Postcards from Belgium... another one from 'Brugge'?? | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Bruges (Dutch: Brugge) is a town in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. Relatively cosmopolitan and bourgeois given its compact size, it is one of the best preserved pre-motorised cities in Europe and offers the kind of charms rarely available elsewhere. Bruges is a postcard perfect stop on any tour of Europe.

The historical center is not so big and thus quite walkable. The only mode of public transport inside city is bus. Buses are operated by the Flemish public transport company De Lijn . Taxis on the market place and station cost about €10. Bicycles are easy to rent and make getting around the city very speedy, although the cobblestoned paths can make the rides a little bumpy and uncomfortable.

Some highlights: official site

• Groeninge Museum, Dijver 12, B-8000, [official site]. 7 days 9:30AM-5PM. Known as 'The city museum of Fine Arts', it houses a collection of artworks that span several centuries (14th-20th), focusing mainly on works by painters who lived and worked in Bruges. €8 / €6 (audioguide and ticket Arents House and Forum+ included in the entrance).

• Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilige Bloed Basiliek), Burg 10, [official site]. Apr-Sep 9:30AM-11:50AM & 2PM-5:50PM, Oct-Mar 10AM-11:50AM & 2PM-3:50PM. A beautiful church on the Burg square. It houses a relic - a vial of blood that is said to be that of Jesus - and was built in the Gothic style. Try and get there early so you can view the chapel when it is quiet and not filled with tourists. And don't forget to visit the chapel underneath, in heavy Romanesque style - a contrast to the lovely light Gothic above. Free.

• Brewery De Halve Maan, Walplein 26, ☎ +31 50 332-697, [official site]. Apr-Oct M-Sa 11:00-16:00, Su 11:00-17:00. This brewery annex beer museum offers a tour of the beer making process. A history of the brewery is provided, as well as an overview of the city from its tower. The tour lasts for 45 minutes and is a good way to get a feel for Belgian beer making. The tours start at the exact turn of the hour, be at least fifteen minutes early as there is a maximum amount of people that can join. The entrance price includes one drink of Brugse Zot or Straffe Hendrik and is served after the tour at the outside terrace or indoor bar. €6 including 1 beer.

• Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk, Mariastraat. A fascinating church with architecture from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. In the east end of the church are very fine tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy - in contrasting Gothic and Renaissance styles, despite their superficial similarity. The church also houses one of the few Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy, the "Madonna with child". Free.

• Jerusalem church, [official site]. In a quiet area of the city, a highly unusual church with octagonal tower built by the Adornes brothers, merchants of Italian extraction. It includes a fine black tournai marble tomb, late Gothic stained glass, and a tiny and rather spooky chapel containing an effigy of the dead Christ. The entrance fee also covers the Lace Museum in the former Adornes mansion, where you can see local women and girls learning this traditional craft.

• The Begijnhof. Also known as the convent, between the centre of the station and the city, with white painted small houses and fine plane trees, is a quiet place to walk - groups are discouraged.

• The Hospital of St John, [official site]. 09:30 - 17:00, Closed Mondays. Sint-Janshospitaal contains a museum of six paintings by Hans Memling, within the early medieval hospital buildings. €6 with Bruges card / €8.

• Choco-Story Museum, Wijnzakstraat 2 (Sint-Jansplein), ☎ 050/61.22.37, [official site]. 10AM-5PM. This museum is a must see for chocolate enthusiasts as it describes chocolate's transition from cocoa into chocolate. Its low cost tasty exhibits make it well worth the time (and Belcolade's gently overt marketing). Be sure to stay for the chocolate making exhibition to get some excellent samplers. €6 with Bruges card / €7.

• DiamantMuseum, Katelijnestraat 43, ☎ 050 33 63 26‎, [official site]. 10:30AM-5:30PM. Diamond museum has a large range of exhibits ranging from mining all the way to polishing and all the history in between. Everyday at 12:15 there is a live polishing demonstration. Individuals €6, Groups €4.5, Students €3.

• The Friet Museum, Vlamingstraat (opposite Academiestraat), [official site]. Check out the world's only frites (fries or chips) museum which tells the story of the humble potato from South America and how it has evolved into a fry. Don't forget to try the tastiest fries cooked by the guy who cooked for the Belgian Royal Family.

Bruges is visited by a huge number of tourists and it sometimes becomes quite annoying, especially around the Markt and Burg squares. 

Postcards from Belgium... another one from 'Brugge'?? | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Collegebrug, Kortrijk, Belgium

Collegebrug, Kortrijk, originally uploaded by Alesa Dam.

The College Bridge - with a length of 207meter over the Leie - winds between Diksmuidekaai and the corner of the Ijzer- and Damkaai. The cost of this steel bicycle and pedestrian bridge is up 4.1 million euros.

The castle of Horst, Belgium.

The home of the red knight!!, originally uploaded by fatboyke (Luc).

The home of the red knight!!

Horst Castle lies near the village of St. Pietersrode, north-east of the city of Brussels in Belgium.

When the first Horst Castle was built isn't known. And however there was a 'castellum Rode' in this area in the 11th century, the name Horst was first mentioned in 1263. Then a Jan van Thunen settled here and called himself Jan van Horst.

Horst Castle was built on a strategic spot in the Winge-valley and was one of the strenghts protecting the nearby city of Leuven which was the largest and most important city in the Duchy of Brabant during the 14th century.

In 1369 the castle was bought by an Amelric Boote who rebuilt it. Of his stronghold only the keep, part of the curtain wall and a part of the gate remains.

In 1488/89 the castle was burnt down by the people of Leuven during their war against Maximillian of Austria. Around 1490 the castle was rebuilt to its present appearance by a Lodewijk Pynnock. Before he could finish the castle he had to sell it in 1500, due to financial difficulties.

The new owner was Iwein van Kortenbach which caused the castle to come in the sphere of the town of Mechelen rather than Leuven.

In 1521 the castle was sold again, this time to the Van Buysleyden family. But this family also came into financial difficulties and had to sell the castle in the 17th century. This time it was sold to an Olivier van Schoonhoven who finally finished the rebuilding of the castle.

In 1630 Maria-Anna van den Tympel inherited the castle. She is the one who made the stucco ceilings in the three halls and was the last owner actually residing in the castle.

In the following centuries the ownership of the castle changed several times through inheritance. The new owners however weren't interested in the castle which had gotten out of fashion. The castle was mostly maintained by caretakers.

Nowadays the castle stands empty. During your visit you can walk through its halls and climb the keep all the way to the top through a narrow wall staircase. There is a little shop and a restaurant in the former coach-house on the bailey.

source: http://www.castles.nl/eur/be/hor/hor.html

Medieval Castle Het Steen - Antwerp, Belgium

Medieval Castle Het Steen - Antwerp, Belgium, originally uploaded by Batikart.

Het Steen is a historic medieval castle in the old city center of Antwerp, Belgium, one of Europe's biggest ports. Built in 1200 - 1225, Het Steen is Antwerp's oldest building.
Previously known as Antwerp Castle, Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under Charles V. The rebuilding led to it being known first as "'s Heeren Steen" (the King's Stone), and later simply as "Het Steen" (The Stone). The Dutch word "Steen" means "stone", and is used for "castle" or "fortress", as in the "Gravensteen" in Ghent, Belgium.
The castle made it possible to control the access to the Schelde, the river that flows through Antwerp. It was also used as a prison between 1303 and 1827. This was not the noblest time of existence of the Steen Castle. Captivity itself was not punishment - the prison was where you awaited your sentence. Very popular punishment available was; chopping of hands, heads and/or burning and quartering. The prison’s regime was not a very honest one. The rich were logged in the right wing and the poor in the left wing of the castle.
Part of the castle was later demolished to make the roads to connect the south and the north part of the port. The remaining building contains a shipping museum, with outside on displayed on the quay, some real old canal barges.
In 1890 ‘Het Steen’ became the museum of archeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of the Antwerp maritime history. Here you’ll also find a war memorial to the Canadian soldiers in WWII.
At the entrance to Het Steen is a bas-relief of Semini, above the archway, circa 2nd century. Semini is the Scandinavian God for youth and fertility (with symbolic phallus). A historical plaque near Het Steen explains that women of the town appealed to Semini when they desired children; the god was reviled by later religious clergy. Inhabitants of Antwerp previously referred to themselves as "children of Semini". An organization affiliated with historic preservation of Het Steen and Semini, Antwerp Komitee Semini in Ere (AKSIE), formed in 1986, holds annual celebrations at Het Steen as cultural events. (Source: Het Steen)

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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οι φωτογραφίες απο την Καναδέζα Olga Korper στο Toronto.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler