How not to go to the bottom in Brugge
Introduction
Northern Venice, the Chocolate Capital of Belgium, wasverable Middle Ages – all these speech turnover can be heard in relation to Brugge. When a visit to Belgium appeared in my plans, the main goal of traveling along this country was this particular city. I did not even think that for six months I will visit it twice and I will be able to compare the leisurely life of the center of Western Flanders both in the winter and in the summer. In this report, I will talk about a summer trip, which has become the most real test for the body because of the hot weather (unlike the cool Moscow summer, in Belgium, as in all of Europe, there was an abnormal heat), which the local could not rejoice, and I I was looking forward to the evening and woke up a little light.
By expanses of space
Brussels, namuru and other local settlements of Belgium (about which it will be in other reports) I headed for a friend to me Brugge to spend a few days leisurely walking along the channels and continuing to learn the taste of the Belgian beer.
In Belgium I was already like 3 days. The heat did not think to subscribe, weather forecasts inspired optimism only on the last day of my stay – just about +30 and a thunderstorm is possible, and so far I have to "content" The thermometer mark in the area of +34 degrees, which is extremely pleased with the Brajeans who are accustomed to cloudy weather and middle temperatures. Local horses, riding tourists, were also not delighted, fortunately, they did not experience.
One of the symbols of the modern city is Bell Tower-befroua Belfort on the market square of the city Grotto Markt. It is a UNESCO World Heritage List "Bethfrua Belgium and France".
The tower serves not only a good panoramic point, but also performs his direct duties – declares time, fire signals, various religious and socially significant events.
Grote Markt, like any other central area of other cities, is the center of Life Bruges and attracts the attention of all travelers in this city. Around the area there are some of the most beautiful and old houses of the city, and in the center there is a monument to two key figures of Flemish history – Jan Braidel and Peter de Kyunka, who told the people for themselves to liberate Flanders from the French.
Grot Markt is quite rarely free – usually on the square there are various kinds of events, ranging from the weekend market, where local (and not only) farmers implement their products (cheese, wine, meat and much more) and ending with various festivals. How fast the tents and metal structures appear and disappear and disappear on the central square is simply striking – in the morning there was no opportunity to push back, and after lunch and the trace, it was not enough, but there was nothing. In those rare days when the area is free from such events, I was lucky, and taking into account the fact that there was an unbearable heat in the evenings, many just sat on a blocking in the saving shadow near the Breidel monument and de Kuninka, or went to refreshing a delicious beer into one of the nearest restaurants.
Next door to Grotto Markt is another area – Burg or Town Hall.
As follows from the name – the central object of the area is the Town Hall of Brugge, which is an excellent example of the architectural style of Gothic, but the main focus of travelers is not attracted by this beautiful building, but a small basilica.
Basilica of holy blood. This name she received in view of the fact that the main shrine here is a phial with a cloth impregnated with the blood of Jesus Christ. According to the legend (one of the versions), Graf Flanders in the 12th-13 century brought from the crusade of this precious gift. Personally, I am visiting the second place in Europe, where the Savior’s Blood acts as a local shrine (report on Hailiegenblut). In order to touch the phials build an integer. For the safety of the shrine, one of the priests usually follows. Due to the fact that I try not to take pictures in such places, then for the general presentation photo from the Internet. Believe or not in the veracity of this story and the holiness of the relic each decides.
This church is two-level – this is a common phenomenon for the Middle Ages, since the lower tier was intended for a simple people, and the top for nobility. Initially, the church wore the name of St. Vasily the Great, the Orthodox icon with his image can be found today at the lower tier, which retained his romance style.
Northern Venice? No, the capital of Western Flanders
Quite often, you can find a comparison of Bruges with Venice and it is directly related to the fact that Brugge also intersect the channels, here you can make a boat trip and enjoy the picturesque views of the city on the water.
I never liked such comparisons, each city is unique in its own way and each of them has its own name, which will continue in the centuries and should settle in the arms of travelers.
The best time for a walk along the channels on this weather could only be morning. Waking up early I went to a big walk to enjoy the excellent kind of historical building, joyful tourists in boats driving along the canals, and juicy greenery, stretching over the water stroke.
My path lay in the ladies – the homeland of Tila Ullenshpigel, and since this small city with Brugge is connected by the canal, then I simply had no chance, but it was possible to enjoy the beautiful architecture of the medieval city along the way there.
Green Canal Groenerei diverged in different directions and I went to the left to the square of Yana Van Eyka.
Yana Van Eykaya Square – the Great Flemish Artist, one of my favorite places in Brugge. Multicolored houses bent over a quiet water stroy and if turning everything upside down, the landscape will not change much, except that until the first morning boat with tourists break the calm of this water mirror. If Yana’s identity is not talking to you, then try to remember some of his paintings, and in particular one, where a person is portrayed very similar on.V. Putin.
If you go through Potterierei Street, you can go to the sights of the outskirts of the city, also, in my opinion, this is the best route for a walk along the channels – you can enjoy the beautiful architecture of the medieval city and without any problems return to the center. If you do not turn anywhere and just go to reverse side along the canal.
Yet a very pleasant feeling of comparing a beautiful city at different times of the year. Otherwise, you look at a particular old house when, instead of sad IV branches in the water surface, juicy green curls are lowered, when instead of a heavy lead sky and a drizzling rain, giving all the dark shade, around playing the paints of houses of houses and only lazily running rare clouds violated summer blue Sky.
If you have already seen on the main sights of Bruges, the chocolate and waffle were filed, the beer turned out, then I recommend to get to the outskirts of the city and look at the symbol of the Netherlands neighboring the Netherlands. Previously, there were several dozen in Brugge in Brugge, but only 4 of them came to our days, while only one was preserved in a fully original form from the moment of construction – the mill. Janus. In the photo below the coolem mill, which was purchased for the symbolic amount in 1 Franc in the melcoe, and from the 90s decorate the outskirts of Brugge.
The main place attracting lovers in Brugge is the lake Minnevater, but in all sources of information, for some reason it is indicated as a lake of love. For most European tourists, it, of course, wears a more attractive name, but for the Belgians the name remains unchanged, because it is named after the girl from the legend, the girls named Minna.
In Dutch there is a word "beminnen", What means "Love, root". At the end of the XIX century, the French was exactly so translated by the Dutch name of the lake and invented the legend about tragic love.
According to the legend during the Roman invasion, some Minne and Stromberg lived next to the lake – a pair of loved. When Romans once again attacked, the warriors of all tribes went to war, including Stromberg. Before his departure, Minne promised to keep him loyalty and love.
Father Minne had other plans. By his will, she fell marriage with an old but rich merchant. Minne was desperate. Taking off between his promise Stromberg and Father’s Will, she went into the forest to never come back again.
After time, Stromberg returned from the war. Having learned that mine left, he went to her searches. In the end, he found it, hid in more often on the shore of the stream, but it was too late. Without making long wandering and deprivation, Minne died on the hands of Stromberg.
In memory of the beloved Stromberg decided to create a unique monument on the place where Minne died. He blocked the stream of the dam and in the middle of the driedstream buried his beloved. Then again gave freedom to water. So Born the name Minnevater – Lake Minne, Lake for Beloved, Love Lake.
In good weather on the shore of this small lake you can meet not only in love with couples, but also ordinary tourists, tourists, citizens, and in view of the proximity to the fucking sometimes nuns.
Beginzh Bruges, as in other cities of Flanders and the Netherlands, is a community of lonely nuns-begin. As a rule, Beginage is an architectural ensemble around the courtyard, with chapels and residential bedrooms for nuns. Beginzh Brugge is included in the list of World Heritage Site (despite the fact that the last reality-begin nun has long died) and called Ten-Weigard.
Near the fucking, a channel was spread, in which you can find the largest concentration of ducks and swans in Brugge.
About beer, waffles and, of course, chocolate
Brugge is called the chocolate capital of Belgium, and sometimes even around the world. There is a chocolate museum, restaurants in which all the dishes have chocolate in their ingredients and naturally a huge number of boutiques and shops for sweet tooths. All this is just fine, but for several years I have become indifferent to all sweets and therefore, probably, I can not convey all the emotions and the joy of taste, which many travelers are tested in this city. No matter how cool, but your portion of sweets and chocolate, I still focus from Brugge, and then trying all new and new candy aware that I rather deceived myself.
In Bruges, you can find chocolate for any arrival and for any wallet, personally, I loved to buy purchases in Leonidas network stores, where they have a fixed price for kg, which allows you to simply just dial only in a little bit, and the same regardless of quantity and weight all this will be packed in bags as you wish.
Bruges (like the whole Belgium) will not leave you indifferent if you are a big beer lover. Belgians are very serious with this drink – a huge number of varieties and tastes, traditions and wonderful culture of peety. Creek, Lambik, Trappiste, Abbotskoye – Even if you are not the biggest fan of this drink, you can still be sure that you can find your taste, ranging from a slight and more like a soda sick and ending with strong abbot varieties from a pair of glasses which can be demolished. The culture of the use of beer is noteworthy – each variety has its own corporate glass, which is not repeated from any of the competitors, which makes the use of this drink even more beautiful, because each time I order a new beer variety, you do not know what particular glass of you will be served.
Where to drink beers? Personally, I recommend the following institutions:
‘T PoatersGat – Vlamingstraat 82, where you can taste more than 300 varieties of beer, but there is no kitchen here – only the culture of foaming.
‘T BRUGS Beertje – Kemelstraat 5, a great place with a huge selection of beer, while enters the top 20 bars in the world.
Returning back to sweet, but now it’s not about chocolate, but about famous Belgian waffles.
There are two main types of Belgian waffles – Liege and Brussels. Personally, I prefer the Liege – rounded, not always the right form, sweeter, despite the fact that the sweet teeth do not call me.
I recommend to use the waffles in those places where, in addition to these most waffles, nothing else is doing. The fact is that in most restaurants and small cafes in the morning there are a large number of waffles in the morning, and then they are simply heated, while in places where only waffles pay attention, you can always enjoy hot wafl "piping hot".
From "specialized waffles" In Brugge, I strongly recommend Chez Albert. Waffles are always fresh, hot and topping for every taste – caramel, chocolate, honey, cherry jam with berries and depending on the season (summer) with fresh strawberries and all this will definitely decorate the Belgian tricolor.
