We headed next for Bruges, a very short distance.  We stayed at another hotel/camping aire, surrounded by horses again!  Including a cute foal!  We have stayed with lots of horses on this trip!

Bruges was a Hanseatic city  and the trading hub between the Hanseatic cities of the far North, England and Germany, and the main trading centers in France, Spain and Italy from the 13th to 15th centuries.  The Hanseatic League is actually a fascinating institution and did much to shape the modern history of Northern Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League

Medieval architecture abounds in the main square and there are extensive canals.  We cycled in on the first afternoon so as to get our bearings and have a quick look at the town.  It was a rather cloudy, dark afternoon but we were able to explore a little and enjoy an ice-cream in the main square.  The next day was very wet so we stayed in the camper and enjoyed a quiet day.  We were parked in a large field and we could not believe the number of campers that came and parked right beside us, leaving the rest of the field empty! Magnetic personalities? Prurient interest? Who knows?

The next day dawned sunny and warm so we headed into the town to begin our visit at the Church of Our Lady, which is also a fascinating museum. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady,_Bruges) It has a tall brick church tower, the second tallest of the world, which illustrates the craftsmanship of the Bruges builders.

Inside there is a selection of art, including Michelangelo’s world-famous Madonna and Child.

There are also numerous paintings, 13th and 14th century painted crypts, and the 15th and 16th century tombs of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold. 

We have never seen such ornate confessionals and, of course, there was an astronomical clock. 

We also saw books of music, written in medieval format. Try sight singing that!

We then headed for a canal cruise as the number of tourists was quickly increasing.  It was very pleasant and gave us an overview of the town. 

Saved from the calories of chocolate, we made our way back to the Markt to admire the crowds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markt,_Bruges) and enjoy the rest of our visit. We even survived being stopped by the police for cycling the wrong way on a one way street. Should have believed Google maps!