So, Jeff, Elaine and I repeated a good amount of the Collins/Reed itinerary but it was amazingly different as an adult only trip. For the first time, we went inside several of the buildings in Bruges. Jeff and I climbed the 366 steps to the top of the bell tower. The tower was built in 1240 and was the center of the cloth trade that Bruges dominated at the time. It later burned in 1280 along with all the city archives that it housed. The tower had a spire in the 1400s but after two spires were struck by lightning and burned over a couple of hundred years, they decided to go without.
On the left is the bell tower's brain. They reprogram it by adjusting the pins in the cylinders that rotate around to keep time. The pins trip a wire that causes a certain one of the bells in the tower to chime. On the right, you see one of the very largest bells. Today there are a total of 47 bells that range in weight from 2 to 11,000 pounds!
This is the bird's eye view from the bell tower of the Church of Our Lady. Inside you can find Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.
One of the highlights of this trip was our "Hotel Ter Brughe". It is the red brick building in the foreground here. If you look at the water line and see the furthest two windows prior to the white/gray building, you will see our rooms. Staying in the dungeon doesn't sound so nice to you? Oh, you are quite mistaken!
This was the view from our dungeon window. Elaine was right beside us and our rooms were the largest that we have stayed in while in Europe. We had beautiful antique furniture inside and a modern bathroom complete with soaking tubs. In fact, there was no shower and both Elaine and I took relaxing baths for the first time in years!
As you can see, I really like flags and coats of armour. It must be because we had the Wendell Coat of Armour hanging in our house for years and it hangs in honor in all of my homes.
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| Belgium flag |
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| Bruges flag |
We took a canal cruise in Bruges as well. As a general comment, it seems that seeing any city from the water is a good idea. Bruges is no exception. The canals weave through the city and still ring the old medieval town where they used to serve the purpose of a moat. All the old walls and gardens remind me of the book "The Secret Garden" that I read as a child. The architecture seems pretty English here, at least to an American. 
These last night scenes all belong to Jeff. We have a great camera which I only use on automatic point and shoot mode. I never edit my shots because I don't know how. Jeff has taken a class and understands the basic settings and options available. I thought these were amazingly good. I considered turning this one upside down to see if it was noticeable. Or, maybe I did?
We leave Bruges with this memory.
