Photo diary: In Bruges

It only takes a pleasant, comfortable one-hour train ride from Brussels to find yourself in a very special and very famous Belgian town. Bruges (Brugge, in Dutch) is a small town in the northwestern Flanders, a touristic gem of the country and, with a historic city centre that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.

The architecture of Bruges is predominantly Gothic, with brickwork dating from the Middle Ages. The dark red colour of buildings, the clear, strict layout of the streets and the pointy, sharp roofs maybe feel a bit menacing as you approach the city centre from the train station, but it soon gives way to the atmosphere softened with a network of canals and greenery.

Bruges is a very fine example of an architecturally homogenous city. Its medieval architecture and city fabric has remained well preserved and the later additions and interventions were respectful and carefully considered. Nothing is out of place. Nothing upsets the view in terms of being different, juxtaposed. It may feel, at times, as if you have wondered not into a lived-in city, but in a model city taken out from the pages of a history book.

With weeping willows hovering above the canals and charming little bridges, Bruges feels incredibly romantic and poetic, a perfect place for romantic strolls or people-watching in one of its charming café. Every cobbled street you get lost in is adorable and offers wonderful photo opportunities. Wherever you look, the scenes are idyllic: cats sleeping in windows, flowers adorning lamp posts, boats gliding quietly through the mirror-like surface of the water. Dignyfied horses taking a break next to historic monuments and sculptures, sleeping swans and ducks waddling across the green.

I hope you’ll enjoy this photos and that they will manage to show what is so pretty about this town, the one that some describe as the Venice of the North.