 Hotels Near Begijnhof - Brugge Belgium
Hotels Near Begijnhof are listed below in the order of their distance. Search for cheap and discount hotel rates near Begijnhof in Brugge Belgium for your upcoming individual or group travel. We list the best motels and hotels close to Begijnhof so you can review the Brugge Belgium hotels below and find the perfect lodging. Need 5+ Rooms? Brugge Belgium Group Hotel Rates
Bruges is a wonderful place. It's immortalised in the opening sequence of Dorothy Dunnet's "Niccolo Rising" (which is what you get when a professional historian writes fiction). It was during the celebrations for the centenary of Guido Gezelle, and I owe the place a great debt because it was here that I first discovered the Begijns and the Begijnhof. It took until the end of 2004 for me to revisit the place armed with everything I?d learned in the intervening years. In the meantime we've visited the Begijnhoven at Lier, Dendermonde and Mechelen, which are written up already, as well as Diest and Leuven,
Bruges works hard at its old-world charm, and mostly succeeds. The canals and the old port lend the place a great character and the place is full of contrasts - the bustling Grote Markt, the wonderful parks and quiet back streets. Out of the centre to the north-east is the Balstraat area where Guido was a pastor, leading out to a series of windmills: although they're been relocated and heavily restored they're still a reminder of the time when they were needed to keep the canals wet and the fields dry. On the other edge of the old town, near the Minnewatter and approached over a canal bridge, is the Begijnhof, known as "De Wijngaard" (the Vineyard).
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