SoF - Bruges, Belgium

The bell tower of Onze Lieve (Our Lady) Church

No we're not spending our Summer of Fun going through European cities alphabetically. If that were the case we'd have started in Aachen or some Dutch village with an inordinate amount A's and some randomly placed ümlaüts.

Rather, Jeni and I met up with my big brother, Tim, and his lovely wife, Natalie, along with two of their beautiful children as they toured Europe this month. Bruges (yet another claimant vying for the title 'Venice of the North') is a picturesque medieval city in the northwest of Belgium's Flemish region. The historic old town is, indeed, ringed by canals with a few minors channels criss-crossing the quiet cobblestone streets. Wealthy sea merchants in the 12th and 13th centuries built a spectacular city close to the coast, and because Bruges wasn't destroyed in either of the World Wars the grandeur of this seaside community remains intact today.

The weather was less than perfect, but we were able to explore while staying more or less dry.  Our time in Bruges was spent sightseeing and walking the ancient streets in search of all thing Belgian to consume. I've said it before, and I'll say it again there's nothing like a good Belgian beer and a side of fried potatoes….except maybe a Belgian Hot Chocolate and a side of Frites!

I think Hailey's face speaks volumes!

The historic heart of Bruges is a mere 2 miles long by 2 miles wide, and among the many highlights are at least seven major churches including the Basilica of the Holy Blood, St Salvador's Cathedral and of course Our Lady Church which houses Michelangelo's Madonna and Child which is the only Michelangelo statue outside of Italy and a focal point of the recent film, Monuments Men. The girls were amazed to find out that the bell tower of Our Lady Church is the second tallest brick structure in the world! Well not so much, but it is an impressive feat of engineering.


The weekend of our visit coincided with the Flemish Independence Day. Beside the usual parades and bunting we were treated to a Rock concert in the square just outside our hotel. At least the weather held out for our stay in Bruges…the same can't be said about good ol' Luxembourg.

After Bruges Jeni and I drove back to the Ville while Tim and his family popped down to Ghent then on to the Grand Duchy. The day they arrived here the skies opens and our visitors were treated to a deluge of Luxembourgish proportions! The rain did clear on their second day, and that's when the true beauty of our adoptive home came to light.  We were able to show them all of the highlights here in town, and we were even able to visit the Petrusse Casemates which is a rare opportunity since these tunnels are only open a few months each year. The Casemates, you may recall, are the series of tunnels carved through the sandstone bluff on which Luxembourg was built. Some 15 miles of these tunnels still remain, but only a couple of kilometers are accessible to the public. The original casemates date back to when the Spanish ruled the region over 350 years ago!

Michelangelo's Madonna & Child

And…because you can't have enough selfies :)

Me and my big brother

Tim, Natalie, Hailey and Emmy on the banks of main canal of Bruges

Ahhh…Belgium

Ahhh…Luxembourg!

Scaling the Austrian Stairs in the Casemates

But when its nice here…My Oh My!

After their visit Tim's family hopped on the fast train to Paris. Unfortunately there was an issue with the French Rail Service, and they only got as far as Metz which is about a 45 minute drive down the motorway. They did eventually make to to Gay Paris where they enjoyed an abbreviated stay n the City of Lights.

Please insert your own joke here about the French Railways.