Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Wandering in Bruges

I think I mentioned last night that the hotel we are staying in used to be a monastery. As I went to breakfast this morning I found a little sign about it and thought I would share it with you...
History of this building

Me by monastery bell
Building from the outside


The other important event of note is that I did some washing overnight!!! We have a few 2 night stays, so I'm making the most of this one in Bruges to just do a quick wash to try and have enough clothes to finish this tour!

Our day started out with a walking tour of Bruges with our tour guide George. He is coming with us to Ypres tonight and has a wonderful grasp on the history of this region as well as vast local knowledge.
He took us around many different parts of Bruges and even though I'd been here before, some places were brand new. And even the ones I had visited were refreshed, as he explained a little of the local history .

St Johns hospital

Statue outside St John's hospital
He took us to the Markt Square and explained all the different buildings to us, and how Bruges had evolved from the early days.
Buildings in Markt Square

Buildings in Markt Square

Buildings in Markt Square
 I have been questioned as to why I am displaying beer and such things and have no mention of important stuff like shoes and handbags, so here's something for all you non believers!!!
Handbags worth over $25 000
 Next we went for the optional canal ride which is a great way to get a picture of Bruges, which really is a beautiful town...
Bruges from the canal

Bruges from the canal

Bruges from the canal

Swans on Bruges canal
It is of course May 1st today, and they celebrate Labor Day, so there was a procession through the streets....
Nice band for Labor Day procession

Labor Day procession

One more thing for the morning session...
As part of the Canal Ride (optional extra) we were given a choice of a coffee, hot chocolate, or a beer.... hmmmmm....

Should I choose this....???
Nah... it was too cold and too early... settled for a nice hot cup of coffee..
So that was the morning .... new post for the afternoon...

Beautiful Bruges

Beautiful Bruges

Beautiful Bruges







4 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place. We just did a day trip to the Christmas Markets in Bruges and loved it. We also bought some of their beautiful lace. This blog has been quite the memory trip for me. Thank you for all the lovely photos.xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It easy to take beautiful photos in Bruges.... Bruges is beautiful! Glad it brought back happy memories for you

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  2. Enjoyed my short stay in Bruges many, many years ago. The canals are beautiful

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true... the canals really make Bruges...

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The Final Episode!

As I was being driven home from the airport last night I was just composing my last post in my head - you know, the usual stuff..... flights...