I took couple of business trips to Ghent, Belgium during 2005. During one of this trip in Jul 2005, I took a train from Ghent to Bruges.
Bruges (Dutch: Brugge), is the capital and largest city of the West Flanders province in the Flemish Region of Belgium.
Bruges it is one of the best preserved pre-motorized cities in Europe with its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings. Bruges’ intricate network of canals has led many to describe the city as the Venice of the North. The historic town center of Bruges is inscribed as UNESCO Heritage Site since 2000.
Pictures below are from my trip during Jul 2005.
Welcome to Bruges! A simple Manhole cover with city’s name in Dutch.The Belfry of Bruges, a medieval bell tower, originally constructed in 1240, in the market square, center of Bruges. As one of the city’s most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other dangers. The belfry is a key component of the UNESCO world heritage site of the historic center of Bruges and also belongs to the set of Belfries of Belgium and France, a group of 56 historical buildings, designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The Markt (Market Square) of Bruges, with some historical highlights around the square include the 12th-century belfry of Bruges.The Provinciaal Hof (Province Court), originally built in 1294 as the central point of the port of Bruges. Current replacement building in neo-Gothic style was opened as a post office in 1891, and the first part of the Provinciaal Hof in 1892. The last parts of the buildings were finished in 1920.Another view of Markt, Central Market Square of Bruges. In the center of the market stands the statue of local heroes, Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck.One of many historical buildings in the Markt (Market Square) of Bruges.The Bruges City Hall (Stadhuis), constructed between 1376 and 1421, is one of the oldest city halls in the entire Belgium, located in Burg square, the area of the former fortified castle in the center of Bruges.The palace of the Liberty of Bruges (Paleis van het Brugse Vrije), a gold trimmed building, built between 1722 and 1727, located next to the Town Hall (Stadhuis), on Burg Square.The Basilica of the Holy Blood, a Roman Catholic basilica, built between 1134 and 1157 in Burg square of Bruges, houses a relic of the Holy Blood allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by the Count of Flanders after the Second Crusade.A street view of Saint Saviour’s Cathedral (Sint-Salvatorskathedraal) the oldest parish church (12th) in Bruges.A street view of the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) built between 13th and 15th centuries, is the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest brickwork tower in the world.The Statue of Simon Stevin, the Bruges-born mathematician, on Simon Stevinplein. The brick steeple of the Church of Our Lady in the background.Riverside houses in the historic center of Bruges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.An old Stone bridge over Inner Canal in Bruges.Boats of Bruges, you can take a boat tour to explore this UNESCO World Heritage town.Beautiful reflection of the Church of Our Lady.Boats waiting for Tourist in Bruges.The Belfry of Bruges, one of the Bruges’ most prominent symbols, is in the Background.Lively Plaza Gran Mercado (Market Square) with most restaurant serving food outdoor. Mille Fleurs Tapestries, a shop selling Belgian tapestry wall hangings, cushion covers, throws, and everything else you can think of.A chocolatier with Some varieties of chocolate truffles. With over 2,000 chocolatiers in the country, Chocolate plays an important part in the Belgian economy. Another fancy Chocolate shop in the town.Few Love locks on the Begijnhof Bridge, one of the most famous three-arched stone bridge in Bruges.
The beer culture of Belgium is inscribed in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Beer, known as “barley wine”, is famous throughout Belgium, which has some 200 breweries and 2,500 varieties of beer. Every single Belgian beer has it’s own matching glass. UNESCO considers that the beer culture plays an important role in the daily life of the country as well as at festive occasions
Enjoying Tripel Karmeliet, brewed using a 3-grain recipe rediscovered from the 1679 Carmelite monastery, at Plaza Gran Mercado.Enjoying a glass of Leffe, an Abby style beer, brewed by Abbaye de Leffe since 1240.
After most trips to Belgium, I flew back to home in Dallas; other than this trip in Jul 2005, I went to Ireland for a weekend stop-over before flying to Dallas.
In May 2017, 23 days before I was going to complete 50 years, grabbed an opportunity and took an early retirement.. Picked up a backpack and traveling ever since.. Love to travel around the world, experience different culture, local cuisine & drinks .. and take pictures.. so far been to 108 countries and still counting...
Window on the World 