Brugse brandstraatjes (Bruges fire alleys)

Oops – blink and you'll miss them. Still, you would probably have spotted the narrow fire alleys. This is how the people of Bruges used to get to their back doors, load and unload their goods, and walk to the canals. If a fire broke out, that walk turned into a run. Feet dashed down the alley at breakneck speed to bring buckets of water to fight the fire. You can still see the original fire alleys near Hoogstraat 28 and Kastanjeboomstraat 14. Several of them also run to the waterside at Dijver. But sometimes, they are well hidden. In the Goezeputstraat, for example, opposite number 23, behind the green gate with the Bruges B. The alley ends behind another gate, also closed, at St Saviour's Cathedral.