James Tucker in Cov

Bruges is one of those 'must-see' places in the northern, Dutch-speaking, part of Belgium (Ghent's probably the other one). Laura and I went on Boxing day, which is a pretty ordinary day there (though, to be fair, the train was really quite busy, and we stood most of the way). It was a cold and foggy day, which actually worked pretty well there with the medieval feel to the place.
Basically, Bruges reached the height of its power and influence about 1350, at which point they went on a building spree, and then watched their economy collapse. As a result, almost nothing has changed in 650 years. Bruges has been criticised as a dead city, but it's pretty obvious why it's such a tourist attraction.
That large tower is the commercial hall of the town- it housed the city treasury and all the important documents in a box that needed 8 keys to open (which is impressive for 600 year-old ironwork), and has a courtyard for markets. The city hall is actually beside it, and the royal palace behind, making for three major centrepieces to the city (the cathedral was somehow destroyed by the French in the 18th century. I have no idea why). I climbed the tower alongside Peter Kent, the Canadian newcaster, who was on vacation or something, and managed to be in the belfry when the clock chimed. I'm not sure anyone could hear until we got to the bottom.
Bruges is famous for its canals, like so many other cities in the low-countries, and they do give the town its most scenic spots. They're a lot more domestic than Birmingham's, or even than Amsterdam's, having more in common with Leiden or The Hague.

I spent Christmas in Brussels this year. They light up the town square nicely, and there were children's choirs singing there when I visited, as well as a market running through the major streets to a really good skating rink and funfair. The best ferris wheel I've ever seen was part of the fair- it had a rocket going up through the canopy of the ride, and a pterodactyl, and odd little moving photos and all the rest.

I also took a walk around the Ixelles neighbourhood (home of a lot of minor ambassadors) and saw the budgies, which live in one square in a couple of enormous nests. On the way home I passed through an old abbey that at some point was turned into the Belgian military academy (though it looked pretty derilect when I was there), and is also home to the National Geographic Society, which looked pretty militarised in itself, really.