Belgium - Bruges

27-06-2011

Pretty, pretty town.

So different from Brussels, smaller, prettier, cleaner and obvious to see why it is a UNESCO world heritage town. Canals crisscross across the town along with multiple bridges. The buildings are old and there is a castle like feel to many of them. Cobblestone roads with horse drawn carriages and bicycles, flowers blooming in hanging pots and boats filled with people on the canals complete the picture.

Easy to see the town on foot but it was hot, the heat wave has hit Belgium. Having found out about the Begijhnof in Amsterdam we visited another one here. Quiet and peaceful, well suited to the nuns that have taken over the place.

The large gothic church that houses the Michelangelo's Madonna and Child has a lot of treasures. The statues in itself is beautiful, supposedly his only piece of sculpture outside Italy, it is delicate and wonderfully sculpted. There is also an interesting tree trunk that is hollowed and has carvings both inside and outside, different to anything I have seen in a church.

The fries at the square were better than the ones in Brussels but Amsterdam's were the best. The chocolates were great but sadly melted in the heat before we could eat them all, greediness had prevailed and we had bought too many.

Sat by the river in the shade, enjoyed the beer ( I skipped it) and the view which included windmills and a couple that really needed to get a room.Then took a canal cruise, along with every other tourist in town. The guide had a good sense of humor making it an enjoyable trip. Needed another drinks break, after the cold in Netherlands the heat really got to us.

After a really lovely day the trip back to Brussels was marred by the cancelled trains. A train is supposed to go every half an hour but there was only one for whole evening, glad we managed to get in. Already running late, it was filled to the capacity with no space to move. Arrived back late to see the airport expresses were running more than 90 minutes late. The journey to the airport is 20 minutes on the train but more than an hour in a taxi in peak hour. Hope this is sorted by tomorrow morning.



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