I wasn’t sure what title to give this account of our one-day walk through Firenze (Florence) in July 2013. We were merely passing by on our way back home (after visiting Sardegna) and the scorching heat (temperatures around 45°C, that’s around 113 degrees Fahrenheit) wasn’t really motivating us for long walks and intensive visits. We …
During our stay in Morocco, we only once hired a car to go driving ourselves. Not that driving here is dangerous in any way, but we mostly took the shuttle bus to Marrakesh or had a private driver on our trips with www.saharadesertkingdom.com. Going to Essaouira, however, was just easiest and most comfortable with a hired …
After an enchanting experience in fairytale Marrakech, we headed east on our third day in Morocco. This trip would take us far away from the city’s busy medina. We were picked up in the morning by Idir, our guide, and Mohammed, our driver, with their 10-year-old (but trustworthy and strong as a dinosaur, according to …
This beautiful open square has outstanding architectural value, with buildings dating mostly from the 17the century. The earliest mention of activity on this place, is 1174. It was then called Nedermarckt (Lower Market). The present name came into use in the late 18th century. At the Grote Markt both public & private buildings surround …
Bruges has been a very influential city in medieval times with regards to both commerce and culture. Both its spacial and structural organisation was conserved throughout the years and the city’s groundplan documents the different phases of its development. In the late 19th century, a renovation of the facades gave the city a neo-gothic …
The Belfry of Ghent. The 56 Belfries of Belgium and the North of France are belltowers of medieval origin (all built between the 11th and the 17th century), representing the transition from feudalism towards mercantile urban society. In this sence, they are strong symbols of the rise of civil liberties in the Middle Ages. …
Beautiful red houses of the small béguinage in Ghent. In the 13th century the béguines (women who lived a religious life, but without any formal vows) founded the béguinages as closed communities where they could live and worship in a quiet environment. They are architecturally distinct unities within cities, composed of small houses, a church …
