Zach Maloof. One day, he told me to watch his favorite movie, In Bruges. He loves this movie. In fact, just now when I went to Facebook to check the spelling of his last name, I saw that his cover photo is still a frame from the movie.
You might also notice Zach's profile photo is him and the late Bob Saget (don't worry, he was alive at the time of the photo). Zach actually opened for Bob when he came to UConn for a stand-up comedy show. An hour into the show, Bob stopped to say how kind the audience was and how polite and welcoming everyone had been at UConn, to which I immediately yelled from the balcony "fuck you!". People laughed and Bob liked it. Unfortunately, later in the show someone threw a bottle on stage and it became very clear very quickly that the primary suspect was that kid who yelled "fuck you!" earlier in the show (i.e. me). Eventually the real culprit came forward and I was back in everyone's good graces. RIP Bob. Okay, we're getting side tracked–back to the main storyline!
Zach's favorite movie, In Bruges, follows two hired hitmen as they spend a few days in Bruges, Belgium. Throughout the entire movie, Colin Farrell's character is livid to be spending time in such a boring city. He repeats things like "what is there to do in fucking Bruges?" and "maybe that's what hell is, the entire rest of eternity spent in fucking Bruges" a lot.
Here's me watching Colin Farrell ride a train to Bruges in In Bruges while riding a train to Bruges:
Like other cities with famous movie locations in Vienna and Amsterdam, I'll chronicle the main filming locations that I visited.
Brugge Train Station
In both photos, note the red doors and the number 2, which indicates a 2nd class car by the way. Wow, right? That's pretty much all for this location.
Left: My Photo | Right: In Bruges
Belfry
At the city center stands a 366-step tower that offers a beautiful view of Bruges. In the film, Gleeson's Ken is shot near the top of the tower and struggles to make it down the stairs before eventually committing suicide. So naturally, I filmed myself recreating his pain-ridden descent while carefully checking that no one was able to see me, so I didn't have to also kill myself out of overwhelming embarrassment.
In another scene, Farrell's Ray is nonplussed by the idea of climbing the tower and gives his thoughts on what can be seen from the top: "The view of down here? I can see that from down here." Brilliant. Despite this flawless logic, the view was well worth it.
Basilica of the Holy Blood
Another scene involves a trip to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a church where a few drops of the actual blood of Jesus (yes, that Jesus) is rumored to be kept. Unsurprisingly, Ray gets bored of the church and wants to leave. In this case, I'd have to side with Ray, despite the church's beauty.
On the left is a scene from In Bruges. In the middle is my photo of the spot where Farrel is sitting.
Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Hotel
The climax of the movie features a standoff between Ray and his boss, Harry, each trying to kill the other. At one point, they are at a standstill in a hotel where the pregnant hotel owner refuses to leave in an attempt to stop the inevitable violence. Harry and Ray agree not to have their shootout at the hotel to protect the pregnant woman and instead plan for Ray to jump out of the hotel, into the canal, and then Harry may try to shoot Ray from the hotel's terrace.
I did get to see the canal, but I didn't get the chance to reenact the scene by shooting at the people on the boat. Maybe "get" is the wrong word here.
Left: Harry on the hotel balcony | Middle: Harry's view from the balcony | Right: My view from the balcony
Koningin Astridpark
Okay, so what ends up happening is Ken is tasked with killing his partner and friend, Ray. Ken stalks Ray to a playground and contemplates if he's capable of taking out his friend. Here are some comparison photos of In Bruges and my time in Bruges at said playground.
Left: In Bruges | Right: My photos
