Bruges, the Venice of the North.
Now that we are still in Belgium with a travel ban, it is the time for a traveller like me to travel my own country.
I lived in the capital of West Flanders for almost four years and, years after I moved back to my hometown, had to find out to my shame that I didn't have a single picture of the city. And this while the city is on most tourist lists !
Bruges has been around for over 2 000 years. It has always been connected to the North Sea and in the past one could sail all the way into the city. This made Bruges a very important trading centre in the Middle Ages.
Today you can no longer enter the city centre, but the canals of Bruges are still in use by pleasure boats that show you the city from a different point of view.
Let me take you on a photo tour of the city.
The Grote Markt with the typical staircase facades. (In times of corona strange empty: empty terraces and barely tourists.
The Belfry on the other side of the Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There is for the first time the tower near the cloth halls around 1240, but not in this form. The tower, which had a wooden spire, burned down every once in a while over the years.
The buildings at the bottom had a commercial function. They were covered marketplaces where mainly wool and sheet were traded. They were also used as a storehouse for these substances.
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The tower was previously used for city administration and as a treasury.
In the tower there is still a carillon. The original carillon tunes had different meanings, such as closing or opening the city gates.
Between the old buildings, the medieval style houses and the towers of churches you see everywhere, you will find watercourses and bridges. Now that they are not sailing (the boats are still due to corona), you will see beautiful reflections at nightfall.
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There are a lot of beautiful, old buildings to be found. Normally, you're never alone here, but you hear all kinds of foreign languages around you.
Everywhere you will find squares, very narrow alleys and lots of greenery. In the picture below, the carriages gather in normal conditions. You can explore the Old Town by carriage. Currently, it looks remarkably quiet.
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The Beguinage, normally also a very touristic spot, is a collection of minimalist houses, where once 'beguines', pious women, lived. Now it is occupied by sisters Beneditinessen, a monastic community.
In the spring it is a very photogenic spot, because of the many daffodils that adorn the courtyard.
Normally Bruges is also known for the many swans, which can be found in. the 'Minnewater'. But at the moment there is a duty of incarcation because of avian flu, so also the waters are deserted..
The photo below is from the summer...
