Sunday, June 04, 2006
Brugge, Belgium
 | Maja's mom visited us for the weekend (May 28th) and we all made a day trip to Brugge on the Sunday (Brugge sights sites 1 & 2). Brugge is 90km from Brussels and a 55min. train ride. Now that we are into the tourist season, all rail trips within Belgium are 50% off. And since everything in Belgium is only a day trip away, this makes for a wide variety of possibilites. We have no excuse to have nothing to do on a weekend. |
 | Brugge is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its architecture and art influences. It is super old, being a well developed ciy and trade center for hundreds of years before some bitter old dude (with enough power and influence) decided to cut them off of their source of power and money. So in the 15th century, before the European discovery of the Americas, Brugge went quiet from the market place and was largely forgotten about. Brugge made its way back onto the map in the mid 19th century. Due to this quiet time, its history and architecture from the 11th to 14th century are well preserved because of a lack of any desire to conquer and destroy in the mean-time. |
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 | Climbing the tight stairwell up to the top of this tower was a great way to get to see the city. In the pictures below we could see other churches poking above the city's rooftops, a wind farm, and some festival in the square below. |
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| Brugge was where the practice of going 'Ter Beurze' began, which lead to the term 'Bourse', which is the origin of the term for stock exchange in most European languages and the modern financial institutions were born. This is also where Dr. Evil is from. Also in Brugge in the 1400, the first english book was published. | |
 | Sights: Sint-Salvator Cathedral Groeningemuseum Madonna and Child - the only Michealangelo to leave Italy while he was alive. Hans Memling Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk |
 | Wall mounted clock. It was a half hour fast. |
# posted by Us : 10:47 a.m.
Hangman
