It was a lovely place. The building was gorgeous and the service, food and room was very high quality.
Our drive to Bruges was scenic but very quick.
The drive took us about a half hour and we were parking and out on the street by 9 AM.
It was still very quiet because most of the shops were just beginning to open up. We stopped at a children's clothing shop called Fred and Ginger. It had the most adorable kids clothe. We bought a few things for B before moving on. I love European kids clothing! The main attraction, the Belfry, was nearby so we headed there after shopping.
The belfry of Bruges, or Belfort, is a medieval bell tower in the historical center of Bruges, Belgium. One of the city's most prominent symbols, the belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other danger. A narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps, accessible by the public for an entry fee, leads to the top of the 83-meter-high building, which leans about a meter to the east. To the sides and back of the tower stands the former market hall, a rectangular building only 44 m broad but 84 m deep, with an inner courtyard.
The market place courtyard was huge. We were surrounded by beautiful buildings.
And, monuments.
Nearby streets were full of shops such as souvenir, clothing, soap, waffles and chocolate. We stopped at a few but one of our favorites was Van Oost. They sold delicious but affordable chocolate.
After hanging in the market hall courtyard and getting our fill of the sights, we headed to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. It is a Roman Catholic minor basilica originally built between 1134 and 1157 as the chapel of the residence of the Count of Flanders.
The church houses a venerated relic of the Holy Blood allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders. It was promoted to minor basilica in 1923.
The 12th-century basilica is located in the Burg square and consists of a lower and upper chapel.
The lower chapel dedicated to St. Basil the Great is a dark Romanesque structure that remains virtually unchanged.
There weren't too many ornate structures or paintings.
The venerated relic is in the upper chapel, which was rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 16th century and renovated multiple times during the 19th century in Gothic Revival style. We didn't go see the upper level because there was a large group of children that had just gone up. We decided to do some more wondering around town before heading back to the church to see the relic.
I love the fancy archway outside a souvenir shop.
We walked by a couple of churches that weren't open to the public but were gorgeous nonetheless.
And, we went into the Church of Our Lady.
This church is the largest of the several church towers in Bruges. What impressed me most actually was inside. This church had perhaps one of the most incredible collections of artwork inside.
They have incredible sculptures, altarpieces, and even some tombs recently excavated from the 13th century.
The most famous sculpture here and the reason most people come here is the Madonna of Bruges, the only Michelangelo work known to leave Italy during his lifetime. (It’s been plundered twice, once by Napoleon and once by Nazis, and is now behind bulletproof glass ever since a crazy guy attacked the Pietà in the 1970s.)
We walked canalside to our next stop, De Halve Maan.
The brewery was tucked away. There was a cozy alleyway leading toward the entrance and into the courtyard where guests could enjoy lunch and a fresh pint of beer.
Bruges once contained dozens of breweries, but now De Halve Maan is the last one standing. With a history that dates back to the 16th century, the brewery has been continuously operating at it's current site since 1856.
Today, visitors can tour the historic facility, get some great photos from its tower and sample the beer.
We didn't do the tour because the soonest available would interfere with lunch. Bennett was getting cranky too. We spent some time wondering around the grounds and learning about their beer.
It didn't take long for us to move on to find a place to eat.
I love the scenic architecture all around us. Bruges is lovely.
Time for lunch.
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