Brugge was a city on my list for many years to visit. This progressed with various options, Venice & Milan, but due to circumstance beyond our control they passed and remain options for another year. So with nice sunny weather forecasted a visit to Brugge became a viable option, with outbound a stop in Antwerp for the FoMu and on the returntrip a visit to an air museum in Brussels.
So 3 nights and 2 full days in Brugge became the plan and I hope you'll enjoy my report.

For a first visit to the FoMu (FOto MUseum) we stopped in Antwerp

I already have a few books on this enterprising woman, but could not resist a visit here.

From model to photographer..

Her head in a glass dome: she wasn't afraid to pose & explore for the macabre

Illustrations of her, and Man Ray's, play with sculptures abstracts. This serie is my first with the new Canon G5X II.

Miller rediscovers the solarisation technique by accident...
After she left Egypt and her husband she reconciled with Man Ray in Paris.

Left: David E. Scherman by Lee Miller (dressed for war, London 1942)
Right: Lee Miller by David E. Scherman (Vogue Studio, London 1943)

Miller tooks portraits of well-known women doing war work, including Margaret Bourke-Whiet (here)
as well as Martha Gellhorn. Lee Miller would follow in their footsteps.

A first and a second visit by Miller to wartime Normandy.
Miller teamed up with American photojournalist David E. Scherman ( a Life magazine correspondent) on many assignments, including the liberation of Paris, the Battle of Alsace, and the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Dachau. Scherman's iconic photograph of Miller sitting in the bathtub in Adolf Hitler's private apartment in Munich, with
the dried mud of that morning's visit to Dachau on her boots deliberately dirtying Hitler's bathroom, was taken in the evening on 30 April 1945, coincidentally the same day that Hitler committed suicide... After posing for the bathtub photograph,
Miller took a bath in the tub, and then slept in Hitler's bed. She was also photographed in Eva Braun's bed.
[¬en.wikipedia.org:_Lee_Miller]

Having documented the war and the German deathcamps, Miller developed PTSD. After the war she and her partner.
Roland Penrose bought a farm and changed her lifestyle. PTSD and subsequent traumas were not diagnosed then.

Cooking, entertaining guests as well as compiling and publishing a cookbook did not entirely solved her WW2 traumas

It was good to see the museum houses a well stocked library

I appeared to be a day too early for the Marcel Veldman exhibition, alas.

Entering Bruges through 'Ezelspoort' (afaik). There were more of these gates but too far away for us to explore on foot.

Our room in Brugge's Le Bois de Bruges. Not soundproof from interior- and exterior noises, but it would have to
do for 3 nights. The location on 't Zand and the breakfast made up for the inconveniences. Three stars at best.

A first walkabout on a chilling evening

The Steenstraat, one of two shopping highstreets leading away from 't Zand to the
center of town, past the St. Salvator's Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Salvatorskathedraal).
Cathedral ie also known as the of the Saviour and St. Donat, and is the Roman Catholic
cathedral of Bruges, Belgium. This church was not originally built to be a cathedral;
it was granted this status in the 19th century. Since the 10th century St. Salvator was
a common parish church. ¬ en.wikipedia.org

In 1834, shortly after Belgium's independence in 1830, a new bishop was installed in Bruges and
St. Salvator's Church obtained the status of cathedral. However, the building's external image did not
resemble a cathedral. It was much smaller and less imposing than the nearby Church of Our Lady and had
to be adapted to its new role. Building a higher and more impressive tower was one of the viable options.
The roof of the cathedral collapsed in a fire in 1839. Robert Chantrell, an English architect, famous for
his neo-Gothic restorations of English churches, was asked to restore St. Salvator to its former glory.
At the same time, he was commissioned a project for a higher tower, in order to make it
taller than that of Church of Our Lady. ¬ en.wikipedia.org

It felt a little funny, being abroad but speaking the same language..

The 'stepped façades' and quaint side streets are a major attraction

The Markt of Bruges (Dutch: Markt van Brugge) is the historic central square of Bruges, Belgium, and has been a
hub of commerce, politics, and daily life for nearly a thousand years! In the 11th century 'The Markt' emerged as a
trading center during Bruges’ rise as a major port in Northern Europe, part of the Hanseatic League.
It became the economic heart of the city, surrounded by merchant stalls, guild houses, and marketplaces for cloth,
fish, and grain. The square was strategically located near waterways linking Bruges to the North Sea.
On the right, out of this photo, the 'Belfort' (Belfry) dominates the square.

There are plenty parking garages for bicycles around town

A view of the side of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (EN: Church of Our Lady) from the Mariastraat in the center of
Bruges, Belgium. Taken from the Mariastraat in the historic center of this medieval city.

An upward glance of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, displaying some of its impressive architecture.

Bruges is sometimes nicknamed 'Venice of the North' for its many canals

More stepped façades. We got on board here for a nice tour through the canals.

I was soon bored by the souvenir shops, the cobble stoned streets and the façades: aimed my camera at other stuff!

On April 26th the Dutch celebrated their King's anniversary and for once
I escaped the orange markets and madness ☺

Resisted the marzepain and Belgian chocolates..

More chocolate

More walkabout

On our walkabout we got a little lost and ended up beyond 't Zand nearer to the
Sweden Gate, a less travelled area by tourists.

A class is getting cycling lessons here on the huge market square. Underground is a modern parking both for
cars as well as bicycles. The Dutch could take an example here of the Belgians for parking the bicycles.

'T Santpoortje, restaurant on 't Zand (EN: The Sand) with a remarkable sign/mural on the side.

"Is This The Burger Life Or Is This Just Fantasy"

On the first full day in Brugge the sun came out and decided to renew my focus on medieval façades somewhat

Seems there once was a chimney here..

Hats of all sorts, here a western style...

..while the drivers wear the traditional 'straw boater'!

For the standard horse drawn carriage tour, one must wait in line at the Carriage Station (Markt) or on Wednesday
morning before noon on the Burg. The same principle used with taxi cabs is also applied: first-come, first served.
There was no line upon our visit but at times, there may be a waiting time depending on weather conditions, traffic and
demand. Payment must be made directly to each carriage driver. No credit cards are accepted or invoices given on the spot.
The price set by the city of Bruges is of € 70/half hour, per carriage (max. 5 people). A tip to driver and/or horse
is appreciated! Donna was the name of our horse ☺

Keep your distance

We took a ride too, a pleasant endeavour saving our painful feet.

You may have concluded by now I like to sneek up on people taking pictures ☺

This swan obvious did not need the available privacy and quite enjoyed the attention

'Markt' and youngsters lounging in the warming sun

A rather mysterious statue in front of the 'Stadsschouwburg' (Email)

More walkabout around town

This struck me as funny..

'Burg', another major square not far from 'Markt', on our way the 'Vismarkt'.

I quote: "The Market Square is the heart of Bruges, but the Burg Square is its soul. For centuries this has been the
centre of power in the city, and Bruges' city administration still occupies the 14th century Gothic Town Hall.
This grand, majestic square is lined with monumental landmark buildings."

Walking towards 'Vismarkt'

For my #OnReading series

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