Bruges (Brugge)

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Other Photos: On the Boat (part 1) | On the Boat (part 2) | Brussels | Oslo | London | Isle of Man

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Katelijnepoort
The Katelijnepoort bridge into Bruges (or Brugge, as the natives call it) rotates in order to let boats through.

Canal in Bruges
Bruges is known as the "Venice of the North," because of its many scenic canals like this one.

Markt Square
The Markt (Market) Square, early in the morning before it became deluged with tourists. The big tall thing is the Belfry tower.

Musicbox Gears in the Belfry
The Belfry clock plays elaborate tunes every quarter-hour, run by this oversized music box. You have to climb up a lot of stairs to get here. "A circle is my love..." (okay, inside joke)

Belfry clock
Once you get up all those stairs, there is a great view from the top. Here you can see the Belfry's clock.

Roofs of Brugge
Here you can see all the roofs. All red tile--just like Stanford! As you can see, everything in Bruges is really old--it used to be a major trading center in the Middle Ages, but when the harbor silted up it became a ghost town. This meant that nobody built over the old buildings, and thus ironically led to its renaissance as an almost too-charming tourist trap in the past 100 years.

Psychoanalyst
A street in Bruges. I thought the sign for a "Psychoanalyst" was funny.

Brassières de chocolat
A chocolate shop. Are those chocolate...? Yes, they are.

Canal with Belfry
A canal with a view of the Belfry tower. A view recommended by Rick Steve's excellent book on Belgium (although admittedly most of the book is about France, not Belgium).

Windmill
A windmill on the edge of town. The sign says Verboden over de omheining te klimmen, or "(It is) forbidden to climb over the fencing."

Luke en paard
Ben and I went on a fun bike tour through West-Vlanderen, which is very flat and scenic. Here I'm chatting it up with a Flemish horse. Sadly, I don't know much Flemish so I think it's getting bored.

on bike
Chillin' with my rented bike on the Napoleonic Canal.

Bruge Fountain
A mermaid fountain in Bruges. Is Luke doing what I think he's doing?

Canadians
With some Canadians we met in a restaurant. We had a really fun time talking about how you shouldn't trust American men...especially those in the military.

Luke's FOREX Home Page
Other Photos: On the Boat (part 1) | On the Boat (part 2) | Brussels | Oslo | London | Isle of Man