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| The view from our hotel window |
Cedric here reporting from Belgium.
Must sees and dos:
The Ghent Altarpiece: 1432 oil on wood, one of the most famous work by Jan van Eyck
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| from Web Gallery of Art |
Madonna of Bruges: 1504, The only sculpture of Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime.
Magritte Museum, Brussels 1964 Son of Man
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| http://artblogbybob.blogspot.com |
Manneken Pis, 1619 Bronze sculpture by Jerome Duquensoy. The pub has a full scale replica that dispenses drinks at parties. Now I need to make him costumes like the original.
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| Landmark of Brussels |
Drink a
Trappist Beer, Westmalle is one of seven brews made by Trappist monks. Chimay is a popular Trappist export.
Eat a real Belgian waffle
Belgium is famous for beer, chocolate, waffles, and being the first country to join the European Union.
We arrived in Belgium by way of an overnight train from Berlin to Bruxelles Midi station. Our
hotel for three nights was in Bruges so we decided to stop in Ghent for the morning to see the altarpiece. Since we already stamped our
Eurail pass in the morning we wanted to make the most of it and relax in Bruges the next day.
Bruges
Designated as a World Heritage City for it's amazingly well preserved Medieval architecture, Bruges is also known as the Venice of the North because of it's picturesque canals. Bruges is an idyllic town with cobble stone streets, air filled with the sweet scents of freshly made chocolate covered waffles, graceful swans swimming, and the most revered beers in the world!
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| Bruges main square at dinner time. Mussels or Steak with fries are the most popular. |
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| Wall of Beer at 2be, all 800 beers of Belgium with their unique glasses are displayed. |
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| I had to snap a picture of this Wire Fox Terrier. |
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| Half Moon Brewery, the last operating brewery in Bruges. |
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| View from our room at dusk. |
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| Our hotel is the building in the middle - it used to be a brewery. |
Don't forget to stop by The Choco Story. A museum all about chocolate!
Brussels
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| Brussels Cathedral |
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| The Grand Place of Brusels is also a World Heritage Site. |
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| Tin Tin and Snowy mural. A stop at the Tin Tin Boutique is a must if you are a fan of the cartoon. |
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See the Smurfs, Tintin, and more at the Belgian Comic Strip Center, which is also a building by Victor Horta
Art Noveau, Magritte, chocolate covered waffles and some of the best beers in the world; what else can one say about this amazing city born of culture, creativity and cuisine.
Cedric signing out.
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