Beautiful Bruges

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 Regina had been to Bruges twice before on day-trips and we'd been there together once -- a day trip in December, 2001. Rain and fog that day made it a rather frustrating visit. We could see just enough to know that we were missing something really special.

So, this time we decided on a more promising time of year and remembered that one day was not enough. Instead we booked a hotel room for a night allowing us to spend most of two days there. Luckily, the weather was fine and the hotel provided a free guided tour conducted by a very knowledgeable citizen. All in all we saw and learned even more than we could have hoped about this beautiful city.
Bruges was a thriving commercial center in the eleventh century, when there were navigable channels linking it to the sea. It was well known as a center for trade in textiles - especially Flemish cloth, a high-quality wool that was very popular throughout Europe. Unfortunately, the channels began to silt over in the Middle Ages. The city had become unreachable by ship by the end of the fifteenth century and a period of economic decline followed. By 1850 Bruges was the poorest city in Belgium. This, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise; when other cities were tearing down medieval buildings to put up new offices and factories, Bruges couldn't afford modern development so it remained a largely unchanged backwater. Now, millions of tourists come to Bruges every year to enjoy a city that has, albeit unwillingly, preserved the look and feel of a town in the Middle Ages.

Also fortunately, the town had no particular strategic value during either of the world wars so it was not heavily shelled or bombed. The German army occupied it and governed with a rather heavy hand, according to our tour guide, but left the city more or less undamaged.

We learned a lot from our guided walking tour but, arguably, the best way to see Bruges is from the canals that lace through a good part of the city. The canal boats weren't operating when we were there in December, 2001, a second misfortune of that visit.

So we were particularly happy to find that we weren't too early in the season this time. On our second morning there we were able to settle into a small motorboat and enjoy a 45-minute guided tour.

Bruges has strict laws now about how buildings are to be maintained or modified and what signage is allowed. For example, you will find no traffic lights or overhead wires. Even the few modern exceptions allowed must blend in with the spirit of the neighborhood. It may be a burden for the locals, but a visitor can easily imagine what Bruges was like 400 years ago. (Except for the presence of all the pesty tourists, of course.)
Many of the homes lining the canals have entrances onto the waterway but neither private boats nor water taxis are allowed now, only a specific number of tour boats for specific hours through a specific season.