After a few days of experiencing the madness of Amsterdam, it was time to take it down a notch. Brugge, a brilliant city in Belgium whose city center hasn't changed substantially in the past 500 years. We were staying in a really hippie-ish hostel that didn't seem to fit well with the town's feel, but it didn't really matter - I ended up spending most of my time in the center square watching life go on around me or wandering the gorgeous alleyways.
Me alongside one of the canals that runs through town...unlike very developed Amsterdam, the water-side houses here had a more earthy, rustic vibe that made it all seem much more unique than the other tourist-havens we visited.
One of the various streets that leads up to the city center...in the distance you can see the massive belfry, one of numerous National Trust landmarks scattered throughout Europe.
I climbed all the way up the aforementioned belfry (an endless series of really narrow spiral steps)...the town square can be seen in the bottom left, surround by hundred of the typical european red-roofed buildings.
The center square...populated by kids (who presumably should have been in school, right?) kicking around soccer balls and relaxing, older gents and ladies wandering, and other tourists during the day it was definitely 'the place to be'. The building in the background is the medieval town hall/post office.