I call the beautiful and romantic city of Bruges my home. Every time I see the amazement in the eyes of the tourists visiting the city I feel privileged to live here. We live just outside ‘the Kruispoort’, and whenever the weather permits, we walk through Bruges as if it were our personal garden of Versailles. I love to wander along its small streets and discover new spots in unexpected corners. I am an avid traveller myself who loves to discover new places and is always looking for an authentic local experience. So whenever friends visit Bruges the tourist guide in me pops out. I love to show visitors the historic beauty and all the cultural riches that Bruges holds within its old ramparts. I love to show them the quiet cobblestone streets with the stepped gable houses, the many almshouses around beautiful gardens, the more than 300 statues of the Virgin Mary that grace the facades, the many parks that bring nature into the inner city and the labyrinth of canals that branded Bruges the ‘Venice of the North’. Only at the end of our walk will I immerse my friends into the crowded bustling city centre we’ve nicknamed ‘the golden triangle’. Here they come eye to eye with the grand medieval buildings and awe inspiring sights that made our city earn its Cultural Heritage status. Bruges is however more than ‘the Belfry’, the ‘church of Our Lady’, the ‘Gruuthuse palace’, and the architectural gem that is ‘The Burg’. Bruges is most above all a city that exhumes a serene atmosphere that is not always easily translated into words but always leaves visitors elated and enriched.