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I will gladly guide you through our beautiful city of Bruges. To known and lesser-known places. With unusual stories and pithy anecdotes.
Without my hat, you will never see me in the crowd. I want to share with visitors my admiration and wonder at those great people of Bruges such as Jan van Eyck, Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, Anselm Adornes and Simon Stevin. But for me, Bruges is also that city with two faces: medieval and modern, conservative and progressive, traditional and forward-looking, religious and secular. That aspect is also close to my heart. In other words, I have been bitten by past and present Bruges!
Bruges, a godsend for a city guide. From Bruges of the distant past to contemporary Bruges, as a guide you are never done talking about it and the search for additional information never stops. With great enthusiasm, I try to share my knowledge by taking you on an exploration in and around Bruges. So off together for an engaging walk brought with a subtle touch of humour and very much like a lot of interaction from you.
I am an enthusiastic guide who oh so loves to show you the most beautiful spots of Bruges. I really love the Magdalene church because you can swing and enjoy the silence so much.
Why is a man’s handkerchief bigger than a woman’s handkerchief? (Liesbet Stevens).
Or in other words why does his-story have so much more impact than re-story ?
Better to lose yourself in the passion than to lose the passion, that’s my Bruges!
Better to lose yourself in the passion than to lose the passion, that’s my Bruges!
I am a traveller; wandering, searching and always on the move. After my master’s, I nested in Spain for several years. I became a child of the sun, with a fiery beating, glowing heart. To this day, the South churns in my blood. Bruges the Venice of the North? No, as a cosmopolitan, formerly Spanish city rather a slice of South by the North Sea.
Unesco has understood Bruges: A well-preserved medieval urban fabric, green lungs, bathed in light with in its veins a dark ancient spirit. Mysterious and at the same time so open. A story full of passion; my passion as a “guide with a twist”. Spanish tracks and an active commitment to repurposing, restoring and safeguarding (religious) heritage form my enthusiastic guide DNA. This is my 21st-century encounter with the city.
Bruges revived/t, Bruges experienced.
The birthplace of Guido Gezelle as well as Gezelle Museum
Here, on Rolweg, near the St Janshuys mill, I like to come and unwind. I imagine the miller who once passed on his love of storytelling to Gezelle there in the shadow of the mill. ‘Strong is the tale of words’ here, in ‘quiet’ Bruges, where it is always pleasant to be. I still and marvel over and over again how this ‘Lost Corner’ -far from the madding crowd- is a special ‘place’ that is more than worth coming to discover (again).
I am an enthusiastic guide who oh so loves to show you the most beautiful spots of Bruges. I really love the Magdalene church because you can swing and enjoy the silence so much.
My favourite spot in the city involves a rooftop view seen from the courtyard of Old St John’s Hospital. Various styles of architecture can be recognised, history dripping from it: Romanesque tower, medieval hospital, facade in Scheldt Gothic and stately brick tower of the Church of Our Lady. But equally, places where lots of people always gathered, in church and in the hospital. How small I myself am at all this. But he who seeks, finds (me).
Fool of Bruges Heritage. Special fetish for street furniture from an unexpected past: Burgundy pavement balusters, forgotten precious ironwork, and mysterious geodesic marks.
Fond of the unique history of Bruges and in particular the Burgundian 15th century.
My favourite spot in Bruges is the Jan van Eyck Square where, with a bit of imagination, you can feel the sultry port life of the late Middle Ages come so alive again.
Am a “washed-up” in Bruges since early 1997. Meanwhile, I feel like a fish out of water there. During my tours – alone or with a group of interested people – I always get a pleasant holiday feeling. It is therefore a city where you can often put on a different pair of glasses to see things. I like to keep it cosy with a touch of humour, even if it can be on serious topics.
Bruges was and still is a fascinating city. I’d love to take you into the stories hidden behind Bruges’ facades and uncharted places.
My favourite site is the area around the OLV church with the city palace of Gruuthuse and the old St John’s Hospital. I also like the Sint-Annakwartier, an old working-class area of Bruges with surprising highlights, to wander around.
As a ‘new’ Bruges resident, I still find new, beautiful, cosy places in Bruges every day. I like to share these with our visitors from all over the world.
My favourites are modern art, lace and (temporary) exhibitions.
Bruges is more than the Middle Ages. My interests include social and industrial history, the world wars and the 20th century. That history is at least as fascinating as that of the Burgundians.
As a non-Bruggler, I experience the city from the perspective of a visitor. I never cease to marvel at the splendour of the buildings, feel the magic of the rides, pass through cosy squares with a smile, enjoy the peace in quiet spots… I like to share my ‘Bruges feeling’ with others. Besides, I am geeky and a film buff, so it happens that I approach things from that angle.
My favourite place in the city is the area around the central museum site: the St John’s Hospital, the Church of Our Lady Museum, Gruuthuse Museum and Groeninge Museum are connected by the picturesque Hof Arents, the romantic Bonifacius Bridge, mysterious reits, quaint streets, the breathtaking courtyard of Gruuthuse and surprising museum gardens of the Groeninge Museum. Lovely to stroll around there or sit on a bench watching the world go by while feeling surrounded by history.
I live on one of the boroughs but in the evening after my day job (administrative in education), a walk through the historic city centre is a “breath of fresh air”.
One of my favourite spots is the Beguinage, the combination of the beautiful white houses with the “Spiritual” silence is indescribable.
Hopefully we will meet and I may let you share in my “Bruges Experience”.
You experience so much more by exploring a city with a guide. Because a guide can bring you the stories behind the buildings and facades and make all kinds of unexpected connections. Now let Bruges be full of stories and many fascinating characters. Bringing those to you is my passion.
Why me guide? A passion for nature and history. Hoping to pass on some of this passion and interest to walkers, adults and children.
Not just the beauty of it all, the enduring wonder of and for the world around us.
One of my favourite spots in Bruges is the view at the Smedenpoort, from the pedestrian bridge. The modern architecture of the footbridges, the green oasis of the vests and the rich city history: much of what Bruges has to offer at a glance. With some imagination, I go back into the past and see medieval guards standing at the ochre yellow city gate asking for a password.
Brugge is bursting with stories. What are your interests? I go into it with great enthusiasm! ‘Care and education through the ages’ is my thing, but equally I jump on the bandwagon of a contemporary exhibition, go in search of women behind dukes, dive into our past with children, in short, as far as I am concerned, everyone is welcome!
As the oldest qualified guide of the group, I can say that I still take great pleasure and pride in presenting my city to interested visitors in my mother tongue: French.
Why I guide: the combination of love for my city, love for history and geography and a general urge to want to infect others with it ;).
– Favourite topic: the origins of Bruges and its earliest history starring marauding Vikings, a count with an iron arm, a river that no longer exists and much more.
– Favourite spots in Bruges: the square in front of Gruuthuse: the place where I always have to wait the longest before I can start my story because everyone loses themselves in taking photos.
I not only show you the city, but can take you through the Bruges countryside to discover the beautiful swin region.
