Bruges - a Classy Place

En Route from Holland :

A 4 Storey Station : Changing at Antwerp.

We drew in on the bottom level of 4, had a sandwich on the third level, and our train left from the top level, like the train (above) in the photo.

On the Square : the two grand public buildings. The top of the tower of the Town Hall has an octagonal extension, but one of the church steeples is a little taller.  A carillon of bells rings before the clock strikes.  Very nice, but Prague's hourly celebrating trumpeter beats it by a short head.

Red brick and Dutch gables, in this case from 1669.

















And grey bricks.

On the canals....
in the left corner is a covered boat parking place, where discreet clergy may enter & leave - discreetly.

Wooden fronted house,


right next to :




that tiny pedestrian bridge,

that boats have to squeeze under...

No road signs! Only the rule of the road for boats.

Windmill, one of four,

on the east side of the city.

Only one on its original site, and only one working.

Then we had a drink at "de Verloren Hoek" or "the Forgotten Corner". Could have been the edge of a village green in east England.

Just happened to be there when the bells rang and the two road bridges went up on the "real" canal for the passage of this barge.  Below the barge's bridge is the living quarters and above is the family car, with adjacent crane to unload the car onto the nearest wharf !

Modern sculpture in the big square on the edge of the old town. All underground is a huge car park.
A homage to the Low Countries and their bicycles.