Visiting Bruges on it’s Liberation Day (12 Sept)
Turning left at Calais, we opted to visit the captivating city of Bruges on the day it celebrates its liberation towards the end of the second world war. The liberation on the 12th of September in 1944 is now celebrated by almost every house flying Bruges’s iconic flag (red and white stripes with a blue dragon)However Bruges’ history goes much further back than 1944 with a past of riches and woes to match any city in Europe!!
What an amazing start to our first experience at motorhoming with Richard’s parents … A city crammed full of canals and cobbled streets… shops brimful of delicious Belgium chocolates and stunning wooden children’s toys…
If that wasn’t enough, the canal boat trip certainly added another layer of history to this historic city… full of character and life!!! A brilliant place for kids and grandparents alike!
On our earlier visit to Bruges, we’d sadly picked up the only day of rain of the entire Leg 3 of our European Adventures. The city shimmered on that day, but it positively sparkled today…
It’s hard to describe just how much this city offers.. including the likes of the Basilica that reportedly holds a vial of the blood of Jesus to the imposing Belfort Tower (with over 350 steps to the top… yet the view is worth every step!). Enjoyment can also be found in the chocolatiers near the Salvador Dali exhibition off the Grot Markt or perhaps even venture towards the Historium for a vivid account of medieval life.
Bruges has a wonderful evocative history of it’s own…. becoming a key power in Europe in the 11-14th century with its wool/textile trade leading to its rise in parallel with London, before the onset of European trade led to its fall from grace in the 15th Century… all due to farmers who opted to care for cows not sheep!!!
So Bruges entered a bleak period as it lost its place at Europe’s top table…. so a further 350yrs passed in which Bruges simply couldn’t afford to knock down buildings and rebuild… so it simply made good and repaired… and repaired.. and repaired every building!!
We’ve been fortunate to see some of Europe’s best campsites over the past 2 years, and each have had something to remember them by. For instance, Tiroler Zugspitze’s Cable Car or Camping Krk Resort’s ‘infinity pool’ takes some beating…. not to mention Aufenfeld’s panoramic ‘natural alpine lake’ …. But for Playa Montroig, you have to look no further than the palm fringed water slides or perhaps the fantastically comfortable ‘astroturf’ sunbathing area that wraps itself around the vast array of pools.
As Europe entered a more peaceful stage in it’s history…. suddenly Bruges rose again with tourist flocking by the thousands to enjoy such a well restored medieval city..
With the sun setting, we all returned back to our motorhomes at the fantastic city centre ‘aire’ for an evening of fun and games followed by the kids playing cards with their grandparents…Precious memories made in a very special first day of European motorhoming for Richard’s parents.
Bruges
so where did we park the bus for the night?
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