Bruges is the capital of the province West Flanders in Belgium and its historic city centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. Bruges’s beauty can be contributed to the fact that, although it’s been raided several times throughout history, most of the city’s medieval architecture remained intact, making it one of the most well-preserved and well-known medieval towns in Europe.

The brick tower of the Church of Our Lady, reaching to 122 m (which makes it one of the world’s tallest brick buildings) is a notable structure on any day. Yet on this cold winter night, as fog engulfed the brick spire, the roads and canals alike, even the most hardcore tourists seemed to abandon the streets. The few people still about had their jacket collars pulled high against the piercing, damp cold, scurrying for cover and warmth. Only a few horse-drawn carriages remained on the streets (a popular tourist attraction) and the muffled sounds of hooves on the cobblestones, the steaming animals emerging from the fog, and the street lights giving them a mysterious glow reminded me of depictions of foggy Albion in movies, lending the cityscape an almost victorian atmosphere.

This post is in response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: Ambience.
For more pictures visit my gallery here.