April 27th while our river boat was docked at Ghent, Belgium we took a bus excursion to the ancient town of Bruges, 'the Venice of the North'. It is a splendid medieval city, not far from the North Sea, that looks and feels like the Europe of medieval times.

Bruges is the capital of the Belgian province of West-Flanders. As I spent only a half day here, I would love to return and see more. To stroll through the city by evening light, with its tiny medieval streets would be enchanting.

The town government of Bruges has strived to preserve the medieval-looking image of the city. There are many 19th century neo-gothic buildings in Bruge, and for that reason purists describe it as a 'fake' medieval city. To me, the combinations of old, not so old and new were delightful.