Bruges, Belgium 13-15th - August
Ok, Ok I know this is a made for tourist town but the weather, gentle breeze, bikes, cool folks and breakfasts that are not made up of greasy meat make this my favorite place so far!  Bruges used to be the place in Europe for trade, in the 17th century it had a population as large as London.  The Medici's from Italy ran all the banks and that's why the only Michaelangelo outside of Italy at the time wound up here.
The Market Square in Bruges. My photos don't do this place justice, it looks like this to the left, right and behind you. Same square rotated 90 degrees.  The next morning they had a huge market going on.  I guess that's why they call it market square.  Everything is here, flowers, cheese, meat, puppets. The whole deal.

This is the "Lake of Love" (notice the swans), they probably named it that after they made it a tourist town.  Nonetheless, the canals throughout the city are very scenic, I took this shot from the top of the "Strong Henry" brewery.
This one's a bit hard to see but it's the top of a city government building in the Berg square right next to the Market square.  If you look at the red things below the blue crest and turn your head 90 degrees to the right, you'll see the inspiration for the Euro symbol. If you cross your eyes, you'll realize that it was also the symbol for US dollar.
If I was ever going to sculpt, I'd live in Tuscany and be Michaelangelo. He's the man.
This altar piece is from one of the most famous Flemish artists, Mengen.  I hope you can see the vibrant colors and scenic background that he used which is typical of Flemish paintings. In person this is a very impressive print.  The Mengen Museum is actually a converted hospital and this is on the top floor.  They did a great job updating the building but in the old days, all the patients stayed in one huge room down on the ground floor. I guess that's what it must feel like to sleep in a hostel.
This is a true beer lady, Belgians are famous for their beer (rightly so).  They have it for lunch and dinner and the funny thing is, I was just watching CNN and a new study came out that says any alcoholic drink (not just red wine) has been found to be good for you.  I guess the Belgians were right all along. I'm partial to Kriek, which is a berry flavored beer that tastes like a cherry coke.
This is called the Begijnof and they have them throughout Belguim and Holland.  Check this idea out.  Back in the day, there used to be more women than men ('cause of the wars)  So this lady decides to open up a place where the ladies can go and essentially live like nuns, away from all of the dudes, but without having the nun-ly obligations (didn't have to say their vows, didn't have to give everything to the church).  I guess it's like a sorority for life.  Hmmm, getting away from all the dudes, I kind of like that.