In Pictures - Why Bruges should be your next travel destination?

Bruges is the quintessential medieval Disneyland with a main street named after a donkey J.  The latter part is very bizarre. It is a very gorgeous city and thankfully not as touristy as Venice. Click a picture and even a photographer as bad as I am, manages to get a pretty picture. It is a perfect destination for couples. It is inherently romantic. Most locals here are Flemish. For those like me who don’t know what Flemish is? It is a language closest to Dutch as explained to me by one of the locals. 

When you step into the main market square in Bruges, a lovely bell tower greets you.

Climb 366 steps of this gorgeous tower and the view is totally worth it. The below pictures stand testimony to it.

Aimlessly stroll around and admire the houses here which are colorful and have a fairy tale like quality to them.  

Take a boat cruise and see the spectacular city.

On the boat cruise you can also see Marilyn Monroe’s house

And even say hello to the over fed ducks J

See the gorgeous Church of our Lady

A visit inside is recommended because it has Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. It is the only structure created by Michelangelo that left Italy. The way it is placed it looks smaller than it is unlike the David. Also, if you have seen Monuments Men, it was referenced as one of the key art pieces that Nazis stole and it was eventually recovered in a salt mine in Germany. 

Take a brewery tour at De Halve Maan Brewery and taste some heavenly beer (This one won so many awards as well). I have taken other brewery tours and I highly recommend this one. I will write a separate note on beer. Too much to explain in this one :)

The Belgian art is very detailed. See some paintings by Jan Van Eyck in the Groeninge Museum. For his ultimate masterpiece (Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) a visit to Ghent is needed.

From picturesque landscapes to a boat cruise to seeing a Michelangelo and enjoying Belgian beer, Belgian waffles, Belgian fries (they have it with mayo, I prefer the ketchup or the curry sauce) and Belgian chocolate (available in the most bizarre flavors like tobacco), Bruges is a vacation destination that is very hard to resist.