I declare ❣️ Bruges the most beautiful city in Belgium

When you come to Bruges, you will be attracted by its long history with many old buildings and charming streets that take you back in time

⛲️ Scenic spots in Bruges, Belgium
✨️ The Cathedral of the Holy Blood
A Roman Catholic basilica built in the 12th century to house the relics of the Holy Blood collected by Joseph of Arimathea and elevated to secondary Basilica in 1923.

✨️ Bruges Bell Tower
Located on the market square in the center of Bruges is a medieval bell tower, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is the most prominent symbol of Bruges. The clock tower was once used to house treasures and municipal archives, as well as to observe fires and other dangerous conditions.

✨️ Bruges Railway Station
Bruges Central Station, about a 10-minute walk from the city centre, with buses and taxis outside the station and easy access to other neighbourhoods.

✨️ Memling Museum
Located in the oldest surviving medieval hospital in Europe, the museum recreates the daily life of the hospital through its collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and decorative art, including several outstanding paintings of the 15th century and the reliquary of Saint Ursu, all by Memling.

✨️ Lake of Love
A narrow canal lake south of Bruges that controls the flow of water in Bruges. Love at First Sight Bridge: Located on the east side of the Church of Our Lady, it is said that when you step on this bridge, the first opposite sex you meet will fall in love with you at first sight.

Antwerp, Belgium - Nello and his dog Patrash

In front of Antwerp's cathedral, there is an extraordinary sculpture of Nello and his dog Patrash in a tight embrace, holding the ground as a quilt. This is a sculpture created by Belgian sculptor Batist Vermeulen based on the story of the writer Ouida.

There is a very moving story behind this: When the English writer Marie-Louise Della Lamy visited Billy in 1872, she was shocked when she felt that animals were being used as labor: Nilo was an orphan, selling milk on the streets of the city.

Patrash, the abandoned dog, ran up to Nello and accepted the role of the cart, pulling the milk and cup cart. More than 100 years ago, pet dogs in many cities performed such tasks.

Despite the hardships of life, the boy had a dream: he wanted to see two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens hanging in the cathedral, because he loved painting, but these were covered with cloth and could only be seen by paying.

One disaster led to another, only for Nello to eventually have to sell Patrash. After a snowstorm, the two are together again: Patrash escapes his new master, and the two friends find their way through the storm to the cathedral, where Nello is able to admire Rubens's work.

The next morning, they were found frozen to death.

The book is titled "A Dog of Flanders" and published under her stage name Ouida. In many parts of the world, the plight of the poor at the onset of industrialization was so great that similar stories have been written in many places.

Examples include a Christmas Carol (Carles Dickens, 1843) or Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 fairy tale "The Little Match Girl." Then social movements emerged that also sought to eradicate child poverty.

Belgian sculptor Batist Vermeulen (artist name: Tist) created the sculptures of Nello and Patrasche. The choice of materials adds a special touch to the story: for two good friends dressed in white marble, even the cold and hard pavement is a warm and soft blanket that protects their friendship with great power.