BelgiumBarb: Back To Beautiful Brugge

Brugge is one of those cities that you just have to see. It's one of the prettiest in all of Europe. With time growing short, we took the Moms over there to check it out. We started our tour on the bridge of the Lake of Love, in front of the Poedertoren (gun powder tower).

We then followed the canal into the city to visit the ducks and swans. That's the Princely Binguinage on the left in the background. Legend says that Maximilian of Austria forced the inhabitants of Brugge to keep swans until the end of time, as a punishment for the murder of bailiff Peter Lanckhals (long-neck) in 1488.

There are several ways to see the sights of Brugge. My favorite is just walking around, but others prefer a horse drawn carriage. The place to hop on one of these is the Wijngaardplaats. You'll recognize it by the horse fountain (and all the horse carriages).

St. John's Hospital dates back to 1181, and it was where the Augustine nuns and brothers of St. John tended to the sick and sheltered the poor.

A "must see" place in the city is the Church of Our Lady.

It houses Michelangelo's Madonna, as well as other amazing artifacts. The statue was donated to the Church in 1514, by Jan Mascroen.

The Gruuthuse Museum is housed in the Palace of Gruuthuse, built between 1465 and 1470. It's a beautiful building.

The canal in front of the Dijver is so beautiful, you just have to pose by it.

I'm sure our friends and family in the South have noticed the jackets in all of our pictures. It's just been so chilly here. I'm sorry about all the heat you've been getting. I feel real bad about that. No, really. I do.

Another stop on our tour is the wall of beer. On this wall, you will find a bottle of each beer brewed in Belgium. You'll also find some great quotes by famous people.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. ~ Benjamin Franklin 1706

He was a wise man who invented beer. ~ Plato 428 BC

Here's to alcohol: the cause of, and the solution to all of life's problems. ~ Homer Simpson 1987

There are lots and lots of great shops to check out. Did you know that Brugge is famous for it's lace?

The Town Hall was built in the Gothic style between 1376 and 1400. You'll find it in the Market Square.

The Market Square is home to lots of famous buildings. This is the Belfry. It's 83 meters tall, and symbolizes the power and love of freedom of the burghers of medieval Brugges.

When you see a picture of Brugge, most likely it will be of these buildings.

What a lovely group of tourists standing in front of the monument to Jan Breydel and Pieter do Coninck.

We decided to take a boat tour of lovely Brugge, and we were not disappointed. From a boat, you get a real feeling for this canal based city. The tour guides are fantastic, and have lots of interesting stories to share.

Plus, you get to view the landmarks from a completely different angle. It's gorgeous. And very relaxing. Did you know that Brugge is referred to as the Venice of the North?

Here is another view of the entrance to the Princely Binguinage. The gate was built in 1776, but the buildings were built in the 13th century. There are no more benguinages. The nuns belong to the order of the Benedictines, established here in 1927.

The building in the center of this picture is a restaurant. The entire building is only two doors (or windows) wide. I'd love to eat in there, just to see how it looks inside.

There is a very famous inhabitant in Brugge. He's a golden lab who spends his days relaxing on a pillow in a window on the canal. He is probably one of the most photographed dogs in the world, and even appeared in the movie In Brugge. I'm afraid that he doesn't give autographs. He said that would be tacky.