Bruges from the Belfry

The Belfry Tower is one of the most visited monuments in Bruges and the entire Bruges community treasures it. It is gothic in style and located in one of the city’s main plazas, Markt. This monument used to house the national treasury but it has since been moved. The belfry is a reminder to the people of Bruges about its history and prominence as a center for trade dating back to medieval times. From the ground, the summit is 366 steps away. My mission was to make it to the very top and see the panorama of beautiful Belgium.

The first flight of steps everyone in the group was doing great, even Kim and Amy who had their heavy backpacks with them. I think we counted about 50 steps when we had reached the first break in the stairs. We were so confident in our abilities that we pressed on without stopping. By the next break, I was embarrassed that I was panting and but so was the rest of the group. We stopped for a little while then decided to keep going. Along the way, we stopped at other breakpoints and one contained a clock mechanism that allowed the bell to ring at certain intervals. In medieval times, the bells were used to notify the people of Bruges for a multitude of reasons like fires, work hours, and social or religious occasions.

366 steps later, we reach the top of the tower. We heard that there was construction but was slightly disappointed by the amount of area blocked off at the top. The disappointment didn’t last long because the view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. I could see all the spots we had gone to on our short stay in Bruges.

First, I saw the Basilica of the Holy Blood where we had gone for Mass earlier that morning. The mass was really interesting to see but it was very hard to understand. Luckily, Catholic masses are the same in all places I was able to follow along pretty well. The Basilica of the Holy Blood is the home to the relic of the precious blood of Jesus. During the mass, they carried the vial to the alter and then after the mass they allowed people to come and pay their respects to it by touching and kissing the vial or praying in it’s presence.

Next, I looked down into the plaza below the tower. I could see the restaurant where we ordered the infamous Belgian waffles, the two battling French fry stands that are open for late night, as well as The Chocolate Museum that we had visited earlier that morning. The Chocolate Museum was very detailed in the origins of chocolate and all the different Belgian brands of chocolate like Leonidas, but my favorite part was getting to see and take pictures with the ornate chocolate sculptures of Barack Obama, the Madonna with Child, and many other sweet sculptures. The sculptures looked so real and they took a lot of precision. Chocolate has been a Belgian tradition since about the nineteenth century and has continued to prove to be a prospering industry. Also, Belgium is home to the creation of the Praline, which is enjoyed my many sweet tooths worldwide. In Bruges, I noticed the Belgian’s pride for their chocolate and they had chocolate shops on just about every street corner.

If I could have seen 360° view, I would have been able to see the other side of the city and I would have seen the Church of Our Lady, which is where Michelangelo’s Madonna with Child is displayed as well as the western Belgium coast. Bruges’ prosperity as a city was launched by its location and geography, a canal city right next to the North Sea. The port of Bruges (Zeebrugge) is the second largest port in Belgium and is a very important to European trade.

As I began my decent to the ground, I noticed the steepness of the steps as well as the insanely cramped-ness of the stairwell. It was nearly impossible to have two people going opposite directions at the same time. Bruges was a beautiful city from ground as well as from the top of the belfry.