What could be more Belgian that munching on powdered-sugar-dusted gaufres (wafels in Flemish) at one of the many cafés De Burg, on one of the city´s most beautiful squares? That´s me with my very old Belgian friend Griet, and the ornate buildings behind are the city hall (Stadhuis), a Gothic masterpiece dating back to the 14th century, recognizable by its tall, narrow windows, stone tracery, and spiky pinnacles, and the 15th-century Brugse Vrije, once the administrative seat of the region surrounding Bruges.