tourist in Bruges

As an easy day trip from Brussels lies Bruges, the old medieval trade town sometimes called the Venice of northern Europe. And I understand why, with all the canals. And hordes of tourists, EVERYWHERE!The draught horses have found a new calling in Bruges: to carry the tourists around town.  The central square was occupied with some kind of traveling carnival. Seriously, very odd, this place with the old, mostly beautiful houses, and then all the people throwing balls into loops to win toys, the blinking lights and a space ship simulator. Not what I’d call idyllic.  It is a nice place, cute and small. But it has also been kind of ill used by all the tourists. It doesn’t really feel like a real, livable town anymore. And I guess that’s OK for a day’s visit. But that’s enough. I will not want to go there again, not for myself anyway.