A major landmark in Bruges is the Belfort, the belfry tower overlooking the main square it houses a clock and carillon which regularly sounds over the city. It provides an opportunity to see the workings and hear the bells up close but it also give fantastic views across the city and I have shared some pictures of the rooftops of the city in a previous blog.
As well as the clock and the bells the tower used to be the repository for the cities guilds important documents. These were kept safe in secure chests which were themselves locked behind heavy wrought iron doors. The first two of today's pictures show detail from two of these doors.
The third picture shows a view of some of the stairs to the upper level inside the belfry, steep, narrow wooden spiral stairs that are tricky to negotiate but the effort really pays off.
The final picture is an abstract view which focuses on the security netting at the top of the tower and I think it is a really effective image.
Please leave your comments about today's selection below and please share the blog with your friends...
These pictures were all taken on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The first image of the box topiary maze was taken from the top of the belfry which can be seen in the final picture. It was really peaceful in the garden of "Isola San Giorgio Maggiore" and I wanted to get inside to have a look around but it was closed off to the public. In the third picture I was trying to get just high enough to get a view but was shouted at by a passing workman on his bike so didn't manage to get the shot I wanted but I don't think this one is too bad.
The second picture might seem slightly out of place given how modern it is in contrast to the other ancient buildings and garden, however this Japanese Tea House has been built within the grounds of the church and was the most tranquil of settings. It is the work of a Japanese artist called Hiroshi Sugimoto, it is called "Glass Tea House Mondrian", it is a temporary work which opened in June 2014 and will be in place until November 2015. If you click on the link you will be able to find out more about this work and the artist.
As you can see I have chosen a selection of pictures from Venice, mostly of gondola on the lagoon and the Grand canal, there are also a couple of shots of St Georges an island across the lagoon. From the belfry on St Georges there are fantastic views of the city.
The last two pictures were taken from the Rialto bridge which was absolutely heaving, so after taking them I headed off to find some of the less busy areas and in the future I will share some pictures of the quieter backstreets and canals which are also really beautiful.
