Flanders on the road | 3 things we won't forget about Brugge

Brugge has a timeless charme. every corner screams romance.
there are horse carriages, chocolate, tiny alleys, fairytales-like houses, bridges, canals, pretty doors, flowers, cobblestones, and so on.
besides the sentimentalism though, there are 3 things we won't forget about our visit to the town.

Brugge Begijnhof and the tree huts of Kawamata Tadashi

here they are:

I. the Begijnhof 
it was late in the afternoon, when we entered the Brugge begijnhof. we had an early rise and had been wandering around surrounded by the crowd ever since. walking into  and oasis of silence and beauty was a blessing.

a begijnhof is a group of white houses built around a garden, they used to be inhabited by widows and unmarried women. today, the Brugge's one hosts a benedectine convent, and the visitors are asked to respect the silence.

the white houses open on a communal cloister shaded by tall trees. like a yellow polka dots carpet, the entire garden is covered in daffodils. unfortunately when we arrived the flowers have already largely faded. they must have been amazing just a week earlier.

maybe the Begijnhof has impressed us that way thanks to a art installation of the Brugge Triennale 2015, by the artist Kawamata Tadashi: he built several tree huts on the cloister. 

the atmosphere was pure poetry, surrounded by silence. the trees light and shade. the yellow of the daffodils. the dazzling white of the houses. the touch of imagination and adventure given by the tree huts. when i entered, it was not the silence rule to leave me speechless. 

Brugge Begijnhof and the tree huts of Kawamata Tadashi

a couple of pages from my travel journal 

a charming house by the begijnhof entrance 

II. the light 
i feel like i'm not stating it enough: isn't the flemish light wonderful? 

our little hotel room gave us the first sample. we stayed at the 'T Keizershof, it's simple and nice, clean and with an honest price. our bedroom was flooded with an intense light. i would have stayed in that bed to enjoy the reflections of light all day, if i hadn't a new city to explore!

another place that highlights the beauty of flemish light is the Groeningemuseum, to admire some works by the flemish primitives as Jan van Eyck.

a pretty house by the Minnewater, the "lake of love"

't Apostelientje, a small lace shop in St. Anne

III. Saint Anne 
Saint Anne is a quiet neighborhood outside the crowded city centre. we loved to walk by the workshops and the bright houses, looking at ordinary everyday life in Brugge.
there are some lace shops to buy an original souvenir, and four windmills beside a beautiful bicycle path.

ivy-framed selfie 

in Potterierei road almost every house corner is decorated with a Madonna statue

one of the four windmills in Brugge

adorable street details

all posts about our trip to the Flanders here