Churches / Museums / Parks, Brugge

As I mention earlier, Jan Van Eyck's paintings are in the Groening Museum.
The one to really look out for is 'The Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele', which Van Eyck painted in 1436.
Check out the rich velvet folds of the coat and the subtle way in which it captures the light. It'll really blow your breath away..

Go to:
Groening Museum
Dijver 12
8000 Brugge

Eventually the wanderer will come to one of Brugge's famed canals. Stop and savor the moment. Nothing is more elegant than a pretty blue sky with puffy clouds, dramatic medieval architecture looming in the distance and a romantic waterway intertwined amongst the old buildings.

The Belfry is the vintage view point of Brgge. It's 83 metres and I don't know know how many stpes high... but trust me... they were many. Really enough of them to reach the top breathless. And then, once you see the views from there, you become breathless again, this time at the maazing beauty: the canals, the original plan of the town... everything's wonderful - and makes the effort worthwhile. A tip: go during lunchtime: there's far fewer people.

The Jerusalem church has preserved its original style almost completely, which is quite rare in Belgium. Furthermore, the church is still privately owned. The church belonged to the Adornes family, a family of merchants who came from Genoa in Italy to the 13th century Bruges. Their descendants still own the Jerusalem church today.

During the 14th century one of the members of the Adornes family had a chapel built. This prayer house was later extended and even rebuilt. The church which resulted from these transformations was finished by 1470. It is believed that the design was copied from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which some of the members of the family had visited. The interior consists of a nave and a higher choir. In the middle of the church is the tomb of the Anselm Adornes and his wife (Vander Banck). Anselm died in 1483. The decoration is still quite remarkable, divers and yet coherent. The beautiful stained glass windows date from 1482 and 1560. Behind the lower altar is a small space which suggests the tomb of Christ.

THE MINNEWATER. For most visitors the Minnewater and its lovely park are the entrance to the beautiful city of Bruges. The Minnewater is a canalized lake. From the bridge (1740) one can already enjoy a nice panoramic view over the town. Because of the idyllic surroundings it is mostly referred to as 'the lake of Love', the Dutch word 'Minne' meaning 'love'. Actually, the origins of the lake are less romantic. It was here that the coastal river 'Reie' entered the city. The river was later canalized and made to continue until the center of town. It is not sure where the name 'Minnewater' comes from. An explanation could be 'water van het gemeen', which could be translated as the 'common water'. The lake was used as a water reservoir, to keep the water of the canals at a constant level. Next to the lake is the Minnewater park, where sometimes in the summertime (rock) concerts are organized. One of the symbols of Bruges is the swan.

THE MINNEWATER.
For most visitors the Minnewater and its lovely park are the entrance to the beautiful city of Bruges. The Minnewater is a canalized lake. From the bridge (1740) one can already enjoy a nice panoramic view over the town. Because of the idyllic surroundings it is mostly referred to as 'the lake of Love', the Dutch word 'Minne' meaning 'love'.
Actually, the origins of the lake are less romantic. It was here that the coastal river 'Reie' entered the city. The river was later canalized and made to continue until the center of town. It is not sure where the name 'Minnewater' comes from. An explanation could be 'water van het gemeen', which could be translated as the 'common water'. The lake was used as a water reservoir, to keep the water of the canals at a constant level. Next to the lake is the Minnewater park, where sometimes in the summertime (rock) concerts are organized.
One of the symbols of Bruges is the swan.

The Jerusalem church is privately owned, and is associated with the lace museum. Quite an unusual architecture, but the most interesting thing is that the bodies here, the original builders and the current owners, are all the Adornes family, those who operated the hotel we stayed at (and liked a lot).

This magnificent tree in Queen Astrid Park looks like it hasn't been planted in the park, but rather that the park has been planted around it. I'm not sure of course, it's just my thought.

You find this statue in the Koningin Astrid Park, when leaving the car in the underground parking Pandreitje.

We had a nice relaxing time in Brugge. We even found time to check out the Botanical Gardens & rest on the grass.