Brugge

We spent two nights in Brugge, which is really an incredibly preserved town in Belgium. While it is a bit crowded with tourists, it's with good reason. The architecture is beautiful, the town is easy to get around on foot, and there is plenty to see and experience.



In terms of tourist attractions, the town has a belfry tower (Belgians seem to love bells almost as much as waffles), as well as the Church of the Holy Blood - a small medieval cathedral that holds a cloth stained with the blood of Christ from the Cross.



There is also the Church of Our Lady, which I believe is the tallest cathedral in Europe. Aside from its height, it's a somewhat unimpressive cathedral - although it does hold a statue by Michelangelo, one of the few outside of Italy and the only one that left Italy during this lifetime.



Like much of Belgium and the Netherlands, Brugge has a system of canals going through much of the city. So, even though the weather wasn't too great, we took a 30 minute boat tour through the canals. SJ had quite a bit of fun with that.