Brugge - a beautiful medieveil city in Begium.

Brugge is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is also an area where WW1 was fought under horrific conditions.

Brugge is an outstanding example of a medieval, historic settlement which has maintained its historic fabric and this has evolved over the centuries. Brugge is where original Gothic constructions form part of the town’s identity. It is closely associated with the school of Flemish Primitive painting. The city has a UNESCO world heritage listing.

Brugges’ history stretches back to the 9th century when it was founded by Vikings. The name Bruges (Brugge) is thought to derive from the old-Scandinavian word ‘Brygga’ meaning ‘harbour’ or ‘mooring place’. The river Zwin linked the settlement to the North Sea and it very quickly became an important international trading port.

These days Brugge is a very popular tourist destination with its many canals and old streets and lanes to walk around. The city has an encircling canal and inside the city walls you come across street after street of charming historic houses and a canal always nearby.

You can’t come to Brugge without taking a trip on one of the canal boats. These canal trips are a great way to see Brugge from a completely different perspective, offering beautiful views and original perspectives of the city sights, buildings and picturesque bridges.

 

One of the many canals in the city.

 

We spent a lot of time walking and yes, getting lost (again) in the ancient winding streets and discovering all sorts of local treasures.

There are some fabulous must see buildings including:

§  The Belfry, a medieval bell-tower that has been there since the 13th century.

§  The Church if our Lady where Michelangelo’s marble sculpture Madonna and Child is. This was the only work by the artist to leave Italy during his lifetime.

§  The ancient city gates. These gates originally formed part of the old city wall. The gates are located close to the larger canals and there are some bigger tour boats that go along these canals. When these boats come to a bridge there are several “draw-bridges” that have to be raised and all traffic is halted until the boat passes under the bridge.

 

 

One of the larger tour boats.

One of the draw-bridges, allowing the tour boat to pass.

 

 

The Belfry Tower.

 

We decided to full day tour with Quasimodo Tours. This is an excellent tour company run by an Australian and her Flemish husband. Last year I did the WW1 tours, this year we did the “Best of Belgium & Triple Treat Tour” – it was an excellent day taking us to Loppem Chateau and a stroll around the moated Castle of Tillegem. The tour included a visit to a chocolate shop where we saw Belgium chocolate being made and to a brewery where the beer drinkers were given samples of 4 different Belgium beers. We also saw some lovely Flemish windmills. I can recommend this tour company they do a great tour and a very reasonable price - http://www.quasimodo.be

 

 

Castle of Tillegem.

An ancient 10th century barn.

 

On our last full day in Brugge MH talked me into hiring an electric scooter! Can you imagine ‘me’ on a scooter? We hired one scooter and I rode as pillion passenger. After some initial nervousness I did enjoy the experience. MH was in his element on the scooter. He thoroughly enjoyed riding through the small ancient streets. We did eventually find our way out of the city and rode to the small town of Damme. It was a very picturesque ride along the Napoleon Canal. The canal was constructed on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte who wished to create a canal network in order to permit the efficient transport of troops without the risk of disruptive interventions from the British navy. Today there are bike and walking paths along the canal and many people take advantage of the paths. Many if the roadways and canals have been planted with avenues of trees and they look stunning.

 

On 'that' scooter!!

 

 

A Flemish Windmill.

The bridge in the village of Damme.

Along the Napoleon Canal.

 

This year I stayed again at Alegria Hotel ,a small B&B but very conveniently located about 50 metres from Market Square. A great place to stay – www.alegria-hotel.com

It was well worth coming back for a 2^nd visit.