This summer I visited one of the most beautiful cities Europe has to offer: Bruges. The sad part is that I could only stay for one day and one night because we were actually on our way to France. But nontheless it was so incredibly beautiful and inspiring that this one day became one of the greatest days of my life.
My boyfriend, his mom, his sister with her husband and their two adorable daughters, experienced the city of chocolate, the Minnevater and took a boat tour on the canal and saw so much. I don't know how many degrees it was but is was boiling hot.
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| Me by the Minnevater |
We started off by having breakfast in the hotel and then went on to explore the city. First thing we went to see was the Minnevater - the sea of love. The park and the Minnevater were almost like an island in the midth of this full-of-people city. So quiet and so well preserved. I'll admit it, I shouldn't have worn my "parlez-vous francais"-shirt with the nerdy pug on it because way too many people responded to it! But on the other hand, it's a great conversation starter (haha). After that we explored the oldest part of the city and there were so many swans on that little stream and it was very fascinating to think about that hundrets of years ago people lived completely different lives from ours. The whole place is basically a historian's guilty pleasure! And it is even more amazing that the whole place is still intact and survived wars and people. We went on to take a boat ride on the canal because after all we were only there for a day and we wanted to see as much as possible. And it was so nice of my boyfriend's sister and her husband to give us the ride as a present. It was pretty hard to take pictures on the boat for various reasons. Firstly, the boat was loaded with people who always had their heads in the frame and secondly, I was kind of scared to drop it in the water. So I took a picture of the canal from a little bridge. You can imagine how nice it was actually having a tour guide explaining everything to you in French when you actually don't speak the language. But architecture and history speak their own language. I don't recall how long we were on the boat but I'm guessing it must have been about two hours and the wind and the little splashes of water were actually very nice on this hot and sunny day.
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| The canal from a bridge |
We actually learnt about the history of the city. Its golden age was during the Middle Ages (12th to 15th century) and its important role within the Hanseatic League. It had a strategic location as it was located at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic League and the southern trade routes. It is amazing to have finally seen the city I learned so much about in history lessons when I was about fourteen. It was a main trader for cloth and the cloth fair was well renowend. It all declined though with the ending of the Middle Ages and the transition into the Early Modern Times. The city rose back to fame in the 19th century when wealthy tourists from Great Britain and France came to see the city. Up until today this more than beautiful city lives mostly on tourism and on its chocolate ... oh my God .... Belgium chocolate is literally the best in the world. My boyfriend, his mom and I then went on to grab a bite to eat and we went to this little place called "Punta Est". I had the most delicious burger and a nice cold coke. While I was sitting outside in the shade having this lovely meal, I couldn't believe I was actually in Bruges. A city I read so much about on the internet and I had looked up so many pictures online but it's just not the same. You have to actually go there to feel the spirit of this place. I want to go there during the winter months when (hopefully) the snow has fallen on the ground to make this city even more beautiful than it already is.
I love places that leave you haunted and that hold you wrapped in an elastic band so you have no other choice but to come back again. I could honestly say, even though I've only vistited for a day, that I could live there. It just gave me that feeling that only so few places can give you: I felt home.
Today's musical rediscovery is a song that reminds me of my day in Bruges:
xxx
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