Just a little tired after a late night flight from Budapest, I began my first full day in Bruges with a walk along the Groenerei Canal.

While itineraries are great, I enjoy letting some travel days unfold without any plan other than soaking up the sights. Walking along the canal, one building after another was a treat for the eyes.

Before long, I found myself at the Vismarkt (Fish Market), an open air market. It turns out that, a couple of hundred years ago, fishmongers’ wares were considered too smelly for the famous Bruges Markt – and so they were forced to move a short walk away, to a covered arcade constructed in 1821 for their benefit.

You can still buy fish at the Vismarkt, but there are also other vendors there these days. One vendor’s display, with some lovely pieces of jewelry, caught my eye right away.

Lucas Blaton, pictured here, is a self-taught jeweler whose innovative designs also make use of recycled materials.

Ironically, I found myself standing next to another Canadian at Blaton’s stand. We both admired, and bought, a few pieces I’ve been delighted to wear back home. It was nice dealing with this quiet spoken artisan, and you can find more about his work by clicking here.