MOST CHARMING CITY IN EUROPE? (BRUGES, BELGIUM TOUR) | Eileen Aldis

Bruges, Belgium might just be the most charming city in Europe. If you closed your eyes and imagined a picturesque, fairytale, travel-back-in-time, absolutely breath-taking European city I'd guess that Bruges is pretty close to what's in your head. It's what European vacation dreams are made of. A veritable time capsule of medieval architecture, It's easy to understand why it's a UNESCO World Heritage City. It is rare to see so many streets of buildings all so well preserved. Walking around is like being transported back in time and history here is on another level. This town hall? It was the seat of government for more than six hundred years. This old hospital? It's been a hospital since the 1100s (and only stopped in the 1970s). The reason why Bruges is so well preserved has a twist: the city was too poor to renovate and rebuild. Bruges has experienced periods of great wealth, great poverty, and great wealth. During the down times, citizens didn't have the cash to make 'improvements' to their houses and to this scarcity we owe a great deal! Ironically, the current citizens of Bruges benefit from their forebears' inability to knock things down and rebuild. Bruges is now a huge draw for tourists from around the world who flock to see the same buildings people were too poor to change. Huzzah! This is why I love history!

Our day in Bruges started at the Folklore Museum. It's only 4 Euro and you can get a nice overview of life in the city in the 19th and 20th centuries. Don't forget to look for the black cat who lives there. He's rare to see and is one of a long line of black cats who call the museum home. We then walked (you can walk everywhere) to the Burg Square where you'll find the Stadhuis (town hall) and a little further on is the Grote Markt. The latter is the main square where you'll find see the Belfry (Belfort) and dozens of tourists. Bruges is known for two things: an abundance of beauty and an abundance of tourists seeking it. But no one cares because you're so stunned at the charming city around you. We walked on to the Church of Our Lady where the altar piece is a Michelangelo sculpture of the Madonna and Child. Made of Carrara marble, it's been stolen twice and is now safe again to view at the church. Across the street is Sint-Janshospitaal - the one that was a hospital from the 1100s to the 1970s. Now you'll find religious art and - my favourite - examples of old ambulances. A visit here makes you really appreciate modern medicine. It started to rain and we were getting hungry so we headed to the Friet Museum (Fry Museum). How could we visit Belgium without doing a deep dive into the history of fries?! We wanted to find out why so many people mistakenly call them 'French fries' - we also wanted to eat fries. Check and check. It stopped raining so we ended the Bruges tour by boarding a river cruise because there are parts of the city only visible from the water. I'd definitely recommend a boat ride if you're visiting Bruges - it's relaxing and offers a unique perspective not seen by other means. We absolutely loved visiting Bruges and hope you enjoyed this visit to the jewel of Belgium.

Subtitles available in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, and Japanese.

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