2007 Rhine River Cruise:   Bruges, Belgium

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 We had overnighted in Antwerp and were up relatively early for a leisurely breakfast before heading out on our Excursion to Bruges (Brugge).    Unlike all the other included excursions, it was a full day and included lunch at a nice restaurant in Bruge. Bruges is a fascinating town with many of it's original buildings dating back as far as the 1200's.    Unlike many other "major" cities in that part of Europe, it was not destroyed during the wars. This is the last day of our trip.    We'll stay onboard overnight and depart tomorrow for Paris with 26 other passengers who have chosen to do the post-cruise trip to Paris.

A view of the edge of the town of Bruges from the bus....	This little bridge ran from the parking lot over to the...	Now we're crossing the bridge we saw from the bus a...	The bridge crosses over the Minnewater, also known as the...	Walking along the side of the lake, we see a nesting...
Another view across the Minnewater.   It was...	Houses built almost up against the wall of the city.	A view of a canal as we continue our walking tour....	Now we heading through an old city gate.	A house along one of the canals.    Folks that...
Looking closely at one of the windows and a box of...	The Beguinage in Bruges was founded in 1230 by the...	Here we see one of the sisters walking toward the St....	One of the little houses built in the 1600s, has been...	Looking back at the entrance to the Beguinage.
Once through the "gate" and the bridge leading up to the...	Looking up at one of the dormers, this is what we see - a...	At the corner is a Chocolaterie.    We kept our...	There were lots of horse and buggy rides around the town....	An old building that has been painted red. Didn't hear...
Looking up at another dormer (different building)....	Little wood carvings and lace in a shop window.	Everywhere we've been, outdoor dining is the thing to...	Hmmmm!    Another "art in public places"...	An elegant old home along our walking tour. ...
Next to the house, we'll head down a small alley.	Looking back at this building, we realize that at least...	The steeple of Church of Our Lady (Notre Dame)...	This obviously old window was fascinating, especially...	And a fix for our chocoholic friends!    You...
St. John's hospital.   After 8 centuries of...	Bruges lace, one of the things for which it is famous,...	This is the entrance to the St. John's hospital museum....	Everywhere in Holland / Netherlands and now Belgium, I...	Inside the Church of Our Lady is a statue of the Madonna...
An incredibly elaborate pulpit inside the Church of Our...	Another tower.    With all the ivy, it looks...	A little further down the street, a look upward at the...	An extremely ornate stone carving over one of the doors...	Yes, I was into capturing the fascinating windows we saw...
Canal boat rides are very popular in Bruges.   ...	An ironwork holder with a golden moon over an entrance...	A closer look.    The elaborate ironwork that...	Another canal boat cruise dock, this one even more...	Canal boats, shown here on the River Dijver, were...
The Belfort, a carillon tower looms high above the village.	The front side of the Hotel (and restaurant) Duc...	A closer look at the stone carving above the door of the...	The entranceway has an interesting shield on the wall...	An outdoor market with many vendors selling their wares.
A guilded archway over the street.    If my...	The Stadhuis, Belgium's oldest town hall, sits right on...	A closer look at the guilding on the Griffe where court...	We wrap up our walking tour with a break for lunch....	The restaurant has a patio and we wandered out there...
In this photo, you can see a little more of the patio....	A look at the streets below.	A 1669 building on one of the streets.    Note...	The picturesque Hotel de Castillion.	Canal side buildings, possibly homes.    Wonder...
One of the many humpback bridges that goes over the canals.	We look down and see one of the canal boats on tour....	Another look at the little humpback bridge.   ...	From the bridge looking down the canal, we see another...	A little park with Roman columns.
Metal statues of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalysp in...	There were also lots of horse and buggy rides available....	In one of the shops, we see a window of witches.	Tom and I didn't follow the beaten path back to the bus,...	Another look at the park.
A little further into the park, we see a duck family out...	A close-up of one of the tulips in the park.   ...	At one end of the park is a gazebo that looked out over...	A flowering bush on the path as we headed out of the park.	As we walked by a small church at the end of the park, I...
This looked like an inviting little tavern, however,...	An intriguing old building.	A chocolate store... when in Belgium, one must have...	And, what would Belgium be without Belgium waffles!	Coming back around full circle, we see the entrance to...
Homes along one of the many canal.	As we pass a little park, we see it is siesta time for...	And we see a nesting swan closely watching the people...	Another look across lake Minnewater.	Heading down a lightly traveled street.
An afternoon soccer game in the park off lake Minnewater....	And, one last look at the tulips as we get closer to the...	What a wonderful trip we had.   We stayed busy...

Total images: 88 · Last update: 10/23/07 9:47 PM · ©2007 T&R Flinn Productions · Comments · Generated by JAlbum 7.3 & Chameleon