So, where were we? This is Bruges. The first few pictures are of the famous bell tower. We did not climb the 360+ steps to the top on this trip, but I did back in the late 1970's. It is not a church tower, but rather one of a secular nature attached to a municipal building. The tower was added in the mid-13th century and rebuilt after a fire in 1280. It was a symbol of the strength of the Flemish cloth industry. It's also a major player in the movie, In Bruges.
This is on the back side in a courtyard area. It's a good place to listen to the bells.
When we first arrived in Bruges, there was a big festival going on in the square, complete with carnival rides. It was a time of a spring break from school.
Later in the week, the carnival moved to another part of town, and the square became its normal tourist attraction. You gotta admit, it is unique.
But not all that exciting to Trout as we hang out before going to dinner.
In the very early days, the canals came all the way into the square and it was an active trading center. There is a street that feeds into it called Blind Donkey Street. The tradesmen had to put blinders over their donkey's eyes to get them over the bridges that spanned the canals.
As with so many cities, horse-drawn carriages are a thing to do to see a small section of the town. These are typically Belgian horses.
Note the black bag hanging behind the horse. We called them horse diapers.
It was a very easy walk from our apartment to the central square. These are the kinds of scenes we saw along the way.
This is an odd picture. The lilacs are inside the flower shop. Trout and the buildings are a reflection.
Anybody know if these are pussy willows? This is in front of a very nice hotel with about 10 steps up to the entrance from the street. As we passed, there was a couple being dropped off by a taxi. They had HUGE rolling luggage and seemed perplexed as to how to get it up the stairs. Lesson for everyone: if you can't handle your luggage yourself, don't go. Unless you stay in a VERY swanky place with porters, there is no one to help you with your luggage.
Belgium is known for its lace. There were lots of places to see it made, and to buy it of course. I just enjoyed this old lady taking advantage of the possibilities. We watched her for awhile and then tipped her.
Refreshments are always in order after wandering around. We stopped in an outside cafe. This was not Trout's first experience with Belgian beer. It was mine with sparkling iced tea.
Then it was back on the streets and finding our way.
This is the kind of thing we especially like to see on our trips. People going about their normal work days outside of the tourist areas. These guys are pruning the trees for the coming spring, which as you can see had not quite arrived yet. The best way to get the stuff out is the canal.
As always, we love seeing the buildings up close and personal.
And some views beg for pictures.
Even close up ones.
This is a typical back street with garages. I'm sure the places here are very pricey.
Well, maybe not this school unless it was turned into condos.
This is the advantage of cobblestone streets and sidewalks. The workers tear up only the part that needs fixing, make the fix and put it all back together in a very short time.
And we always need to find a house address with Trout's race car number. We hoped to find one with a blue and yellow door, but it was not to be.
