This morning, I woke up at 8AM, and shortly thereafter started walking to the Brusell-Midi station to catch the 9AM train to Brugge.  I ended up taking the exact same route as I did the previous morning when I arrived in Brussels.

About an hour later, I arrived in Brugge and started on the 30 minute walk to the hostel.  I left my luggage at the hostel, and started walking through Brugge, stopping at the sites including Jerusalem Cathedral, Folklore Museum, Sint-Anna Cathedral, and more.

The architecture was stunning, and it was a great experience walking through the unique streets, squares, bridges, canals, and parks in Brugge.  It’s amazing to see how well-maintained most of the buildings in the city are.  They must have been restored many times over the centuries.  My favorite building was the Sint-Anna building, an older church located on a “parcel island” (surrounded by roads).  The church was very beautifully designed and spacious.  Also, the “island” location shows that religion was the centerpiece of the resident’s lives and a gathering place for all the residents.

Also, I really enjoyed Market Square and Brug Square.  I love the open, social, inward-facing designs of these squares.  It’s nice to imagine the purpose that these squares served back in the day.  These square were probably the most happening part of town, the venue for all major town events, and a gathering place for all the city’s residents.  The inward design of these squares is something that can be implemented in new properties in order to foster social living and a better quality of life. (Just like Howie’s co-op in Denver).

After a long day in Brugge, I was spending some time in the lobby of the hostel and I was asked to move spots because of a beer tasting.  I decided to join the beer tasting, and randomly saw Lexi and Luis in the lobby of the hostel.  They had just finished a night walking tour of Brugge.  We spent 15-30 minutes talking, and then they left to their AirBNB.