May Time on the Continent
While the Queen celebrated her 50th Anniversary this May, the Band decided that the long weekend would be an ideal opportunity to tour another part of Europe. This time we decided to head for the town of Bruges in Belgium.
This town is often called “Venice of the north”, because of the many canals running through it. Bruges lies to the north of Flanders and was first recorded as “Brucciam”. It was the most important centre of trade in Northern Europe from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century.
Because of its well-preserved medieval architecture, it is now one of the most exciting tourist attractions in Europe. Things to see include numerous museums, churches and the canals. Things to buy include lace and the famous Belgian chocolates, the later being on most of the band members shopping lists.
Whilst based in Bruges we also took a short drive to Ypres to play our first concert in the market town and then a second as part of the evening remembrance ceremony at the Menin Gate.