#346
#347
Venice is Overrated: Come to Bruges
A Slightly Controversial Himachal Drink
There seems to be a
running joke and a sort of
common census among
Europeans that Belgium is
boring and useless, which is
difficult to understand for a
traveller who visits this small
European beauty!
The Fairytale Town of
Bruges has everything a
traveller desires: Belgian
waffles and fries sold every
10 steps, oh-damn-so-much
chocolate (bound to give you
nausea), beautiful buildings,
old Gothic-style halls and
belfries, canals, cobblestones,
fantastic beer, not-that-bad
prices (in comparison to
its neighbours, the UK and
The locals in Himachal
Pradesh drink two kinds of
alcoholic beverages: Lugdi
on the plains or Chang in the
mountains, a kind of crude
beer made from fermented
rice or barley.
However, these beverages
are a little tough to source.
The government imposes
tough restrictions because
a lot of local stuff that floats
around is reported to be
poisonous.
While in Mcleodganj, head
to a place called Dadi where
From Nidhi Jha, blogger at www.windearthdine.com
France), and cheap, easy
connections to other Belgian
cities such as Ghent, Antwerp
and Brussels.
Bruge is a Dutch word for
bridges and got its name
because of the numerous
bridges in the town. This
town is a perfect example of
medieval historic settlement
and buildings dating back to
the 12th century. The Historic
Centre has been declared
a UNESCO World Heritage
Site. You are sure to be spellbound by its beautiful arts,
alleys, picturesque canals,
market and the elegant
mysteriousness in those old
buildings.
56 Travel Secrets November-December 2015
From Siddharth Birla, Team TS
you’ll find a state authorised
liquor store with a license to
sell Lugdi.
Contrary to what’s shown
in the Bollywood movie
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,
Lugdi is actually a summer
drink and takes away your
body heat. A local auto
driver told us consuming the
drink in deep winter should
be avoided! However, our
magazine’s graphic designer,
who hails from Himachal,
enjoys it in January as well.
You decide!