The Katelijnepoort bridge into Bruges (or Brugge, as the natives call it) rotates in order to let boats through.
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Bruges is known as the "Venice of the North," because of its many scenic canals like this one.
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The Markt (Market) Square, early in the morning before it became deluged with tourists. The big tall thing is the Belfry tower.
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The Belfry clock plays elaborate tunes every quarter-hour, run by this oversized music box. You have to climb up a lot of stairs to get here. "A circle is my love..." (okay, inside joke)
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Once you get up all those stairs, there is a great view from the top. Here you can see the Belfry's clock.
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Here you can see all the roofs. All red tile--just like Stanford! As you can see, everything in Bruges is really old--it used to be a major trading center in the Middle Ages, but when the harbor silted up it became a ghost town. This meant that nobody built over the old buildings, and thus ironically led to its renaissance as an almost too-charming tourist trap in the past 100 years.
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A street in Bruges. I thought the sign for a "Psychoanalyst" was funny.
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A chocolate shop. Are those chocolate...? Yes, they are.
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A canal with a view of the Belfry tower. A view recommended by Rick Steve's excellent book on Belgium (although admittedly most of the book is about France, not Belgium).
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A windmill on the edge of town. The sign says Verboden over de omheining te klimmen, or "(It is) forbidden to climb over the fencing."
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Ben and I went on a fun bike tour through West-Vlanderen, which is very flat and scenic. Here I'm chatting it up with a Flemish horse. Sadly, I don't know much Flemish so I think it's getting bored.
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Chillin' with my rented bike on the Napoleonic Canal.
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A mermaid fountain in Bruges. Is Luke doing what I think he's doing?
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With some Canadians we met in a restaurant. We had a really fun time talking about how you shouldn't trust American men...especially those in the military.
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