Visiting Brugge

Left Brussels today on a one hour train trip to Brugge. Met at the train station by our host Tine, and taken to her guesthouse which is located just outside one of the city's old gates. Our accommodation for the next three nights is at a spacious apartment with two bedrooms. We have one the other is occupied by two Belgian ladies. It is quite a comfortable place with a full kitchen and a nice roof top terrace. It was warm enough today to actually sit outside.

One of the old city gates to Brugge

                                     Getting ready to check the news out on the terrace just off our bedroom


We dropped our things and set out to see what Brugge is all about. We walked a lot, stopped into the Republik pub for lunch, great sandwiches and made our way to the Markt and a bit beyond. Located the Laudromat which we need to visit before we leave. Miss having access to a washing machine when we are travelling light.

                               My Italian sandwich and Mystic cherry beer.


Brugge is a small city that was declared a UNESCO historical heritage site in 2000. It is full of churches, towers, and beautiful old buildings. The name Bruges comes from the Viking word for wharf. Right from the start it was a trading Center. In the 11th century the city grew wealthy from the cloth trade. Now it looks to be wealthy from the tourist trade!


It is a uniquely preserved Gothic city that has at its center the Markt,which is the square that is ringed with grand buildings, the iconic bell tower and now lots of restaurant terraces. The first day we came it was filled with horse trailers and medieval knights, the second day it was filled with a great market. It seems to be the place to begin the tour of Brugge.

                                                         Grand skylines!

                                           Restaurants ringing the Square

              What a great setting for a market.This food and flower market is every Weds morning.
To begin our second morning we did laundry which was an experience it itself. There was us and a young Australian backpacker trying to decipher the instructions on how to work the washing machines. We fiqured out we needed tokens depending on the weight of our clothes. Having gotten them we couldn't get any of the washers to accept them.


Then out comes the owner who treated us like morons! As he disdainfully blew smoke in our face he attempted to explain how the machines worked and why couldn't we fiqured it out. He waved his arms around for awhile and then disappeared in the back room. At that point I left to catch the bus to the train station to pick up tickets for our next trip and left Don and young backpacker there to fiqure it out. When I got back the clothes was almost dry so fiqure it out they did!

                                           Don checking for the missing sock


We spent the evening back at the guesthouse with a nice bottle of wine and a light supper.

Tine prepares a bountiful breakfast with enough left over for lunch. We set out to explore some of the sights...

                                                Plenty for breakfast,including chocolate!


The Groeninge Museum which houses a world class collection of mostly Flemish art, both old and new. The primitive pieces were so well done, very vivid details with mostly religious themes.

                                           Checking out the Flemish Masters

                                       The detail in one of the paintings!

                                             A typical Flemish primitive painting


The Church of Our Lady which stands as a memorial to the power and wealth of Brugges in its heyday. There is a Madonna and Child done by Michelangelo, one of a few to ever leave Italy in his lifetime. There are also tombs and lots of religious art.

                                      Beautiful stained glass windows everywhere

                                                  Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

The Church of the Holy Blood, a small but interesting church which houses drops of Christ's blood brought back to Brugge by a brave Crusader. The church was built in 1150.  It is beautifully painted and today the relic was on display.

The beautifully painted altar

One of the side walls

                                               Don's time with the relic...


Enough religion for one day, time to go rest as when the sun goes down it gets really chilly. One more day to discover some other sights in Brugge.

                               One of the canals we passed on the way back to the guesthouse today.