ICE SCULPTURE EXPOSITION IN BRUGGE (Belgium)

Since a few years Brugge besides a Sandsculpture Exposition also does an Ice Sculpture exposition. (more about Brugge and Sand Sculptures here) The sculptures are in a huge tent with an inside temperature of - 5°C (23 F). 300.000 kg (665 lbs) of ice and 400 tons (886 lbs) of snow were carried inside with bulldozers and cranes and then carved by a crew of 40 professional, international artists from China, Canada, USA, Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Once I was in the tent I thought how can it be possible to carve sculptures in this cold ! Although I wore gloves my hands were still freezing when I took pictures. Inside it looked very fairy like and magical ! Besides the cold I felt like in a dreamland.

When I came out of the station I saw the huge tent just right in front of me. I didn't have to go far. My entrance ticket was combined with my train ticket, the Belgian Railway organises Excursions to a very interesting price. That also is an easy way to get there without having to look for a parking place.

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As it was a Wednsday there were not too many people inside and I could walk through and take pictures without being disturbed. The above pictures show the entrance.

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I then walked through tunnels like this.

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and could admire the first sculptures.

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another tunnel

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Then I arrived in the middle of the exposition where a bar had been carved into the ice. Hot coffee, wine and strong alcohols against the cold were served here.

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Beautiful lion heads as Bar decoration

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Besides the real bottles you can see the sculptured shelf

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Little place for resting, but I didn't sit down it was really too cold !

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The children too had a lot of fun when they slid through this tunnel

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Sitting on these chairs you could watch a film about how the sculptures had been done.

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Lights of different colors shined on the sculptures

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a hand and a feet coming out of the wall

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There even was a cimetary !

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and various other beautiful sculptures

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I did a slideshow of all pictures I have taken inside, it just gives an idea how beautiful this exhibition had been.