Brussels; Sunday, 20 June, 2004

Sunday and up early to get the train out of the city to the medieval city of Brugge (Bruges)

The city itself does look as though it has never quite left the middle ages (except for the traffic) and is an almost perfect example of a medieval city.

The best way to get a view of the city is from the top of the bell tower, and guess what - I climbed it!

After the tower the next best way to see the city is from the canals. The city is ringed by approximately 8Km of canals and along the length of them are landing stages for the tourist cruises that ply their way up and down the canals, all following exactly the same route! Though it is a pleasant way to spend 30 minutes

After the Canals and a light lunch I decided to take the guided bus tour of the city that takes you round some of the medieval back streets of the city, which would have been great if they hadn't also been trying to run a road race on the same day, so the bus kept getting diverted!

Next stop was one of the many churches in the city the church of the Holy Blood which is split into two parts an upper, very ostentatious part and the lower more refined chapel.

Next stop is Our Lady's Church which contains an original Michelangelo statue (the Madonna with child) and then on to the Cathedral to have a look round before finally going back to the station and getting the train back to Brussels.