Today we toured the town.
We climbed to the top of the bell tower, which has been standing in the Market Square since the 1300′s. It has 366 of the tiniest little circular stair steps you can imagine, just about 5 inches across in the middle.
The view was fantastic since it was a beautiful clear day. While we were there we were serenaded with a ringing rendition of “green sleeves”. One of the loudest we have ever heard.
We made our way to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This church is famous for it’s relic of the Blood of Christ. (If you believe in folklore).
From one church to another we went. The Church of Our Lady was our next stop, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th & 15th centuries. It has the only Michelangelo statue known to leave Italy in his lifetime. The Madonna and Child, which is unbelievably beautiful.
After all the religious exposure we decided to equalize and veer off with a tour the Halve Maan brewery. The ‘Brugse Zot’ is one of three beers still brewed in Bruges. There once were dozens, but the Germans destroyed them during their WW II occupation.
The tour is divided into groups by languages. French, Dutch, Flemish, Italian and English. The shops and restaurants are interesting because of the varying languages spoken by everyone. The bistro serves a nice hearty lunch, we had Flemish stew and frites with our brew after the tour. Both hit the spot.
Strolling in the parks and neighborhoods, it’s difficult to distinguish one from the other. We purchased tickets for Amsterdam, then went to a movie house and watched Tamara Drew. A current movie from England.
Labyrinth of life 