Bruges, Belgium

[ Photo Blog #50 ]

I paid the first of my two visits to this delightful city, the capital of West Flanders, in north-west Belgium in 2003.  As will be seen from the photographs, the weather was not particularly kind during my visit, but the rain stopped long enough to enable me to take the following photographs . . .

The Belfry is a medieval bell tower in the centre of Bruges

The West Flanders Provincial Court

Part of the Provincial Palace, Market Square

The canals of Bruges are part of the personality of the city. 

The city’s canals are one of the main attractions in Bruges 

Navigating through the canals and discovering the most hidden corners of Bruges is essential to enjoying the essence of the city.

The city has become known as the “Venice of the North”

Canal artist at work

Diverse statuary can be seen all over the city

Bruges is famous for its lace-making and has many shops selling hand-made lace items.  In many streets lace-makers can be watched using their skills to create beautiful silkware.

 

The Sculpture Park

I attach below just a sample of some of the sculptures on view in this delightful hidden setting in England’s Surrey Hills.  In fact, my photographs were taken about ten years ago and since that time there have been considerable changes to both the venue and the artwork on display.  The setting is very atmospheric.  It lies in a steep-sided valley covered in trees and vegetation and dotted with pools, water gardens and water features.  Just wandering around the many pathways there is a delight, with unexpected positioning of sculptures popping  up at every turn of the many rambling paths to surprise and to appreciate.  Many well–known sculptors display their work there, all  in the open air often half-hidden amongst the undergrowth and bracken.  There are something like 800 exhibits scattered throughout this ten acre site amidst the many trees, lakes, and the natural wildlife of the area. In fair or in inclement weather a visit there is a guaranteed delight,

More can be discovered by visiting the park’s website at:

   The Sculpture Park, Churt, Farnham, Surrey

Click on any of the photographs above to view the sculpture in a larger format and to start a slide-show of them all.

OSLO Statuary

OSLO, Capital of Norway, is a beautiful city. made even more so, in my opinion, by the multitude of statues/sculptures which can be seen dotted around the city.  There is almost no point within the central part of the city from which it is not possible to see a sculpture.

Whether or not these are artistically worthy, is not, for me, the issue.  Rather it is just the sheer joy of coming across a new image, all of which, whatever their artistic merits, make you think, invite you to view them from every angle, and most are certainly memorable.

The photograph immediately below is not, in fact one of these, but an Oslo still life human reconstruction of a static figure, as can be seen these days in many towns and cities across the world.

 I have included my photographs of just a few of Oslo’s genuine sculptures in the gallery below, which I invite visitors to my blog to view.  The photographs were all taken by me during a visit to Oslo in 2004  . . .