Sunday, March 27, 2016

The Venice of the North: Brugge, Belgium

On Friday, I trekked north toward the coast of Belgium to the romantic city of Brugge for a day trip for my art class. The city is a must-see for most tourists visiting Belgium, and now I can understand why. It was dubbed the nickname "Venice of the North" due to the numerous canals, cobblestone pathways, and weeping willows that drape across every street - it's absolutely stunning.

We lucked out, as it was supposed to rain all day while we were there. Instead, we had sunny skies the entire time, making for a perfect day to explore the city. I immediately fell in love. Our professor walked us around for awhile - we visited Sint-Janshospitaal (a hospital from the 11th century that has been converted into a museum with Flemish artwork from artists including Hans Memling). After, we headed across the street to Sint-Salvator's Cathedral to check out the artwork and architecture there as well. Who knew, but apparently Michaelangelo sculpted the "Madonna of Bruges" which rests inside this church that I had the chance to see it. Pretty neat stuff.


After we finished up with our professor, Izzy and I decided to find some food for lunch. All week I've been craving a big juicy burger, and so we happened to cross "Ellis Gourment Burgers" which is a chain found in Belgium and the Netherlands that makes these delicious burgers to eat. Since it was Friday, I decided to treat myself, and chowed down. If you know me and my obsession with sweet/iced tea, then you can understand why I was so pumped about the one I ordered in the photo below (2 months too long).


From here Izzy and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city - enjoy some of my favorite moments below.






Remember when I said I came across that Beguinage in Leuven that housed the religious women? Well, turns out they're pretty common in Belgium, and Brugge had a beautiful one we came across. Our professor told us we came the best time of the year, as the neighborhood had a field full of daffodils that had just bloomed. So gorgeous!


Thank you Brugge for a perfect spring afternoon!

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