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August 14, 2011

Where I would rather be today: BRUGES, BELGIUM






Click on photos to enlarge

According to Wikipedia:

Bruges /ˈbruːʒ/ in English; Dutch: Brugge, [ˈbrʏʝə]) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.

The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is oval-shaped. The city's total population is 117,073 (as of January 2008), of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 square kilometers and has a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of January 2008.

Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North". Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port. At one time, it was the "chief commercial city" of the world.
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The photos were snapped by Frank Barning in 2003 on our second trip to Bruges. Most well-traveled American tourists haven't visited it because it is out of the way. But those of us who have had the good fortune to go there are taken with the neat little medieval city with its magnificent canals. Yes, I would truly rather be there today. It is a gem.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

From Annjoy Herman Romdalvik:

Frank I love the pictures of Bruges. My Frank & I were there too and thought of it as a story book town. Just beautiful. We took the same boat ride through the canal as you. We also went to St Petersburg Russia.
I love your blogs. You stir a lot of memories for me both from Division Ave. and travel. Keep up the great work.