Bruges, Part Two (Better Late Than Never!)

On Sunday morning, we got up to a nice breakfast at the hotel before heading out for more sightseeing. First on the list was the Belfort, the town hall in Bruges with its imposing bell tower.

The Markt on a sunny day!

The Belfort

It's huge!

I decided to make the climb to the top up hundreds of twisting stairs, and was rewarded at the top with a gorgeous panoramic view of Bruges. On the way up, I passed the mechanism for the tower’s clock and bells, the latter which looks like a huge music box.

I finally reached the top just as the bells began tolling noon while the chilly wind made my hair and scarf flap around wildly. From narrow walkway around the bells, I had a complete panoramic view of Bruges and could see all the way to the ocean!

Panoramic view of Bruges from the top.

Later, we walked around the grounds of the Old St. John Hospital which now houses the Hans Memling museum.

St. John's Hospital

Parts of the building have been around since the twelfth century and it was expanded in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

Near the hospital is a Beguinage, a religious retreat for women. The Beguinages were founded in the Middle Ages and allowed women to lead a contemplative life without taking religious vows. The one in Bruges was established in the middle of the thirteenth century.

The courtyard of the beguinage and the church.

Interior of the church at the beguinage.

By now, it was about noon, so we headed back to the Burg to visit the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a twelfth-century chapel which supposedly possesses a vial of Christ's blood. The chapel is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture with some Baroque decorations.

Basilica of the Holy Blood.

That evening, we tried fries at the fry stands in the Markt then had pints at a pub, hidden down an alleyway, which has been brewing and serving beer in Bruges since the 1100s.

The next morning, our last day in Bruges, we visited the Church of Our Lady which houses a Pieta by Michelangelo, his only sculpture to leave Italy during his lifetime. All too soon, it was time to head to the train station and go back to Maastricht.

Bruges, Part One

It was raining in Bruges when we arrived, but despite the weather, I knew almost immediately that I would love this city. Bruges is about a three hour train ride away from Maastricht and when we left in the morning, it was cool, grey, and rainy. The train ride took us through Liege and Brussels and across pretty countryside. We arrived in Bruges around 11 and were greeted by pouring rain which continued as we walked into town.

The main street into Bruges.

The effects of the poor weather quickly went away as we entered the city, which retains a great deal of its medieval heritage. Medieval buildings lined the cobblestone streets and church steeples rose up above the rooflines to be barely visible on the rainy horizon. We stopped for lunch at a sandwich shop for a much needed break and enjoyed panini sandwiches and coffee in the warm eatery away from the rain. After refueling, we headed further into town in search of our hotel, on the way passing through both the Markt and Burg squares, the main, central areas of the city, which are lined with monumental medieval, Gothic buildings.

Town Hall in the Markt square.

The Belfort in the Burg square.

Bruges had already enchanted me, which made the effects of the weather far less than they would have been in a less spectacular place. The hotel was fairly easy to locate and a short walk from the squares, so we checked in, regrouped, and then headed out for some more sightseeing.

The canal that ran next to the hotel, the tan brick building on the right.

The town is home to a working brewery which is apparently pretty well known, at least in Belgium, which we were able to locate after some searching.

Courtyard of the brewery.

We toured the brewery, sampled the beer, and then decided to wander the town until dinner.

View of Bruges from the roof of the brewery.

View of the neighboring Beguinage from the roof of the brewery.

By this time the rain had mostly stopped, and it was grey and cool. We were all tired after a long day of traveling and walking, so we ate dinner, went back to the hotel, and called it a day, excited for more sightseeing in the morning.