brugge (english spelling bruges), an hour train ride away from brussels, is an absolute gem of a city. i loved it, even despite the annoying drizzle.
the wooden facaded hotel was featured in the movie "in bruges" starring colin farrell. maybe i'll watch the movie now.
on the left is one of the oldest bridges in bruges from the 13/14th century. the red flags on the right are part of the parade celebrating May Day, the day of the socialists.
during the entire tour, i couldn't help but be impressed by our tour guide who explained everything in 4 different languages! dutch, french, english and german. by the sounds of it he sounded fluent in the first three! can't wait to learn another language, probably french.
after the 40 minute canal tour, i headed to the....
cafe on the canal, and a small, tree-lined antiques market on the right.
cute street sign that is only in flemish, since bruges is primarily flemish city. street light & statue of virgin mary.
bruges is known for its lace work, but nowadays only a very small minority of it is actually handmade in the city.
"the flemish beguinages are a unique testimony to the medieval mystical movement which produced them. beguines were 'religious women', widows or spinsters who wished to live an independent but committed life outside the recognised orders with their vows of fidelity and poverty. they organised themselves in a self-supported 'cities of peace.' to this day, the bruges beguinage retains a religious and social function. today, it is home to benedictine nuns."
the trees beautifully leaning towards the small church.
i know these shots may be getting redundant, but i just love this look of the city!
brouwerij de halve maan. (brewery of the half moon)
brewery that operated from 1856 to 2000, then it was revived in 2005. the same family has been brewing for 6 generations, and it is the only remaining brewery in the city center. i took a tour of the brewery!
after drizzling on and off, it started pouring heavily as soon as i stepped into the brewery. so, perfect timing on my part.
old bottling machine
different types of malt (i really wish i understood the art of brewery better.) old wooden crates with the "henri maes brugge" seal.
ugly, new concert hall that sticks out in the uniform cityscape like a sore thumb.
and at the end of the tour, we each got a pint of the signature bruges zot blond beer brewed here. it was absolutely delicious. after 3 months on europe, i've finally come to actually like beer.
i could have easily spent another couple hours in bruges walking in the park, along the canals and also looking at a couple museums. but, I wanted to see another museum in brussels, so i decided to head back.
my last shot of bruges on my way back to the train station. the beer definitely made it easier for me to fall asleep during the train ride.
I wanted to see the rene magritte museum, the ultimate and most comprehensive homage to the belgian surrealist painter. but, it was closed on may 1st, so i headed to the BELvue museum, which covers the history of belgium since its independence in 1830. I spent a very enlightening hour an forty minutes there. learned a lot about belgian history and its monarchy.
yellow waffle & icecream truck on mont des arts.
afterwards, a spectacular view from mont des arts. classic architecture framed by modern buildings on each side. the left is the national library of belgium.
as i was passing by this area at 6, the bell on top of the building started ringing. the man statue had a stick in his hand, and he struck the bell to ring it.
my final shot of brussels and belgium. mobs of people on rue de charles buls, heading to see the mannekin pis. here, i had my last waffle to conclude my fantastic two days in belgium.
